The Complex - Review

 

I really love that to some degree FMV games are making a come back, one studio in particular stands out, Wales Interactive. I played Late Shift a couple of years back and enjoyed that, and then played Erica which was also really enjoyable. I love when a game is heavily story based and you have to make decisions that will potentially effect the overall story in minor and often major ways, it is a big reason I like TellTale Games The Walking Dead. When I saw that Wales Interactive had released a game around potential virus and pandemic outbreak it really resonated with me, can't imagine why!

I recently tried Cadbury's White Chocolate Oreo Bar and I loved it! I love white chocolate and like a fungus Oreos have grown on me over the years. The combination of the two means I scoff it down so quickly I worry I might lose the tip of one of my fingers. In summary, it's damn good. Playing The Complex I found myself wondering was I in danger of losing part of a finger?

Story

There is a new potential drug that could be used to help heal people with limited supplies, in particular an upcoming mission to Mars. Turns out if someone break in, steals it and get infected by it before it has been completed it makes for a nifty bio-weapon. The game has you take control of Dr. Amy Tenant, the scientist responsible for making the drug/weapon, along with a slightly old untrustworthy colleague you are stuck locked in the facility with, trying to figure how who, how and why this all happened. Can Dr. Tenant figure it out or are we all doomed to stay in lockdown permanently?

There are lot more decisions to be made verses Wales Interactive's previous games, it is not quite as clear cut as good and bad decisions and instead goes for something deeper. If you had created something and it was then used as a weapon how would you feel, how would you deal it?

Overall the story is pretty solid and offers multiple endings, characters can even die based on your decisions so choose wisely, or don't.

Visuals

The FMV quality featured in the game are great, high production values and even with the lockdown element there are still a few different locations you will get to see. My favorite part visually is the lab you are locked down in, it has a very real feel to it with some mildly futuristic instruments, doing this creates a blend of being both grounded and futuristic without pulling you out of the story. 

Overall the visuals and locations used are really good, the only thing that was occasionally jarring is when choosing a decision there was sometimes a solid 1-2 seconds where it stutters and while it was far from being a deal breaker it certainly could have been a little smoother.

Music

Unfortunately, there was no sign of a soundtrack being available to listen to outside of the game itself. The music is sparse, but in a game so heavily focused on the story it is not really a big deal. There are few snippets of music used often when a bigger decision is being made, nothing to write home about it.

Gameplay

The gameplay and story are almost one and the same. There will be a lot of decisions to make, everything from who should get the vaccine, whether or not to ignore someone or give them a snarky response, or picking to use a microscope to open a vent (?) over using science and a little brain power. Some of them are a lot of fun and did have me smiling in places.

The lead character is very strong and likeable but unfortunately almost no one else in the game is, but I think that was by design rather than an accident. As the game progress it give you percentages stats on your relationships with others and what kind of personality you have based on the responses and decisions you make.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the game are the endings, there are quite a few and some of them are pretty intense and there are more than a few unexpected turn of events.

Overall the gameplay was pretty solid and definitely makes me interested to try more of Wales Interactive games.

Final Thoughts

So, after six hours of playing how did I feel? Not bad. The story is pretty solid, it is a shame the only likeable character was the one you play as. The visuals are high quality and some decent productions values, the occasional stuttering when making decision was a little jarring but not the end of the world. The lack of music was unusual, but if you look at episode of a TV show you would not expect to hear a lot. The gameplay like the story is pretty solid and the multitude of ending provides some great replay value. Overall this one gets 3 out of 5