Storyscape: The X Files Review for iOS

FoxNext Games has recently released Storyscape: The X-FIles, a choose-your-destiny type game where you, the player, get to experience your own The X-Files fantasy. The game takes much of its inspiration from the original The X-Files, by dividing into episodes that are released every Wednesday. You even get to meet and work with Mulder and Scully — except you have your own cases to work with.

Sound

Pros:

• From what I’ve heard from the original The X-Files soundtrack, this soundtrack does not stray too far from it; though, it still maintains some originality.
• Surprisingly realistic atmospheric background sounds during mundane scenes. There doesn’t seem to be any short loops in the audio, since there are shuffling and coughing sounds organically thrown in the background that do not seem to be repeated, which makes it actually very refreshing and realistic.
• Very fitting music for tense and suspenseful scenes without being too overbearing or overdramatic.

Cons:

• The music is The X-Files themed, but since it is presumably made by the creators of the game, it sometimes can sound a bit mechanical in melody.

Graphics

Pros:

• Given most choose-your-destiny type games, Storyscape exceeds many expectations for its graphics and character movement. Graphics run so realistically and smoothly that it adds an extra sense of reality for the player.
• There’s subtly in the movement of characters — characters move their mouths and bodies when necessary, so players are not distracted by some mechanical movement that might show through.
• Details of characters are amazing and no two characters look exactly alike, which is greatly appreciated by gamers who’ve become soured with so many modern games lacking individualistic animation.

Cons:

• Graphics, of course, are never perfect, and sometimes there will be a glitch or two; for example, a side part of a character’s hair might switch midway through a scene.
• Character expressions could do with a bit more work. At times, character expressions will seem very stiff and forced, which can come off as comical during scenes that intend to be more serious.
• Scully and Mulder are perhaps the most detailed characters of the game — probably because their characters were based off real life actors. This poses some inconsistency and distraction in animated detail since no other character is as detailed as Scully and Mulder, who are not even the main protagonists in the game to begin with.

Plot

Pros:

• I have not seen enough The X-Files episodes myself to be able to compare story plot, but I would not be surprised if the actual show has just as great of plot consistency as the gameplay. The gameplay plot maintains a perfect speed to allow the player to really digest story details in full; and side plots are not just tackily thrown in as filler content.
• There are also so many women of color! In fact, one of the protagonists the player plays is, in fact, a woman of color. The game even acknowledges some of the microaggressions some women/ women of color might realistically encounter, so as a woman of color who seldom sees these kinds of things represented in media, this very much excites me.
• Episodes keep players on their toes and excited to play the next episode. Each episode is filled with its own unique suspense, but not so much that one episode significantly outshines another.

Cons:

• Albeit a choose-your-destiny kind of game, the first few episodes do not really give the player much choice. The player is presented with a variety of choices that allows them some freedom in the story, but at times the player’s choice might be swept aside or briefly acknowledged before continuing with a different plot selection. Though, in later episodes, this is not as prevalent.
• As one might have guessed, the player must pay quite a bit in order to access some of the more tantalizing choices. To continue episodes comes as a cost as well, though not nearly as expensive.

Gameplay

Pros:

• The player is given the opportunity to experience the story in depth with each character and see their own unique thought processes. The game does not stay stagnantly on one character for too long, making the entire gameplay more emotionally investing and interesting.
• Toward the later episodes, the player’s choices are more influential on relationships and tones of the story.

Cons:

• It can be a little much to continuously pay to see some of the more interesting selections, and at times, paying does not seem worth it when the player finds that some are about as interesting as not paying to see them at all.

Reviewer’s Opinion

I was not too crazy about the game initially, but it has definitely grown on me, and I cannot wait to continue playing to see how the rest of this season’s story unfolds. There are very serious and sophisticated thematic themes throughout the game that are very much worth experiencing, and the more playful side plots balance very nicely with those themes. Each episode is pretty much guaranteed to have me wanting to play more.

Rating

7.8/10

Storyscape is available via the Apple App Store and Google Play.