We. The Revolution by by Polyslash and Klabater is a fascinating title in how it seems to combine aspects of a survival game and puzzle game alike. We. The Revolution throws the player into the role of highly controversial judge Alexis Fidéle, a member of the French Revolution’s tribunal by day and gambling drunkard by night. The player is tasked with a number of challenging decisions that all affect his reputation, standing with his family, and position in the hierarchy of French politicians.
The first thing that I would like to say about We. The Revolution is that I thought it was incredibly realistic and clever how the developer, Polyslash, managed to create an authentic sense of the environment during the time of the French Revolution. The fact that decisions made by the player influence Alexis’s familial relationships and political relationships alike is a very nice touch that sucked me deeper into the game. I enjoyed the ability to review the evidence of each case, question the defendant and witnesses, review the rapport, then issue a verdict that will change the way in which the “common folk” and “revolutionaries” view Alexis. If the jury believes with almost complete certainty that the accused is innocent and the player decides to imprison the defendant, then the level of respect for Alexis would decrease and depending on the affiliation of the defendant, so would Alexis’s favor with certain factions. The survival component that I previously mentioned can be seen in Alexis’s favorability levels with the revolutionaries and the common folk. If the player makes enough decisions to anger one faction to a certain point, then said faction will murder Alexis in an angry mob and the game is over.
While the system in place that requires the player to be conscious of the factions present in France is interesting and definitely realistic, it did not provide for incredibly compelling gameplay. After I had died several times for angering one group or the other too much because of the particular decisions that I made, I began to feel frustrated by the realization that the amount of “free choice” allowed by the game was much more minimal than I expected. This particular aspect of We. The Revolution really took me out of the entirety of the experience because it made a game based on decision-making feel as if certain decisions had to be made in each case in order to succeed and “beat” the game.
The court cases themselves all seem to fall flat and become rather monotonous after a certain point. The format of the game dictates a certain amount of simplicity, but I felt as if more could be done to engage the player in terms of implementing twists and turns in each case that greatly impacted the narrative as a whole. Every case certainly built upon one another, but the repetitive process of the trials began to get stale after a time.
The cutscenes, graphics, and music of We. The Revolution were definitely all very positive characteristics of the game. I enjoyed the somewhat crystalline design of the characters and environment and thought that the classical music was a nice touch that paid proper homage to the era in which the game takes place. Cutscenes were well made and progressed the (albeit a weak one) narrative so there seemed to be some sense of continuity within the game.
Overall, I would not say that I was particularly impressed by We. The Revolution, but it was far from a poor game. The beautiful graphics, realism, relationship management systems, and concept all did enough to make it a fairly decent game.
Final Score: 6/10
Check Out the We. The Revolution Trailer:
We. The Revolution will be released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on June 25, 2019. Furthermore, additional content updates are planned for the future. For more information, please visit Facebook and Steam as well as follow the game on Twitter.
Xbox One Review
I've been playing video games since I got a Playstation 2 when I was about 5 or 6 years old. The original Star Wars: Battlefront series and the Spyro series initially ignited my interest in gaming, but it wasn't until I got older that I truly appreciated the subtle details that make video games such a unique form of entertainment. My favorite type of video game would have to be any lengthy and plot-driven open world game, with my favorite games of all time being Batman: Arkham City, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and Firewatch.
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