Façade

Put Your Storytelling Ability to the Test

If you are a dedicated gamer you will probably have noticed that many of the games that have been released in recent years are either part of a series or a variation on a theme. Facade offers something truly different in terms of concept, game play and genre. But is it any good? Read on to find out.

Lovers of films such as AI will be thrilled to discover that for the first time ever Artificial Intelligence plays a starring role. This is an adventure game with a weird twist. The main job of players is to prevent a marriage from breaking down and there is plenty of humour to keep the plot running forwards.

Gamers play as an old friend of the couple Trip and Grace. This financially stable couple are in their thirties and on the face of things seem to have it all. However, they are struggling to relate to each other. Things come to a head one evening when you are visiting their apartment and get to watch first hand their marriage start to go down in flames.

Of course, as a caring friend you want to help the couple out and offer them your support and wisdom. Unfortunately, you get caught up in the fight and as the accusations start to fly it may seem like the only result is a messy divorce. You need to prevent this at all costs and try to give the game a happy ending.

Players advance in the game by interacting with other characters. You have to be careful what you say and really watch your words, as you seem to have a lot of influence over their actions. One false move and you could have divorce on your conscious. The good news is that you will have the chance to replay certain situations and scenarios until you finally get things right and everyone has big smiles on their faces.

While the concept is fairly simple, the mechanisms of the game are not really quite up to the task as yet. There are often long pauses between your words and the responses from characters, leading to uncomfortable and boring lags while you wait for the next thing to happen. The game is not as entertaining as it could be, although the wacky sense of humour and unpredictable responses from the characters are a step in the right direction.

One of the things that the game does well is to create a realistic environment where players will feel like their actions have a real impact on what happens. Lovers of realism and sitcoms are likely to enjoy this, although the dramatic situation makes it feel more like watching a television drama at times than actually playing a game. Still, there is plenty to do in the game and new challenges and twists around almost every corner, providing plenty to keep players on their toes.

The main drawback with the game is that it currently only works on early versions of Windows such as ME up to XP. Naturally, modifications are currently being made, but people who have later versions of Windows will have to wait awhile before they can enjoy Facade.

It is not every day that a new game genre is introduced, which at the very least makes Facade worth checking out. The game’s sense of humour and strong storyline also make a refreshing change and players who have a strong sense of imagination are sure to get a lot out of Facade.

Pros

• An original concept
• AI technology perfectly implemented

Cons

• Limited applications at present