Barely a month has passed since our first and encouraging acquisition of Twin Mirror, the new storytelling project of Do not do. Enough to allow them to refine the title a little further, which leaves that fantastic register that the Paris studio has got us used to so far to turn us more towards the psychological thriller. Until the code is integrated into the heart of the gaming experience through the wanderings of its protagonist.
Two years after leaving Basswood, a mining town in West Virginia, Samuel Higgs, a journalist for his state, returned there to attend the funeral of his best friend Nick. As he investigates the circumstances that led to his death, Sam is confronted with the mistakes of his past.
Sam, it’s suis Sam
The theme of getting back to the roots is prevalent in many narrative works of Do not do : Life is Strange Season 1, Tell me why and now Double mirror. Even more than the two titles mentioned above, The game focuses on revealing the area, here the small town of Basswood. The first hours of Double mirror In this way, the player can immerse himself in this special context, which is connected with the turbulent history of the city and its inhabitants. We get to know them through the bonds that bind them. Sam: Anna, his ex; Joan, his goddaughter and daughter of Nick; Walter, his ex-boss at Basswood Jungle …
In one of the first scenes of the game, our Sam changes with little Joan, who accuses him of suddenly leaving town two years earlier. Joan doubts the accidental nature of her father’s death and asks him to investigate this event. The game then freezes, then the Double appears, a character created from all parts of Sam’s conscience and serving as psychological support. to solve some of the dilemmas he faces. Specifically, Sam and The Double change their different points of view. After that, the player has to make a choice : here to include Joan in the investigation or not to involve her to keep her out of trouble.
These decisions have a direct impact on the relationships that the other characters have with Sam, but especially on the development of certain later scenes.. According to our tendency to listen to Joan or, on the contrary, not to trust her enough, she will be able to control and act accordingly (without spoilers). The choices that have a direct impact on the adventure are not that numerous Even so, the game can benefit from good replayability. Once it’s over, it’s also possible to continue part of a specific chapter of the adventure to see the consequences of certain choices.
My beautiful mirror
The plot, which revolves around Nick’s death and the secrets of Basswood, turns out to be quite disappointing and agreed : No thundering revelations or particularly strong sequences in motion tie the thread of the adventure. The player understands that quickly The heart of the game is how our reporter sees these events.. Sam is a lonely character who is withdrawn and has a hard time showing his feelings to others. Hence the existence of this doppelganger who keeps him company in times of doubt, but also the famous mental palace, in which he sometimes seeks refuge. Small world to him, the Mental Palace enables him to recall memories of objects or places in particular what he discovered while rummaging in Basswood: a jukebox, an engraving on a tree, a framed photo …
If the main plot is indeed different from the fantasy genre compared to the other narrative titles of Do not do, The sequences in the Mental Palace bring a touch of dreaminess Double mirror. Sam’s thoughts wander in a crystalline and pristine world and calm him down. On a visual level in general, this production is also much more compelling than when it was first presented in 2018.. Without reaching the visual performance of the latest AAAs, Double mirror tends towards a certain photoralism and is the most beautiful title of the studio. Certain faces and animations will make the player tick, but the whole thing is still very clean and we will be surprised to stop for a few seconds to admire the forest landscapes crossed by Sam.
Musically, the game navigates between bluegrass and folk according to the digital pieces (heard by the characters), which is conducive to the framework proposed by the game. The rest of the soundtrack does the job tooAs the story progresses or when Sam takes refuge in his Mental Palace, he becomes mysterious. The synchronization (English) is correct We will find errors or technical errors in spite of all : especially interspersed dialogues and unbalanced volume.
Crash investigation
For a few moments in the game, our reporter needs to review certain information in order to continue his investigation. For example, these investigation sequences will lead him to return to the site of Nick’s accident (see the first impressions of the game) or find the best way to distract other characters’ attention by lighting a fire without being seen. In the sequence in which Sam plays the arsonist, the player must first find all the elements on site that could help him with his plan: various possible hiding spots, manipulation of a garden hose … Once all these elements have been found, the little symbol the top right of the screen turns blue.
Sam can then dive into his Mental Palace and start hypothesizing or preparing his plan.. To do this, the player must try different combinations (hide in the closet or behind the curtain, manipulate the garden hose or hide the keys to gain access to a fire extinguisher …) knowing that the consequences of these actions will materialize in his Head. Therefore, it is appropriate for the player to choose the appropriate combination of actions / clues in order to be able to proceed with the investigation.
Unfortunately the first phase of the investigation is over, In the end, they all look the same and are not playfully interesting. Roughly speaking, the player has to rummage around the area to find clues the usefulness of which he is not yet aware of, some of which are quite painful to denounce. Once the game is decided, project the three to four possible combinations of actions. Quite classic sequences on the shape at the end that tend to block the rhythm of the adventure.
Regain his senses
The main weakness of the title is its lifespan: six short hours and without rush – By the way, we understand why the periodic format was abandoned. This is far too little to completely immerse yourself in the background of the game. In the end, a good half of the characters encountered only play a random role, even though they (like everyone else) have a file. in the game menu, which returns to the links that unite them to Sam or their role in Basswood. For some of them, the player may scare off objects related to them in one way or another: a comic strip by Joan, the badge of Declan, one of the town’s cops … but this is more of a background detail than a real development of the plot.
Once again, it’s in the (too rare) sequences associated with Sam’s lost moments that Double mirror pulls his pen out of the game. The character loses his resources and his mind is lost in a much darker and disturbing version of the Mental Palace. He must then literally find his own mind (“find my own mind”) or flee from the thoughts that attack him. These sequences contrast radically with the earthier tone of the rest of the game and have nothing to envy of the titles’ psychological horror scenes Bloober team (Layers of fear, observer). During one of these phases the game will take a decisive turn, the result of a difficult decision that Sam will face. Unfortunately, the player can only enjoy this sequence towards the end of the game, briefly seeing the consequences of his decision.
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