Detroit: Become Human Review

Detroit: Become Human draws on many recognizable humanitarian themes in its 10-hour multi-tier campaign, following the movement of sentient Androids known as Deviants. Players take part in the development of a new species of living A.I. units that humanity has created and become dependent on.

The story is full of rich, captivating characters that the player can tailor to their personal taste and shift the story. The obtuse control scheme often holds back this dense narrative, the use of red barriers, and difficult movement, leading to being trapped in the game's geometry. Detroit: Become Human is an excellent narrative-driven game, just don't come in expecting compelling gameplay.

Detroit: Become Human stars three different characters. Connor, an advanced Android created for the sole purpose of hunting down rogue Androids called Deviants; Kara, a housekeeper who ends up in the care of a runaway child; and finally Markus, a caretaker for a famous painter who becomes the leader of the revolution.

Each one is distinct, and since you have control of each, you can alter the story to benefit or hinder the other. This shift in narrative creates changes that ripple throughout the game. Each case ends with a flowchart detailing where and when certain optional choices can be made and what outcome they can lead to.

This is an extremely helpful tool in analyzing your choices and seeing what options are available to the player. Something sorely lacking in previous Quantic Dream titles. Characters themselves serve as branching paths with individual popularity scales.

The primary characters in your journey will judge your choices, and their behavior will shift accordingly. For example, despite good intentions, stealing clothes to keep Alice warm while playing as Kara, the child lashes out at you for it. Other characters will face similar scrutiny depending on whether their actions are seen positively or negatively.

The voice acting and character animations are outstanding, easily distinguishing humans from Androids, aside from the glowing light on their heads. Androids are stoic and robotic, whereas humans are much more organic in their speech and body language. 

It's clear the developers wanted to connect the world of Detroit: Become Human to reality. Peppered throughout are articles and news reports that provide ample detail of what's happening around the world. Not only Androids but also self-driving cars and other forms of automation have led to massive unemployment worldwide.

In addition, the world faces the realities of climate change and limited resources, which are driving hostility between competing countries. Despite being mostly pushed to the background, these finer details end up playing a larger role in the game.

Many people will draw connections between the Android Revolution and real-world history. The desire to be treated equally, the choice to be violent or peaceful, and unfair treatment peppered throughout, such as name-calling, belittlement, and refusal to be understood.

Quantic Dream has done a great job of showing history repeating itself with this futuristic period, and the shifting narrative prevents things from getting predictable. Much of Detroit: Become Human focuses on character development.

Having you choose what these 3 protagonists will become throughout the adventure. And since each of them is distinct, the soundtrack is also unique to Kara, Markus, and Connor. While playing as any of the 3, the sound design changes to complement their side of the story.

Detroit: Become Human may have great characters, a diverse narrative, and a phenomenal soundtrack, but the game suffers from tedious gameplay mechanics. Like previous titles in Quantic Dream's library, you'll end up mostly inputting a series of commands to perform acrobatic feats, attack, and solve puzzles.

Quantic Dream made use of the entire function of the PS4 controller, but this can lead to irritation when you're forced to use the touchpad or motion controls. Unlike traditional controls, these are not 100% accurate and can be misread or fail to register.

Since Detroit: Become Human alters the story based on your actions, not having your motion register during a critical event can unknowingly shift the narrative in a way you didn't plan. This lack of movement can lead to frustrating moments.

Much of the narrative focuses on specific paths and blocks your way with red flashing barriers. A scanning mode is provided to help players see where to go next, stopping everything around them, and being a huge help in timed situations. Strangely, the highlights don't remain, and you must continue to use scan mode to see them again.

Movement can be a significant chore in Detroit: Become Human. Much of the environment has obstacles, and some are too close together, making it impossible to walk past, even with a large enough gap. At first, this isn't an issue, but during timed situations, it becomes infuriating.

The left analog stick controls many of the game's actions and camera. Because of this, you can expect the camera to move while attempting to interact with a specific objective. While this never caused me the same frustration as the motion control prompts, it did become vexing the more it happened.

Detroit: Become Human offers many narrative choices and lets you personalize the story to your preferences. The diverse cast, excellent voice acting, and fantastic soundtrack help immerse the player in an actual Android Revolution, where you decide the fate of this species. Unfortunately, the gameplay and movement issues hold back much of Detroit: Become Human's synergy.