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| Alana Hagues |
Berlin Runner: 2048.
06.16.18 - 2:22 AM
Cyberpunk seems to be the genre of the moment, especially at this year's E3, and Daedalic Entertainment are no strangers to this. Their upcoming game, State of Mind, has been a regular at E3 since 2016, but this year the team were happy to finally announce a release date for this transhumanist story: August 16.
State of Mind is about a journalist called Richard Nolan, who lost part of his memory after an accident. His wife and son are missing, and Richard has to piece his memory together and regain his true self in order to find out where they are. A staunch technophobe, Richard is averse to the robot left in his house by his wife, as well as the evolving landscape of 2048 Berlin, holding onto relics such as books and pens as a means of identity. There's also a separate, virtual utopia called City 5, where the bright, soft visuals contrast with the harsh and dark reality of Berlin. Between these two worlds, there are six characters whose stories all intertwine to reveal the mysteries of this futuristic universe.
The unique, low-poly art style conveys the fractured state of both Richard and the world, and it shows how technology has divided and united people. The character models have a certain edge about them, suggesting the world of Berlin is a harsh place, but they also look fragile, as if they're ready to shatter at any time. The developers were extremely keen in pushing this message, as they wanted to present a science fiction world that represents transhumanism and the conflicts and resolutions created under this belief.
As Richard gathers more of his memories, you will play through sequences called Mementos, which will present snippets of Richard's life before he lost his past self. You're not just limited to talking to people either: there are sections where you will need to control drones to spy on people, or solve puzzles to move forward, meaning this is more than just your standard narrative adventure game. It's great that Daedalic Entertainment can finally get this intriguing story out there.
