Androids are among us, and they want their freedom. That’s the gist of the latest trailer for Detroit: Become Human from developer Quantic Dream (Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls). The star of Detroit, played by Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy’s Doctor Avery), rescues and recruits other androids in the futuristic city to gain their rights to their own lives. He’s become sentient, and spreads that knowledge through to other ‘bots he comes across.
Heavily text- and input-based, the adventure game is the latest in a long line of thought provoking and groundbreaking projects from Quantic Dream.
Our hands-on time with the game took place in the hour or so prior to Sony’s big PlayStation press event at E3. In our demo, we played the role of a police negotiator, tasked with saving the life of a little girl held captive on a rooftop. Only though conversation could we wear down the kidnapper, as the game shows a growing (or shrinking) probability meter on screen depending on if our conversation is heading in he preferred direction.
I was able to get the meter up to well over 60%, but a couple of failed questions left the perp with less confidence, ultimately causing him to jump. A quick button press later and I jumped as well, grabbing the girl and throwing her out of harm’s way while I fell to my certain death.
End scene.
Detroit plays much like we’ve come to expect from a Quantic Dream game: lots of chatting, tense moments, and lite action. All of this is wrapped in a sublime visual fidelity, clearly taking advantage of he PS4 Pro’s improved hardware. It was an interesting experience, created to showcase the psychological aspects of the game and how our reactions and conversations matter. I wouldn’t say it’s going to shatter what we know of the genre, but it seems like style alone could win us over.
Expect Detroit: Become Human to arrive in the future. The game was originally set for 2017, but who knows now.
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