Every so often, a game will come my way that I find so enthralling I lose all connection to anything and everything else in the world around me. I can still distinctly remember playing through Detroit: Become Human, but that’s all I remember—playing the game. At a stage, I became aware that the world around me, which was once day, was now deep night and that my partner was desperately trying to get my attention so I could take a break to eat. Still, until the end credits rolled, I was so enveloped by the game everything else just seemed to fade into background noise.
I mention this now because it’s precisely how I felt playing through Gamedec. After a kind of confusing start to the game, I wasn’t sure if I would commit to playing it or instead let it just fall into the abyss that is my “I’ll play it one-day” Steam library. Then the next thing I knew, it was no longer Friday but rather Monday and the only memory I have of the time past was of playing Gamedec.
Gamedec is a very, very text-heavy detective game set sometime in the distant future with a cyberpunk theme. The game features skill-based actions and more choices than I’m comfortable making, and it’s sure to keep your brain busier than any game of Wordle ever could. You play as a Game Detective or a Gamedec for short, and it’s your job to solve crimes that happen in the virtual worlds that many citizens plug into.
If you’re looking for a game where you can switch your brain off and mindlessly play, it’s not for you. If you aren’t in the mood for a LOT of reading, it’s not for you. And if you’re looking for a detective game where the game holds your hand and gently guides you in the right direction, you guessed it; it’s not for you. However, for anyone who’s a fan of either detective novels or shows and has always wanted to try their hand at their own investigations, then this is for you. Every deduction you make, clue you tie together or interview you conduct is entirely based on your conclusions and require you to use your brain, for better or worse.
Almost all of the game happens through dialogue options. Depending on the order in which you ask questions and how you choose to approach the conversation, you will earn points. These points can be spent on unlocking skills for your character, giving you a bit of an edge in certain areas. But don’t just think you’ll spam conversations to spam points; talk to someone a time too many, and they are likely to get irritated by your constant badgering and walk off.
It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly what part of Gamedec has me head over heels for the game. Still, upon reflection, I’ve concluded that the game’s magic comes from how well all the different parts of it are tied together. The world is gorgeous, and because of your ability to jump into many other virtual worlds, ever-changing. The dialogue is overwhelming, but it’s also interesting and the lack of spoon-feeding breeds a sense of hyper-focus that only adds to the realism of being a detective.
