[Gamescom 2017] Detroit: Become Human Hands On

If we are in the home straight, still Quantic Dream e Sony they didn't let us know, yet some glimmer of hope remained after this packed Gamescom 2017. Unlike last year, where Detroit: Become Human only a video was shown in which David Cage told us about the difficulties of the development (as well as new details on the gameplay and the plot), this year the exclusive Sony stamps the card with a demo playable by hand. Of course, we are faced with a sequence that we have seen dozens of times on video by now, but trying it out and understanding its mechanics firsthand is another story. We are talking about the scene where we will impersonate Connor, police android with sensational skills to say the least, negotiate with another android for the life of a child.

Without going into too much plot detail, the scene is exactly what we have always seen, naked and raw. Freedom of movement within the playing area is slightly limited, but other than that no negative elements could be found regarding the gameplay. Never as in this situation will we feel the architects of our destiny, where every single word, action or glance can drastically change the outcome of the scene. Unlike the dozens of graphic adventures, new or old, that have come out in recent years, the number of possibilities that can open up in every single part of the game are incalculable, with a myriad of different possible outcomes in front of us. It will be almost impossible to always be sure of our choices. Precisely for this reason, during my test in Detroit I tried not to leave anything to chance, and as usual to collect all the information possible to keep the success of Connor's mission high… even at the cost of my life. Let's just say that the result could have been better, but the mission has been accomplished.

Pad in hand, headphones in ears, it is impossible not to feel enraptured by the flow of events, by to live the events, as if we were the ones turning towards the corpse in the pool, or reconstructing the course of events simply by analyzing the ending. Our choice of dialogues very often leaves a bad taste in our mouth, as if we are sorry for a middle way that sometimes does not exist, and that for a series of unfortunate events could see us resorting to a QTE. Before trying the demo I was afraid, with the risk of drowning in the doubts that only such a heavy title can arise ... but with a fantastic background and gameplay of this type, a splendid soundtrack and extreme involvement, we finally have the certainty that the study with Detroit has taken the right path.

The greatest hopes are to have more information, perhaps from the PlayStation Experience in December… or even sooner!