Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Aug 13, 2022

  good vibes, but would be challenging for most gamers as it relies on little-held skills such as emotional intelligence and social awareness
• gamedeal user

  Oct 18, 2022

  I want to erase my memories of this game to play it as if it was my first time but that is not possible so I've been waiting since 2019 to replay it.
• Magnanimous

  Jun 22, 2023

  There were dialogue trees that actually made me walk away from the computer and pace for a while just so I could think about my answer.
• dakkie

  Aug 7, 2023

  the kind of game that makes you stop to genuinely think about the existence and capabilities of ai and bioengineering in our world, a la detroit become human. i'd always wanted to play dbh, but not owning a playstation and being the kind of gamer that prefers much more simplistic game play mechanics has prevented me from doing so. the red strings club was the perfect alternative i didn't even know existed. i had this game sitting in my library for a few years after buying it in a bundle and generally forgetting about its existence. i had skimmed over it many times, citing a disinterest in it because of my lack of knowledge on the premise. to that extent, i fully think my past self was an idiot. i wish i had just said fuck it and played it sooner. the game is heavily dependent on the choices of the player and the drinks brewed. there is much more choice based on the emotions induced by the drinks, so much so that i had looked up a walkthrough after the very first encounter. i'm the type of player that generally has a lot of anxiety based on making the wrong decisions and found that while i could experience all the contents of the game for myself, looking up which drinks to mix with each dialogue options and the non-story related achievements helped me tremendously. many others more bold than me still had an amazing time playing without the walkthrough, so it's definitely up to the individual whether or not they decide to replicate my play style. many of the clients and conversations within the game had me genuinely stopping and thinking about the ethics of brainwashing and relinquishing our human emotions. i thought about who i would be without my anxiety or depression, that has shaped my morality and relationships with others. i thought about the individuality of my own human existence and how it relates to society and technology. i thought my own emotions and the extremes i have felt with them. for a game about technology, it really encourages conversation about how we as humans interact with each other and feel. i really enjoyed this experience. i wish it brought back the pottery mechanics mostly, and i definitely wish it was longer. there were missed opportunities to explain the terrorist organization PROXYM, which i would love to learn more about considering the second main character, brandeis, was closely affiliated with them. there was also hints about donovan's past and how he acquired the club that are never explored. also, what was the deal with gost????? for the length of the game, there is a LOT of information the player needs to unpack, so i understand why these avenues weren't explored, but i am definitely hoping for a sequel! there is still a story untold here. i thought the bartending mechanics were unique and definitely not unenjoyable, i saw a review that stated v4-11 hall-a's was better, but i actually preferred this one. tapping into human emotion to collect information through drinks was so much fun! it also allowed the player to understand every side character (except for gost but i imagine he's not supposed to be understood) through their hidden emotions. all in all, the main game play was very fitting. making the drinks more complex would only detract from how story rich this game is. i wish i could recommend buying this game full price, but it is very short. on sale is a must!!! if you've got money laying around, don't wait! but if you're just not able to buy a 4 hour game for 15 bucks, that's enitrely understood. the inner dialogue this game provides is priceless, though, and as a passive enjoyer of philosophy, i will be thinking about it for weeks to come.
• bunsen

  Aug 9, 2023

  holy shit
• might

  Aug 17, 2023

  I was attracted by the bartending and pottery gameplay at the first place, but then I got hooked on the story. The setting of soul disk, mixing Bourbon, Absinthe, Vodka, and Tequila to stimulate target mood is really interesting, makes me wanna try mixture like those irl. About the plot, so basically that super AI steers Brandeis into a revolution against Radhika who is also created by itself, then regrets because of Donovan and just kills him? Poor Brandeis. And why can't Donovan hear all the conversations between Brandeis and Akara, but when Brandeis falls he suddenly can? I quite love the script, jokes and freaking romantic vibe, but there're some unnecessary twisted plot like above and the death at the end.
• gamedeal user

  Sep 21, 2023

  I came here expecting different Va-11 Hall-a I left in tears.
• gamedeal user

  Jan 23, 2018

  What is it with Cyberpunk games and bars? Game features four different minigames, and is about 3-4 hours long, depending on good you are with matching dials using drinks, and if you feel like you should restart the game because you didn't get that one bit of information from the last patron to visit the bar or as if you feel like you said the wrong thing to your android buddy. Art is beautiful, honestly wish this game had profile wallpapers, would grab one in a heartbeat. Music is great, from the piano being played at the beginning to the synth music over the radio while you sculpt bio-tech implants. Now, is it worth a buy? Again, that all depends. Do you enjoy the cyberpunk genre and short RPG games that pose questions about transhumanism and whether a computer with language synthesis is the answer to the world's problems? The Red Strings Club is a text heavy game that relies on answers and information to drive the story forward and expand its world, just as a RPG should. Personally, I didn't like how abruptly the game ended, and it left me wanting another shot. What could I have done differently? How could I have changed my ending? If those are the questions you like answering yourself by playing a game again after you've finished it, The Red Strings Club is the game for you.
• gamedeal user

  Jan 29, 2018

  [h1]The Author's note[/h1]------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After many years of gaming, I have decided to start making reviews about games, so here goes one for this game in a detailed fashion. I tried to gather as many hours of gameplay to view all the possible outcomes and finish the achievements. Since I dont want to spoil the fun of actually playing the game, I will try to keep it at a minimum, while providing useful insight about my experience. [h1]The Themes[/h1]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Red Strings Club is a game about Transhumanism, Corporations, Sabotage, Cyber-Terrorism, Industrial Espionnage, Gender, Ethics, Philosophy, Love and many more themes and especially as the title of the game implies; Bartending. [h1]The Mechanics[/h1]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of the main aspect is that decisions made by the player will affect the storyline, as the plot unfold, the player will be able to notice the changes he/she made with their decision. You will play different characters, all with theirs varied personalities, and meet a bunch of character each with their own agendas and mindset, going from dead cold to completely wacky. The game is not really long, but for what it lacks in playtime it more then make up for it in replayability value. The game is also full of silly and funny nods to modern day culture and interesting easter eggs. [h1]The Soundtrack[/h1]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Soundtrack, composed by Fingerspit, the same who made the Soundtrack for Gods will be watching, is inspiring, vibrant and really put the player in the atmosphere of this cyberpunk future. [h1]The Summary[/h1]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Good: - Awesome Soundtrack - Interesting gameplay mechanics - Play as a Bartender and try to uncover the story by talking with your patrons - An interesting cyberpunk universe - Great replay value and multiple path to take through the game - Food for thought on important modern day problems and dilemma - Great pixelated artwork and wonderfully animated - Great representation of LGBTQ+ - Minimalist HUD that allow to focus entirely on the game - The automatic save system is neatly done The Neutral: - It can be a problem for some, the story take some time to truly take place - The game cannot be failed, so to speak, unlike their previous game Gods will be watching, it's a matter of opinions The Bad: - Some plot elements felt a bit rushed by the end of the game - There are no scenario selections or multiple save states, so the game has to be played in one run. It is still worth it for the whole replayability and choices variations. - It could have been nice to see even more of the landscape of the city than the game offer [h1]Final Notes[/h1]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All things considered it is still a solid game with innovative features and an intriguing story, It may not be for everyone, but I highly encourage anyone who enjoy a good cyberpunk and a good story to give it a try. 10/10 If you took the time to read this, I hope it was helpful and I thank you for your time.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 28, 2018

  So, when it comes to cyberpunk I become super mad. Guess the main reason is because I was grown on all these movies and stylish shows and synthwave music, in one word all these main cyberpunk components. Plus, I really appreciate the whole idea of the cyberpunk and all this aesthetic is pretty much addictive. And now, everytime I hear some cyberpunk games are about to release I feel like "yeaaah, an amazing content is here!" and insta buy it. Sadly, lot of games disappointed me or were boring as hell, but on another hand, there are still cool products on the market. The Red Strings Club was the game I was hyped about. Mainly, because of the reason I listed above and secondly it was another game from the Gods Will Be Watching creators. Back in the days i really enjoyed that game and seeing another project is coming couldn't leave me indifferent. So, what is The Red String Club? It's another amazing narrative experience you can purchase for a few bucks and have a blast. Continuing the idea of Deus Ex, following the Blade Runner vibes it brings you amazing rich story, full of questions, answers on which you should find by yourself through your gameplay. Set in the distant future, humanity found a way to insert implants in humans' bodies to improve their abilities and skills. For example, imagine that you are ambitious person, full of business ideas for a next startup that is going to be a main hype breakthrough of the year. But there is a minor issue - you are not able to convince any businessmen to invest in your project. That's where help of the implants might be handy - you just need an implant with an ability to sell your ideas easily. Or maybe you eager to gain more Youtube followers and don't know how? How about an implant that increase your internet influence? Okay, so after we chose the right one, it's time for some pottery. Yeah, you heard me well, a robotic creature will create you the implant just the same way as ceramists make new aesthetic vases for the interior. And what's your role in this story? Oh, here comes the most interesting part, my favorite one. You are the...bartender! Wait, what? Oh, I am sorry, did I disappoint you? Did you expect to hear a tough guy who works on a government? A secret agent, smart as hell and handsome like Tom Cruise? Big breasts blonde sex bomb, playing on billioner's feelings to get the secret information of the big corporations, using their money and power? No, no and hella no! You are just a bartender. But! With a twist. The trick is you are not a usual bartender, you are some kinda psychological bartender, who can easily detect your mood and the way you feel at this moment and create a perfect cocktail for you, regarding your state. Of course, with a skills like these you can easily retrieve any information you need from any kind of a person and that's the main thing in the game. You will be sitting in the bar for the whole game mostly, reading well written dialogues, trying to figure out what's going on in this story solving this corporate conspiracy in the best possible way ever. Choices you make in the dialogues during your debates about joy, happiness and playing-God-syndrome will affect the whole game's plot. That makes this game replayable for a few times at least, if you would love the game of course and would be interested to see other scenarios. The whole process of these conversations looks like a mini game: a guest arrives at your bar, sits on the chair and requests a cocktail. This action triggers a mini game, where you should choose the right alcohol and pour it in the glass, add some ice and surprise your guest. After this one he will be more than happy to share with you about any dirty secret you about to ask. At this point I must say, that I enjoyed this whole process a lot, even it may sounds a bit boring for someone who never tried it themselves. This whole dialogue thing was written definitely by an ubertalented creative team who knows a lot about human's communication and psychology. Picking a right answer, based on what you heard before is really satisfying, especially if the story got you hooked in a serious way. These choices will affect the final conclusion of the game, where you will finally get out of the bar to justify and achievements (if you care for them, of course). With all this being said, let's conclude that this game is a perfect choice for the one who care about cyberpunk, care about narrative games with rich story and wanna experience something DeuxEx/Blade Runner feeling mix style. So let's try to sum everything up! You should grab this game if you: + Mad about cyberpunk + Wanna have a good narrative indie game + Visual lover + Love cocktail mixology! + Looking for a unique indie game + Breaking corporate's conspiracy plans is your thing Recommend to avoid if you: - Expect some cool point and click adventure with helluva lot of locations to explore and interact with. This game is more about reading dialogues, making cocktails to retreive information you need and being a perfect psychologist. Enjoy! [url=store.steampowered.com/curator/32013470/] Follow my curator's page if you enjoy my reviews and want to stay tuned! [/url]