Detroit Become Human is a very unique game, in which you take the role of androids, going through their day-to-day lives. This was gifted to me by a friend but for some reason I could never play it on my PC. Though I eventually got a Steam Deck so that all changed and I was finally able to check it out. This game is very story heavy, and it does not contain a whole lot of gameplay outside of you making certain characters initiate specific actions.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- A very well-written story with three different characters
- Three different perspectives of the story that you can witness
- The story has an interesting point of view
- Multiple different outcomes for each decision you make
- Beautiful graphics that show us a futuristic Detroit
Cons
- Some story segments can be locked out if certain decisions are made
- You can’t have multiple saves, which can be a problem for achieving 100% completion
- Some decisions do not have an impact on the story that they initially lead you to believe
Story/Gameplay
Set in the year 2038 in Detroit, the city has evolved with the introduction of androids. These machines are introduced into everyday life and have taken over the lives and jobs of many people. You play as three playable characters: Kara, Conner, and Markus, each of them having a unique perspective and story of their own. They will be facing their true selves and wondering what it means to truly be human. Each character will challenge their own hardships and obstacles as they try to overcome them.
Conner is on the left, Markus is in the middle, while Kara is on the right
There are also other androids who break from their usual programming and gain free wills, which are called Deviants. These Deviants will start to develop feelings, independent opinions, and wishes. Eventually, they will break free, completely away from their programming and become autonomous.
Each decision made by the player will affect the outcome of certain character interactions. So, if you are nice and trustworthy to one character, you will end up on their good side and vice versa. This makes the story as a whole really interesting and intriguing, which opens up many possibilities for the game. You will switch between the three different main characters at certain points to see what they are currently doing. Kara is a housekeeper android who does housework for people but has to end up escaping with Alice, a small girl which she protects from her abusive father. Markus is another caretaker who watches over this artist by the name of Carl Manfred, who also ends up becoming a deviant and will try to fight for the rights of androids.
Though my favorite character to play as has to be Connor, who is a special android helping with investigating cases of Deviants. He works with another favorite character of mine named Hank Anderson, who is a detective in the Detroit City Police Department. Hank also has a lot of depth as a character because he is the only human main character in the story. The story plays out between them as you witness it from the point of view of a machine interacting with a human. I really loved playing these chapters and wish there were more moments between the two of them.
Detroit Become Human has an interesting concept as it explores what it means to be human as a whole. It makes me think about how we judge people for who they are when we are all people at the end of the day. The story is structured in a grid-like system where you can see all the outcomes you got and what you could have made different. This opens up the possibility of replaying the game to see the many different endings you can get. There are quick-time events that you will be forced to do throughout the story, so be prepared for when they come.
Although, there are three issues that Detroit Become Human has which do not impact the story as a whole but are worth mentioning. Some story sections can become locked if certain story segments happen. So, if a character dies they are dead for good, and you are locked out from accessing their specific story branch. This could have been circumvented if you were allowed to have more than one save but there is only one. Now, you may say that’s fine and all but think of it this way: If you want to achieve 100% completion in this game you will need to replay it seven times to go through each and every possibility. This can be very time-consuming for some people and while not everyone will strive for 100% completion, those that want to will be sitting at this game for a few more hours at least.
Another issue is that some story events lead you to believe that there will be a major impact on the story, but it turns out that these choices do not have any. Some decisions will imply a certain character dying, for them to not die when the game says they could. Why give me this suspenseful feeling that a character will die when they really don’t, it just does not feel natural at all.
Graphics and Performance
Detroit Become Human is a very beautiful game, the city is full of life with people and androids running around and has a very futuristic touch. I could not play this game on my computer for some reason, I don’t know why, however, I was able to play on my 256GB model Steam Deck. I will list the specs of my computer anyway so if anyone has any knowledge then you are free to tell me in the comments on this review. My PC specs are as follows: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB, AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Quad-Core Processor 3.50, and 16 GB of RAM.
Final Verdict
I am not going to lie, this game is very interesting in what it’s presenting, and the amount of detail it puts into its story is amazing. If you like story-heavy games with a deep meaning to them, then I think this game is definitely worth it. Although I would maybe wait for a sale - though this is just my personal preference, if you like these types of games then buy them at full price. These are the same developers who made Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls, so story-heavy games are their specialty.