Genre: Adventure
Summary: A mysterious new technology, Resonance, appears to have caused death and destruction at a research lab and brings together a mathematician, doctor, cop, and reporter as they investigate.
Gameplay: Puzzles of every sort abound in this game, some of which are pretty fun, but most are more mechanical than I prefer. Additionally, some items end up in characters' long term memory and can be used in discussion and puzzles, and anything can be added to short-term memory for the same purpose. Usually this meant I had to go back to someplace because I'd forgotten to add something to short-term memory. This is a neat concept, but it didn't really feel like it lived up to its potential for unique problems or conversations.
There were also several puzzles involving getting the correct characters in the correct places to perform the correct actions. There is also some variability in that multiple characters can perform multiple tasks, but this is another element that felt somewhat under-utilized.
Style: The graphics didn't really stand out to me, though there were some nice moody moments via lighting and music.
Story: I got this game expecting mysterious science hijinks. New particle physics could be an excuse for time travel or alternate universes or superpowers. Here it...causes explosions. The plot is a fine technothriller, but it's not what I was hoping for.
As is not uncommon when there are several characters and story threads, I was more interested in one than the others. Alas, this story wrapped up rather unsatisfactorily about two-thirds through the game in a twist I mostly saw coming. So that was a bit of a downer as well.
The twist itself is rather good, however, and the main characters of the game were likable and well-written. The villains, however, barely make an impression. There are several choices at the end leading to different endings, which is a nice opportunity to in essence give player input on events (plus add a bit more replay ability.)
Conclusion: Resonance is an interesting case where I largely disliked the game not because of poor quality but just personal preference. There are a few plot elements I think could have been handled better, but it was mostly the endless mechanical puzzles and the duller than expected technothriller theme that dragged the game down for me. Others might well enjoy the game more for these.
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