Gods Will Be Watching

Gods Will Be Watching is the sort of love it or hate it video game affair that only transformative titles that push the boundaries of their genre can present. It’s not trying to make you kick puppies, it’s not trying to make you hold hands and sing Kumbaya, it’s about finding a mixture of the two that leads to your survival and doesn’t give you too many nightmares afterward.

Gods Will Be Watching bleeds into your thoughts, even if the toll feels steep and caustic. The cost can feel too high, the enjoyment too strange and poisoned at times. But ... it's brilliant and different, you know? I just hate it, that's all.

Announced as a thriller, it is rather puzzle game, and a very, very hand one. Make sure you understand how it works before buying it, because it's one of those games you either love or hate.

Gods Will Be Watching is not necessarily frustrating in its difficult, it's that it really didn't need to be.

Calling Gods Will Be Watching "fun" would be a gross misrepresentation. It's not even an experience that one would necessarily recommend, but it is one worth trying. The game is certainly challenging and engrossing in its way, but I wouldn't necessarily call it fulfilling. More often, the game is almost painful to play, and relief comes when you finally manage to make it through a single scenario.

The gameplay of Gods Will Be Watching is based on resources, time and human management, during stressful events with lives on the line. You can choose to smash headfirst in the « original » mode incredible difficulty or try the easy way to enjoy the mood and an intriguing story including one mysterious Sgt. Burden. Sometimes a bit delayed and repetitive, Gods Will Be Watching remains an interesting experience, which should inspire other games with more homogenous gameplay.

The game looks gorgeous, boasting an intriguing concept while asking interesting ethical questions. It's a shame that the game is so tedious to play. [Sept 2014]

Gods Will Be Watching could’ve been one of the best indie games of 2014. A challenging adventure about making deadly choices. A game we would’ve loved to mention in a single breath together with The Banner Saga, Papers Please and The Walking Dead. Unfortunately, the developers focused too much on a risk management game mechanic, which is more irritating than emotionally moving.

Instead of a heavy narrative, the game is more of a resource management sim, with the resource being the other characters. When taken like that, it's a solid puzzle game with some rough, repetitive edges.

Gods will be watching is an interesting experiment about ethics and morals, but its frustrating level of challenge makes it almost impossible to enjoy. Also, during the story you don’t feel that your decisions really have an influence in the big picture. We don’t know if it’s an intentional decision but these Gods really love chaos and to make you feel miserable.

Gods Will Be Watching was close to being a must-have puzzler, but it's doubtful that even the gods would have the patience to see it through to the bitter end.

Gods Will Be Watching is an interesting and novel little game, but one that's quite horribly flawed in a number of ways.

Where Gods Will Be Watching is really testing, though, is in its almost impenetrable difficulty. There’s a fine line between challenge and frustration, and sadly, with all of its positives, Gods Will Be Watching will leave you questioning whether its really worth it.

Resource management for the masochist.

The premise is solid, but the game relies too much on chance and trial and error, so it's hard to recommend this title to anyone but masochists and those who are hell-bent on experiencing the story — no matter what.

Gods Will Be Watching shows a lot of thematic and gameplay dynamical promise, but the whole package let down by its lack of polish and consequence.

Gods Will Be Watching is a frustrating puzzle in which player doesn't seem to have the control of the situation. An intriguing atmosphere and an inspired soundtrack aren't enough to get a pass mark.

The goalposts are moved without warning. [Sept 2014, p.127]

Gods Will Be Watching is a test of patience told in six violent acts. What could have been a fascinating glimpse into a cool sci fi universe is unfortunately sabotaged by mechanics that give the illusion of control but often makes you feel like a helpless bystander. Whether this is by design or by accident, it ends up being a frustrating experience.

Gods Will Be Watching strives to be meaningful. The story ruminates on how hard it is to find purpose in a world where things are often outside of our control. Many may never get a chance to appreciate that message, since the game ruins its own potential. At no point does Gods Will Be Watching make the struggle worth the effort.

When reduced to a puzzle to be solved rather than a world to be experienced, the emotional impact of Gods Will Be Watching evaporates, leaving the sense that it wasn't interesting enough to justify the amount of work that went into making or playing it.

The score alone doesn't fully mirror how I feel about Gods will be watching. It represents what I think about it as a fair and entertaining game, which is what most people will be looking for. As an experiment and a lesson in adventure design, though, it's worth so much more.