The platforming seems a little better now that I think I’m a little more used to it. What bothered me before was how jumpy it was. Compared to Assassin’s Creed and Tomb Raider, the leaping, climbing and shimmying need a bit more polish. The platforming works, even though it can be a bit frustrating at times.
Speaking of frustration, I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the forced camera angles. The game gives you free rein of the camera when you’re on walking or running. It grabs control of the camera once you start climbing, often placing it too close or at odd angles. On the plus side, this usually results in a rather dramatic viewpoint, granting you a more immersive experience. The downside is that you can’t see anything else, curtailing exploration. For example, when I was playing earlier today the UI indicated that the rail above me was climbable. It also seemed possible to go down even though there were no visual indicators confirming it. The fixed camera prevented me from checking if going down was indeed an option. I had to take a leap of faith to actually find out. I’m nitpicking because I like the game’s gritty vision of the future. I want to see more of it.
I was also able to play with the memory remixing mechanic and even though there’s not much to it gameplay-wise, the results are very interesting to see. Without spoiling things too much, you’ll get the chance to alter someone’s memories by first watching how they recall an event. Then you’ll get a specific goal that tells you what the outcome should be, like turning a happy memory into a tragedy. The left stick allows you to play, pause, rewind and fast forward through that event. Visual cues will tell you when something can be manipulated, like a handle or a switch. Doing so changes the event.
What’s interesting is how the memory branches off from there. Most of the time the differences are mundane, but from the perspective of someone watching a story unfold, even those slight changes are worth watching, coming from the simple joy of satisfying one’s curiosity.
Right now, what’s keeping me playing is the game’s immersion and story. There’s nothing wrong with the gameplay elements so far. It’s just that I know that there are other games that do a better job of using those elements. I’ll just have to see whether the things I like are going to be enough to keep me playing till the end.