[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” hundred_percent_height=”no” hundred_percent_height_scroll=”no” hundred_percent_height_center_content=”yes” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” status=”published” publish_date=”” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_image_id=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text columns=”” column_min_width=”” column_spacing=”” rule_style=”default” rule_size=”” rule_color=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””]

Game Stats

Video Game Title: Detroit: Become Human

Console: Exclusive to PS4

Release Date: May 25, 2018

Genre: Adventure Game

Rating:  M for Mature

My Rating: 3.75/5

Why Am I Recommending This Game?

I vaguely remember a while back watching a video titled “Kara”, about an android that thought they were alive. This was in 2015, so I thought it was an interesting short, but didn’t think much of it after that. I then heard about Detroit: Become Human because of the hype surrounding the plot and development. I later read about the game online, where individuals were fawning over favorite characters (as is so popular to do online), and as usual, I didn’t believe all the hype–that is, until I finally played the game. I connected the short video “Kara” with one of the main characters in the game, and I got excited. I was still tentative going in, because I knew the basic idea of the game was that your decisions as particular androids ultimately lead to a peaceful integration or civil war throughout the country involving the co-existence of androids and humans. The player begins the game with Connor, a prototype police android developed by CyberLife to figure out why androids are suddenly behaving like humans, aka becoming deviant (some players grow very fond of Connor and I am one of the gullible ones).

Once gaining a hold on the reins, so to speak, you play as Markus, and then as Kara. These three characters have an intertwined fate, and playing through the game reveals just how much one story line affects the other two. Without revealing too much, you will choose how these characters develop and how androids are perceived by the public. All events snowball until they hit bottom of the hill–just to crash into a large tree no one was looking for at the top of the hill. As I was playing, I was biased in my decisions, my personal morals affected the choices I made for these characters, and I found that I was trying to rush through certain stories just so I could play through others (I would “speedplay” Markus and Kara to get to Connor…). It’s difficult to skip cutscenes as most of them are important for the game’s development. You can play through each checkpoint multiple times to reveal several different paths; one checkpoint could end in as many as 6 different ways.

It’s fair to say that each character has multiple endings where the end did not justify the means… But if you manage to find the right ending for each character, let me know so I can make sure Markus, Kara, and Connor all get the right ending. The reason this game is receiving only three and three quarters stars out of five from me is because there are several endings where Connor doesn’t get his well deserved (and well earned!) happy ending (it was also the first one I unlocked, unfortunately). (There’s also a gold trophy that can be unlocked depending on how many times the RK800 can die and come back to life….) That, and also I found the controls to be difficult when exploring crime scenes, running through warehouses, and in several other high-action scenes. During some fights, it looks like a cut scene but still requires the player’s input to ensure success for whatever character they’re playing as. There’s an option to change the camera angle that sometimes helps but is mostly useless, seeing as the camera will follow you at a weird angle anyway. Even during the cutscene-and-button-smashing bits, you can’t determine who you’re smashing the keys for… I so desperately wanted Connor to win a fight that I chose to fight as a certain character just to jeopardize their plot line so Connor could win, but my plan did not succeed. Overall, Detroit: Become Human was a very interesting experience and I recommend it!

NOTE: This recommendation was brought to you by our guest reviewer Lauren.  Want to write a review of a video game you love (or of one you hated)? Email Kathryn at kathryn.ennist@hillsdale.bccls.org

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]