Robots gaining sentience and taking over the world: it’s one of the most overused sci-fi tropes out there. Usually, the robots are the story's antagonists. They often claim that the world would be better off without humans, so the only logical choice is to eliminate them entirely. Of course, their evil plan is always stopped and you’re left with a feeling of “wow, that was completely original and I feel like a different person now,” said no one ever. However, the 2018 story-based game “Detroit: Become Human” breaks the norm by putting you in the shoes of said robots and letting you choose their destiny.
The game wastes no time and sends the player right into action following one of its three main protagonists, Conner (Bryan Patrick Dechart). Conner is a detective android specifically designed to hunt down robots who have gone against their programming, otherwise known as “deviants”. Throughout the game, the player goes through situations made to question Conner’s loyalty to the company that created him, Cyberlife, and his overall goal to capture deviants.
Speaking of deviants, the other two protagonists, Kara (Valorie Curry) and Markus (Jesse Williams), are androids who through stressful situations are forced to make decisions that go against what they’ve been programmed to do consequentially making them a target for Conner. Kara, a cleaning android, chose to run away with Alice (Audrey Boustani), a child being raised in an abusive household, to find a better life for her elsewhere. She is more indirectly affected by the choices of Conner and Markus, often being caught in the crossfire while trying to get to safety. Markus, however, is directly responsible for the deviant uprising Conner is supposed to stop. The three characters and their storylines constantly overlap and the choices you make in one could cause fatal consequences in another. This is what makes the game so special. But, Detroit: Become Human isn’t without flaws.
Without getting too much into its failure to connect with the real-life social issues it tries to mirror according to fans ( because that's its own can of worms ), Detriot: Become Human has some plot issues. For example, Markus’s love interest, North (Minka Kelly), doesn't make sense. Most of Markus’s decisions hinge on the player choosing a violent revolution or a peaceful protest. In my playthrough, I constantly disagreed with North’s cutthroat mentality on the revolution. But, even after all the fighting, if you have a somewhat ok relationship with North you get the option to kiss her. Yay? You could argue that significant others don't necessarily have to see eye to eye all the time, however, the whole relationship seemed rushed and out of the blue to me with my pacifist decisions. My point is we can disagree over pizza toppings but maybe not on setting off bombs.
This leads me to my second problem with Detroit: Become Human, the lack of gray area in the player’s decisions. When playing a game that markets itself as being heavily dependent on the player’s actions, you’d expect a bit more variety in the choices you’re able to make. However, the options are often “good” or “evil” with little wiggle room, especially for Conner and Markus. During my playthrough, I chose mostly “good” options and it felt like I was watching a movie rather than contributing to the game. I mean, come on. If you had to choose between blowing up most of Detroit, killing countless people in the process, or leading a peaceful protest there’s an obvious answer. Or not, you do you.
However, I loved my time playing it despite its many messy plotlines. This was one of the first games I played with such detailed graphics. Besides the hair which always looks a little off in video games, at first glance the characters look like real people. But, my absolute favorite parts were investigating crime scenes as Conner. Piecing together what happened using the reconstruct ability and clues around the area was the most interactive and fun part of the game. And who could forget Hank (Clancy Brown), Conner’s older and much grumpier detective partner, grumbling around in the background adding humor to the otherwise dark scenes?
Overall, I enjoyed Detroit: Become Human but was left wanting more by the end of it. For a game that brags about its 85 different endings, I would’ve liked to feel like my choices made a bigger difference in the character’s futures. But, I can look past a few bad story decisions for amazing graphics and a killer soundtrack. So, will you lead a robot revolution or follow orders to dismantle it? The choice is yours.