The Game of Fourtune Demo Impressions for Steam

The Game of Fourtune, by developer and publisher BlckLock Games, is a story rich visual novel inspired by a TV series called Alice in Borderland. You play as Clyde, a 24-year-old college dropout who is desperate to save his mother from an incurable disease. He and his friend Devon take a trip to a place that said they could cure his mother’s ailment, but they don’t quite get what they bargained for in the end. It is your job to lead Clyde and Devon through this confusing mystery in a game of life and death. How far will you go to have your deepest wishes granted? Let’s see if you can hold fast to your resolve.

Minor Spoilers

The game starts with a conversation between four people, they seem to be discussing a game of sorts and debating if the contestants are trustworthy. They also mention things going wrong last time they did this and that they cannot let it happen again. This sets up an early stage of mystery and suspense. After this brief scene you are introduced to Clyde and Devon who talk about how their current situation came to be, currently they are in a car driving to a place called the Clover Gate where they should be able to find a way to help Clyde’s mother with her illness. Upon arrival however it is simply an empty field of clovers with a crowd gathered around the outskirts. Slowly more pairs of people begin being dropped off at this field, each of them seeming to have their own motives for being here. Throughout all of this, things seem off, like there is something lurking in the shadows. This isn’t helped by the fact that no one seems to be willing to give you a straight answer as to what is going on. Eventually 16 people in total are gathered in the clover field at which point four new people appear in a limo, these four are introduced to you as the founding members of the Digits of Eden. These are apparently the people that told Clyde they could help with his mother’s illness. They each wear a mask that is numbered 1 – 4, the first mask is gold, the second is blue, then white, and finally green. They speak ominously over the crowd and explain the situation, a door will appear in which the pairs will enter one by one and be transported to a different realm. At which point the pairs will be put into groups that must play games, these games will determine life and death as well as who will receive a wish. One that can grant even the wildest of dreams. As you can see there is quite the amount of buildup, overwhelmingly so as this is the point where you will actually start making choices that will lead you to the multiple endings of the game. Overall, The Game of Fourtune features an interesting story and a sense of suspense and mystery. The art is well made, there is a diverse range of characters, and the music is well placed. I know I barely even scratched the surface of what just the demo has to offer. There are so many endings and secrets to discover along the way. 

While the overall style and story of this visual novel is captivating there are some drawbacks I see in the demo. As I mentioned, there is an overwhelming amount of buildup before getting to the main part of the game. I understand that stories like this need build up and explanation in order to round out the experience but there were parts where it just dragged on and became boring. Overall, the only issue I have is with the pacing, it drags the story out and introduces the characters so quickly that it’s very easy to get overwhelmed. They also emphasized the sense of mystery and suspense which for the most part they did, it is a very immersive experience as you do feel how Clyde is feeling as you go through the game. At the same time, it feels like it almost revolves too much around giving direction without actually giving answers until so far into the game. They tell you how the game is going to go and the rules without actually giving answers to the confusing questions, which is an amazing thing to be able to do as long as it’s not overused. All that being said, it is a demo, so there is still a chance that many of my issues won’t be a problem in the full release. Demos can make it so you want to put as much of the story as you can in them so the player can get a good feel for what the game has in store. I understand that it could change how the full release plays. 

The Game of Fourtune is a mysterious visual novel that is very story forward and suspenseful. There are many choices and secrets to uncover in this game once you get into it. It features a variety of characters and a lot of questions as to what exactly is going on. While the game has a very interesting premise and the makings of an amazing visual novel there are some issues with the pacing. The build up to the main story is long and overwhelming at times. I can’t wait to see where this game goes in the full release.

The Game of Fourtune free demo is available for PC via Steam. The game is expected to have a full release in the Spring. Fans wishing to follow the game’s development can wishlist it on Steam and join discord for updates.

Related: Reviews by Brianna Keller

Brianna Keller

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I enjoy a wide variety of games from intricate survival/adventure games to simple platformers. I am also a sucker for a good story game.

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