Point and click adventure games were never my cup of tea. I knew they existed and that they had a following of fans that really like them, but I just did not see the appeal. I always questioned myself: what is so good about them? Why do gamers like them so much? I got my answer when I got the chance to play Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today.
The plot of the game puts you in control of Michael, a man that a family found and brought with him. When he wakes up, he is in complete darkness with no recollection of his past. He’s completely amnesiac. While he was asleep, he heard a woman’s voice telling him to wake up and calling him “Michael” and that he is the only one who can stop this. He wakes suddenly and meets his savior, a man named Rob. After speaking with Rob for a while, he fills you in with a little of what has happened to the world, and tells you to go outside to see for yourself while he hurries to a room (that he left locked on purpose), and you are left to explore and discover what’s going on with the world.
I don’t want to spoil much in this review, so I’ll try to concentrate in the game play elements instead of the story. For one, I like the fact that the game doesn’t hold your hand. It’s like, “Okay, Michael is awake; it’s up to you to decide what to do next.” For me, it’s an important part of the plot as well because I think that the developer tried to make you a part of the story. What would you do if you suddenly awoke to a world unknown to you? Imagine the despair of not knowing who you are or why are you here? Also the atmosphere, the sudden feeling of oppression, the dark ambiance that you step into in this world is severely ravaged by events like the Great Wave, and the Dissolved.
The art direction the developers took in this game is superb. It goes so well with the dark theme and history, the subtle tones of the music, and the detailed backgrounds of each screen in which you venture through assures the player that is the end of the world as you know it. You have to come to terms with the new reality before your eyes. Also something that I commend the developers for is that the game is completely voice acted. It was a treat for my ears, and I was so submerged in the story( definitely recommend to play with earphones) that sometimes I lost track of time. The voice acting is really good, and each of the character voices suited them so well. At times I forgot I was playing a game, and I thought that I was watching a movie. I also loved the different options of dialogue that you had to interact with other members of the story, sometimes funny, sometimes infuriating, and sometimes sad but that is human nature. The Puzzles are clever and I must confess that I got stuck sometimes trying to find the solution to move on. I also liked that when there were no objects to interact with if you put the cursor over them and press the Y button, Michael comments about said object(for a person with no memory he sure is knowledgeable) so it’s a nice touch.
Bottom Line: Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today is a really good game with an interesting story and plot twists, great voice acting and puzzles that will challenge your wits. I am impressed with what the game has to offer. The only thing that I can say that left me underwhelmed is that I felt that the game was too short. However, the ending left me with hopes of a so much needed sequel, but don’t let that affect your decision to try it. I definitely recommend it despite this shortcoming.