Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today

Amnesia in video games isn't uncommon, and neither is a post-apocalyptic dystopian future where the entire world is all but destroyed. When a game takes this route they need to stand out, and to say that Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today stood out would be an understatement. The story goes that the world has ended thanks to a “Great Wave” and people are “dissolving.” Your character Michael may have all the answers to what's going on, but the problem is he doesn't remember a thing and now has to adjust to this new world. A product of a successful Kickstarter by Fictiorama Studios and published by Daedalic Entertainment, Dead Synchronicity is an interesting take on the point-and-click genre. The story is the main focus of the game, rather than puzzles or the ‘put random item together' narrative that seems to be the staple of the genre. This leads to interesting results with the game's overall narrative and gameplay style.

Dead Synchronicity's gameplay is very straight forward: it's a point-and-click adventure game. You can sometimes put items together to make new items to get you to new places or to solve little puzzles. What you do is all very organic, you figure things out at the same time Michael does. He writes everything down so you can always get a recap of what you've done, or little clues of things you've seen. As said before, this game's main focus is the story, and it shows by how it presents each and every new element, begging the player to go talk to more people about what's going on. It shows this graphics-wise too, because the items that are important tend to be drawn in a more distinctive way, sticking out in an already stylized comic book-esque background.

If at any point the player idles, Michael will start talking and experience things relevant to the story like staticy flashbacks, or wonder why everything is happening to him. It's jarring if you just leave the game alone for a second to get a snack, thinking that since it's a point-and-click adventure, nothing is going to happen when all of a sudden Michael starts yelling causing you to rush back to the computer screen in a panic. The sound design in the game is so crisp and clear that everything sounds raw and like it's happening to you in the moment. Playing this game with lower volume may be a good idea for those with sensitive hearing because those loud flashbacks, sirens and screams can deafen an unsuspecting player.

Before the game came out, all of the dialogue was entirely in text, but now it's fully voice acted which is done very well, despite a few flat line reads here and there. Mole's wife tends to scream the same line at the player a lot when talking to her and while it makes sense since her character is the way it is, it's really obnoxious to hear her yelling “you're a rat” constantly. She and a few other characters had very similar dialogue that sounded like they were repeating themselves. Not sure if that was intentional or not, but some different dialogue would have been nice because you can tell that these actors do have a range. The shining star here though is Michael, who after gaining a voice has made him a more realized character. The casting for him is perfect and the desperation or rage his voice expresses is on point for a game like this. He makes playing him an actual immersive experience rather than a chore, getting you completely involved with what's going on.

Other than the apocalyptic event, the story is focused around Michael trying to figure out who he is and the player finding that out with him. We are treated to various flashbacks and visions of what has come and what has yet to be. The story has an almost surreal vibe to it when the game does this, shocking you out of the depression you may feel while exploring this dark and gritty landscape. The entire world has gone to hell and Michael as no idea how to react to it. Sometimes he has to do things that he and the player don't want to do and expresses his shock in a very realistic way that makes sense in the context of the story. Through these comic panel sequences and flashbacks we find more out about Michael and how he reacts to the world around him. It becomes obvious that Michael may not have been the best person before all of this and is trying to make up for it now. Problem is, he's making up for it as the world falls apart.

We get hints of what's going on throughout the story and while a few plot twists are predictable, there were a few surprising ones. Unfortunately, Dead Synchronicity sticks a lot of the explanations for what's going on at the very end of the game in the last ten minutes or so, exposition dumps everything on you, gives you a reveal and then ceases to exist. Were they pressed for time? It just stops, there's no “In the next episode of…” or anything like that, it just ceases to be. The game is going to come out in two parts, but the execution of the reveals was just awful at the end. Up until that point the game handled itself expertly well on the writing front and it's disappointing that they went with this rushed ending.

It's like Fictorama Studios gave us this great sandwich and we were really enjoying it, and then halfway through it they came up to us, punched us in the stomach and took the sandwich, promising us that they'll return it later. That's great, but you still punched me in the stomach while eating a sandwich! It's an unexpected unpleasantly after having such a good time playing the game, and it can ruin the experience for a lot of people.

All in all, Fictiorama Studios has delivered a good game with an interesting setting, raw characters, unique artwork and a story that leaves you guessing. While it is a two part story and the first part's ending is jarring and strangely executed, it still is a good example of testing the medium of gaming in a storytelling sense. Hopefully, the next entry will handle its big reveals better than its predecessor, but perhaps we will all be dissolved before that time comes.

Angelina Bonilla, NoobFeed (@Twitter)