Platforms: Xbox One
Developer: Access Games Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Players: 1 Release Date: September 19, 2014
Revel in the details.
D4 is a bizarre game full of odd characters, but best of all its something new. A point and click adventure that sees you hoping back and forth through time to solve the murder of your wife, D4 is a refreshing experience that surprises at every turn with its oddball humour and interesting collectibles. You’ll only explore 3 rather small areas, but each one is crammed with so many things to see and do that it’ll make many full retail games look sparse with content. D4 is a truly unique experience, and therefore may not be for everyone, but for those looking for something completely different it’ll definitely impress.
D4 is built to be an episodic experience, giving us a prologue and the first two episodes in this package. David Young, our time travelling detective, wakes up in a bath tub and explains that this is where he ends up every time he travels back to the present. From here on you’re free to explore David’s apartment at you leisure or continue on with the next clue; this being the type of open scenario you’ll find yourself in throughout the episodes. The whole experience could probably be run through in 3 hours or so, but in doing so you’d be neglecting all the extra distractions D4 boasts that can easily double that playtime. For instance I found myself rooting through the apartment for various collectibles (these range from simple medals to more detailed scrapbook entries and old letters) for 20 minutes before I even got round to approaching the objective; if you’re a sucker for exploring every nook and cranny then you’re going to sink a lot of time into D4.
Hit that objective and you’ll be attacked by a woman who seems to believe she’s a cat in one of a handful of action scenarios that entertain as much as they do thrill. Its a crazy encounter that’s telling of what you should expect from there on in, there’s a sombre story of loss and mystery at its heart but D4 isn’t one to hold back when it comes to the bizarre. Merely being the opening few episodes of a season unfortunately prevents the story from doing anything but build some vague intrigue for a conspiracy you get the feeling you’re only scraping the surface of, tauntingly ending just as it gets to the good stuff. The conspiracy is brilliantly fleshed out however, with many of the scrapbook extras and old case files that at first seem to be purely auxiliary falling into place as parts of a bigger puzzle later on.
Most of the characters you’ll encounter however are anything but subtle. Whether its a panicked passenger on a doomed flight or your old time partner from the force, each and every character is brimming with personality. The ‘extra cases’ these characters can give you generally offer some tantalizing rewards and further dialogue options, many of which again can touch on the mystery you’re trying to solve in new ways. Just being given the option to interact with these quirky characters at length is rewarding enough; for instance I could laugh at the otherwise mild mannered Forrest Kaysen devouring his comedy sized portions all day. David Young himself is a compelling protagonist, his sarcastic wit and single minded approach to the case at hand clashing well with colourful host of players he’ll have to investigate. The voice cast do a great job of bringing the larger than life characters to life as well, the level enthusiasm thrown behind each line of dialogue ensuring there’s never any disparity between the straight talkers and the more eccentric personalities. The comically thick Boston accent Ben Pronsky gives our protagonist merges well where it could have been atrocious, giving us a refreshingly not-so-gruff hero that brings levity no matter how dark things get.
Gameplay brings the usual point and click fare to the table, but there’s variety enough in terms of what actions you’ll need perform to ensure that looking at everything in a room never gets repetitive. D4 can be played entirely with Kinect or a controller, or a bit of both should you prefer to switch things up mid episode. While I personally prefer to have a controller in my hands, those who opt for Kinect will be pleased to know it works brilliantly besides the odd misreading. D4 always demands you’re attention as well, throwing inspection options in during its cut scenes and tasking you with managing three different resources; you’ll rarely be running short on these resources or failing its action scenarios but they all serve to keep you more involved with what’s going on. D4 can however be reluctant to let you flex your brain, with many of the cases boiling down to you collecting a series of clues and having David Young piece them together himself in a cut scene. Some activities will demand more of you, such as a memorable series of quizzes on aviation you’ll be faced with, but regardless D4 could do more to involve you in the actual detective work.
All of this is presented in a visually striking cell-shaded style that makes each scene look as if its jumped off of the page of a comic. Areas are as detailed as the unique characters which makes jumping in time from one colourful scene to another, along with a nifty transition animation, an aesthetically awesome thing to do. If you have sufficient credits you can even change the outfits of the major characters or the music in your apartment, and again the options here range from subdued to bizarre and everything in between. Lastly there’s a great selection excellent music here, from its catchy intro music to the Irish rock track that plays during what’s arguably its best fight scene in a turbulent plane cabin.
Verdict
D4 is hard game to describe, it may sound ridiculous in writing but when experienced it arguably works, and it works very well. There may be little detective work involved in these first episodes, but the eccentric characters and intriguing premise will more than likely captivate you as you engage its lavishly crafted scenarios. There are few games that’ll see you batting a baseball with a mannequins leg as a plane enters chaotic turbulence, but even fewer that would have you enjoy these moments as much as a meal between two old friends discussing old cases. If you’re looking for something that stands out amongst the games on offer this fall then D4 is worth diving into, and it’ll only be a matter of time before its outlandish characters hook you in.
Hits
+Great cast of eccentric and hilarious characters
+Stupendous amount of collectibles
+Fun and rewarding distractions
+Striking visuals
+Excellent and diverse soundtrack
Misses
–Lacking in actual detective work
Overall Rating
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