It had been two years since we last saw Dontnod’s Twin Mirror. The game just got re-revealed at PCGamer’s PC Gaming Show, ensuring that the upcoming psychological thriller set in the rural Wyoming town of Basswood would still be releasing as the company’s first self-published title. I had the chance to view a 20-minute demo of Twin Mirror running off an early PC build, showcasing the ambitious narrative and gameplay elements found towards the beginning of the game. The glimpse I saw left me equally intrigued and excited, as Dontnod has evidently increased the scope of their video game narrative experiences exponentially.
A great deal is established about Twin Mirror through the opening shots. The camera is claustrophobic, hyperfixating long takes on medication, a newspaper that details the fatal car crash of a journalist, and mail that indicates overdue bills. These first impressions of the protagonist, a former investigative reporter named Sam Riggs, are gleaned from this artful visual storytelling. Small details found within these shots, provided depth to the struggles which would soon become front and center.
Alongside this stronger effort towards cinematography, is an overall refinement towards visual presentation. The graphical aspects of Dontnod’s latest adventure game are much darker and realistic compared to the bloomy cel-shading that can be found in the Life is Strange series. The shot composition while notably different with longer shots and more artistic angles creates unease with noirish lighting. As Sam drives towards his destination, the dark folk song Coming Alive by Sean Rowe posits this bleaker atmosphere.
Establishing atmosphere is something which Dontnod has excelled within their prior games, and Twin Mirror settles comfortably with its somber tone, as the initial plot surrounds Sam attending the funeral for the death of his friend, another journalist named Nick. Before heading to the funeral however, Sam stops to do some sightseeing. Looking over his hometown of Basswood from a cliff, he reflects on his ex-girlfriend named Anna, his dead friend, and the history of the town.
As an investigative journalist, Sam has remarkable analytical skills that make observations in his environment have a sense of relevance. In other adventure games, some players (like me) will examine everything in a space, despite how inconsequential. Rarely do these actions result in a tangible reward. In the demo, Sam examines a path closure sign and details the exact nuances for why the sign was put up. This added to a rich world-building that was made captivating by Dontnod’s excellent writing.
Another groundbreaking aspect of Twin Mirror is found within Sam’s head. Sam can enter his “mind palace,” a visually clean and aethereal environment that provides access to his memories on key events. In this environment, he can replay the interactions he has had with others in his life and reflects on these important moments with added introspection.
Each character has a bio that is updated with new information when a memento is collected, or interaction is relived in the mind palace. In the face of decisions, there is the ability to bring up this information to carefully decide exactly what you want to do. After reliving some heavy moments with his ex, Sam ends up having lost time and has missed Nick’s funeral as a result.
Arriving at the wake, Sam meets up with his goddaughter Joan Waldron. As she chews him out for not showing up to his best friend and her father’s funeral, Dontnod throws the player headfirst to navigate a difficult interpersonal situation through dialogue choices. This was where the writing continued to shine, despite the heavier atmosphere, as it still sharply lands as it did in Life is Strange 2. Depending on what is said to Joan, it will greatly affect Sam’s relationship with her. Whether that means withholding information on Joan’s father to “protect” her or being honest while also burdening an already grieving adolescent, each choice’s significance must be weighed carefully.
The other wrinkle in Twin Mirror is Sam’s internal alter ego dubbed “The Double.” This entity helps Sam through difficult social situations and provides alternate viewpoints that will help him make the decisions he needs to make. As it is alluded to that there may be a significant mystery surrounding the death of Nick, a suspenseful hook is placed towards the game being an exciting mystery-thriller.
Another significant change from course with Dontnod’s Twin Mirror, is the fact that the game will not be releasing episodically. Life is Strange 1 & 2 would have players waiting months between episodes, and Twin Mirror will instead be releasing later this year as a complete narrative experience. Considering both the risks that are being taken with the game’s more technically impressive presentation style and DONTNOD’s decision to self-publish, there’s exciting ambition in their latest efforts to use the medium of video games to tell player-involved, cinematic, and humanistic stories.
