Gamedec Preview – Cyberpunk Sleuth

Gamedec is one of those games that instantly grabbed my attention just from its e-mail pitch. An isometric cyberpunk adaptive RPG is just a fun idea, so I felt I had to check it out at PAX East. This was an excellent decision, as Gamedec stood out as one of the most tonally unique and meticulously crafted games of the show. In my short demo I experienced conspiracies, murders, sharp mockery of free-to-play models, and a stat-check that let me lie about being an influential internet celebrity. If you can’t tell, it was an incredible demo.

Set in a neon-lit cyberpunk city, Gamedec’s demo immediately gave me a Blade Runner-esque sense of noir mystery. I played as a slick private investigator investigating a case involving people seemingly being trapped and sometimes dying in an MMO. Naturally, my first move was to walk into the gaming bar that housed the MMO’s VR couches and lie about being some form of eSports person to get in for free. There were more than a few ways to talk your way to the couches by using different attributes, but pretending to be an influencer was definitely the funniest way.

“Everywhere I turned, I was given more ways to approach this mystery, which makes the world of Gamedec feel far more like an actual world, and less like a narrative flowchart.“

Upon entering the Farmville-inspired MMO, something is off. Some players, primarily the ones working in fields for that sweet, sweet in-game currency, are speaking in a distorted manner and are seemingly in pain. The grumpy man who lords over these definitely-fine players says everything is fine, and that the dismayed players are simply real-world junkies who are just working for some cash. This is where things got really interesting.

After receiving this paper-thin explanation, I could have just believed the man and left, case closed. I was told that depending on what information you gather, you have a wide variety of choices throughout your cases that all lead to different outcomes. I decided to dig a bit deeper into this MMO conspiracy, and was rewarded for this, but I’m glad that my character had the option to bail at any time.

I asked around the MMO’s hub town to see what the general consensus on this whole shindig was, and found even more options were available. One NPC offered to sell me a gun, which I could have earned money for by doing some good old F2P farming. Another few people refused to help, while another NPC finally gave me some hints about what may be happening to all the orange-suit-clad players who were keeling over. After accusing the not-sketchy man of being up to no good, he denied it again, and left in a huff when I started dropping facts. This allowed me to talk to the workers more openly, which gave me even more information. Another way I could have gotten this info would be by stealing some worker clothes off a nearby pole and pretending to be one of the junkies. Everywhere I turned, I was given more ways to approach this mystery, which makes the world of Gamedec feel far more like an actual world, and less like a narrative flowchart.

As I went to log out of the MMO, the demo ended, and I left the booth very impressed. In my short time with Gamedec, I found myself becoming fully invested in the world and mysteries that Anshar Studios has made. I’m looking forward to playing the full game when it releases later this year, and if you’re fond of adaptive narratives and choices with real consequences, I recommend you take a look at it as well.