- Publisher: Tim Sheinman
- Release Date: Jan 20, 2021
-
Summary:
A detective game that combines written, audio, visual and meta-game puzzles to create an enthralling experience. It plays for roughly 2-3 hours.
- Developer: Tim Sheinman
- Genre(s): Adventure, General
- # of players: No Online Multiplayer
- Cheats: On GameFAQs
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 2 out of 6
-
Mixed: 4 out of 6
-
Negative: 0 out of 6
-
Mar 23, 2021The timing of this is perfect. If you’re worried it’s insensitive to make a game about the deluded thinking of extremist far-right Americans just now, know that actual real-life America has far out-satirised anything this game has to offer – it feels positively mundane compared to reality’s present offerings. Plus, any wisps of discomfort I had were removed by the brilliant reveal at the end. Which is then, I’m delighted to say, followed by a song.
-
Jan 17, 2021Despite the rudimentary presentation and simplistic goal, this satirical game quickly draws you into its web of intrigue as you see how these seemingly unrelated events connect to reveal – if you’re a willing believer – a tangled plot to defraud democracy. Conspiracy! shows, with keen effectiveness, how the natural human urge to spot patterns and turn events into coherent stories fuels internet sleuths, and how a well-intentioned search for truth can topple a person into a pit of destructive paranoia.
-
Jan 14, 2021Conspiracy! is by no means attempting to craft a vast tale – I was able to reach the credits in just over an hour – but in contrast to prior titles like Family, there lacks a genuine source of empathy. Nonetheless, Conspiracy! concludes as a grimly hilarious and frightening reflection of the contemporary state of its namesake, a mythology mutated into a multitude of nightmarish ideologies. Perhaps its most potent observation in fact lies on its title screen, in which a rant outlining cannibalism in children’s shows Arthur and SpongeBob SquarePants infests the backdrop until consuming it entirely. Whilst the quote itself is nonsensical; the point is startlingly clear.
-
Edge MagazineFeb 25, 2021We're not saying it'll make you understand the more virulent strains of Trumpism, but playing as a surrogate Rudy Giuliani for a couple of hours turns out to be a far better use of your time than you'd expect. [Issue#356, p.107]
-
Feb 12, 2021It's difficult to sum up Conspiracy! On the one hand it's a great concept and the meta approach is fascinating. It's a game with many interesting things to say about online culture, the news cycle and how we perceive the world we have constructed. This is a game with lofty ambitions, but it also happens to be a dreary experience that, despite a short run time, was an absolute slog to play.
-
Mar 16, 2021Conspiracy! is an extremely short, moderately diverting research-based brain-teaser whose muddled attempts to satirically comment on current events never amount to much of substance.