Impostor Factory

 PC
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. IGN Italia
    Oct 7, 2021
    93
    Yet another masterpiece by Kan Gao, probably the most solid and balanced overall. The story of Quincy and Lynri passes through regrets, remorse, fears and IF. Gao's writing is always impeccable and is capable of never falling into the banal, even when it touches themes already abused in the medium and in narration in general. So far my very personal best game of the year.
  2. RPG Fan
    Sep 30, 2021
    91
    Writing a review for games like this feels bizarre to me, because synthesizing the work down to a number honestly feels wrong. It’s akin to going into an art gallery and scoring each painting or sculpture, and while that seems like I’m laying the praise on a bit thick, I genuinely feel this way. Whenever I’ve been in a slump or felt lost, a good book or movie with something to say has always been the best prescription. Impostor Factory can be that antidote for those who need it. Thank you, Kan, and thank you, Freebird Games. You’ve created an outstanding trilogy, and I absolutely, unequivocally, cannot wait to see what you do next. You have a supporter for life.
  3. SpazioGames
    Oct 25, 2021
    81
    It’s really unfair assign a mark to this game. It’s unfair not because it’s a bad game, but because it’s complex and almost disrespectful to crush this work into a sterile number. A videogame that is also a “non-videogame”, and it knowingly turns this flaw into strength, telling us a love story that turns into a reflection upon reality and the nature of choosing, surrounding it with a beautiful painting done with pixels.
  5. Meristation
    Nov 16, 2021
    80
    This is Freebird's best work, a narrative driven game emotionally packed, but also full of humor and great characters.
  6. Gamer.no
    Oct 29, 2021
    80
    Impostor Factory is another incredibly written and deeply emotional story from Freebird Games. The game is in some ways a victim of diminishing returns, but still delivers laughs and tears aplenty.
  7. Siliconera
    Oct 25, 2021
    80
    Impostor Factory is a surprisingly beautiful game that questions what it means to have a meaningful life. It tells a cyclical narrative that still manages to feel honest and emotionally raw. It works best if you go into it with as little information as possible, so I won’t say much more than that on how the story unfolds. It is a bit predictable and slow moving. Still it tells incredibly competent story that surprised me with how evocative it was. In the end, the bits of sc-fi and the explanation of an AI-driven time loop were the perfect additions to a game so deeply entrenched in human emotion. Impostor Factory knows what it’s about and delivers on that point.
  8. The Indie Game Website
    Oct 21, 2021
    80
    Freebird games have always been funny in a gentle way that doesn’t clash with the games’ tender yet challenging emotional core. In Impostor Factory, the team has taken a big swing by including full-on horror, as well as a complex meta-story involving the nature of science and time itself. And the humor is both slapstick and risky, letting players release tension as they explore the gore and mind-bending moral conundrums posed by the game’s story. The boxing cat and the sentient rice cooker are a welcome bonus.
  9. Eurogamer Italy
    Oct 8, 2021
    80
    Impostor Factory clearly shows the growth of its author. The topics dealt with may not fit everyone's tastes, just as we definitely feel the void left by the sparkling interactions between the two protagonists of the previous chapters; however, Kan Gao seems to have clear ideas about the direction his saga is taking, as well as an increasingly refined talent for causing emotional devastation to the players.
  10. Multiplayer.it
    Oct 7, 2021
    80
    Impostor Factory doesn't punch emotionally like To The Moon and Finding Paradise, but Kan Gao's and Freebird Games' skills are still intact.
  11. Hey Poor Player
    Oct 5, 2021
    80
    Impostor Factory offers yet another tear-jerking, emotional roller coaster with murder mystery flair. The very definition of bittersweet, Impostor Factory’s emotional climax will only make sense to those familiar with the series, so if this is your first foray into the franchise, please grab To The Moon and Finding Paradise first before diving into this sentimental adventure. Where To the Moon sought fantasy from reality and Finding Paradise sought reality from fantasy, Impostor Factory blends them together in a beautifully unexpected way, reminding us to live life while we have it. If you want a wonderfully well-written story with fully fleshed out characters and thoughtfully choreographed scenes that feel charmingly cinematic, please play Impostor Factory (after To The Moon and Finding Paradise, of course!).
  12. Everyeye.it
    Sep 30, 2021
    80
    Impostor Factory teases and deceives, involves and strangles. It doesn't have the destabilizing power of To The Moon, nor the brain balance of Finding Paradise, but that's okay.
  13. Adventure Gamers
    Nov 29, 2021
    70
    Looking better than ever but reducing the gameplay elements even further, Impostor Factory manages to weave a supernatural time travel murder mystery starring a whole new character into the series’ existing tapestry, giving the game a unique-yet-familiar flavor.
  14. New Game Network
    Oct 28, 2021
    67
    On its own, Impostor Factory is a decent adventure with occasionally interesting story elements and mostly enjoyable dialogue. But as part of the otherwise great series, it's a disappointing misstep.
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This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Oct 8, 2021
    With few exceptions (the Black Mirror episode San Junipero comes to mind), stories about imaginary worlds tend to be self-critical about the fantasy they want to conjure. Fleeing into a fantasy world is a form of escapism that needs to be condemned, even when the challenges of the fantasy world are no easier than reality. The Lost Boys of Peter Pan return to their home. The kids in Narnia go back into the wardrobe. The annoying hero of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance destroys the game's setting to return to the real world. The fantasy can be tolerated only when it dares admit its self-indulgent nature, like in the isekai genre...Impostor Factory is another of those rare exceptions: a game that cheerfully posits that a fake, imaginary life can be as fulfilling, precious and valid as a real one. And isn't this why we all play videogames, after all?

Awards & Rankings

83
#83 Best PC Game of 2021

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 47 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 47
  3. Negative: 4 out of 47
  1. bancandrei
    Oct 9, 2021
    5
    Barely worth the time to play it. Hardly worth the wait. The murder loop mystery makes no sense and isn't properly explained even at the end.Barely worth the time to play it. Hardly worth the wait. The murder loop mystery makes no sense and isn't properly explained even at the end. The personal story starts out strong and then fizzles out. Maybe that's why To the Moon had the reverse timeline set up. Conclusion would be to just stop at the first game.… Full Review »
  2. My_Dad
    Oct 1, 2021
    5
    General Consensus: (SPOILERS) Impostor Factory starts out strong, with a characteristic gut-punch of emotion shifting the story into aGeneral Consensus: (SPOILERS) Impostor Factory starts out strong, with a characteristic gut-punch of emotion shifting the story into a beautiful, heartbreaking drama halfway through. However, instead of sticking the landing with already established characters, Kan Gao and his fellow creators opt for a soulless twist that renders the prior events of the story drastically weakened.

    (HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD)

    It's tough to criticize such an obvious labor of love from Freebird Games. I've been closely following their work since 2011, and consider Finding Paradise to be one of the best video games stories I've experienced. And while the music, endearing comedy, and grounded dialogue are all present in true Freebird fashion, I can't say I left the experience anywhere close to satisfied–especially considering the solipsistic implications created from the story's drastic shift in the third act.

    On a positive note, the game is made all the better by doing away with the puzzle/gameplay elements of its previous installments, choosing instead to dedicate all its runtime to storytelling. And what a story it was for the first two hours, where I considered the characters to be the most mature and compelling individuals Kan and co. have come up with. It wasn't shaping up to be as touching or inspiring as its predecessors, but the subject matter explored in Imposter Factory was definitely Freebird Games' most mature (and bleak) to date.

    Lynry and Quincy go through the wringer, and the absolutely gorgeous "A Reality Without Me" simply could not be played enough to underscore the tone of their challenged relationship. I was absolutely sold from the first hour of the story, finding myself crying multiple times as hit after hit came Linry and Quincy's way.

    It's a shame none of it is real.

    The story of the people we follow is nothing but the 9th simulated version of the lives of two people that existed in the REAL real world, and the interactions between the memory versions of Linry and Quincy (whose player avatar doesn't even know Linry), are nothing but shades of people playing out a fantasy orchestrated by Neill Watts (the real Linry's son) and his morally blank A.I. Faye, who now resembles an ominous HAL9000 rather than the sentimental subconscious of Colin from Finding Paradise.

    The game ends a whole hour before it should, opting to leave us on a bitter cliffhanger. Neill callously comments on the final image (Linry tucking baby Neill into bed) as a "supposed" perfect timeline, ripping us away from the potential of any real catharsis. The character operating the story (Neill) is the very one who is not even emotionally fazed by it. Where Johnny and Colin both learned important life lessons through their experiences in Sigmund Corp's tech (as well as communicating powerful themes to the audience), this story seems to go for, "we all could be in a simulation, but you should enjoy whatever you get while you can get it, but remember, all of it might not be real."

    I'm truly disappointed by this story, not because of the strength of its predecessors, but by the wasted potential of the powerful storytelling exhibited in its first two thirds.

    Hopefully the simulation path doesn't continue on with the following story, and we can return to a world where feelings and pain are very real, and submerging ourselves in a simulation is not the answer to all our problems.    … Full Review »
  3. Krounder
    Nov 12, 2022
    10
    so touching (well at least this time I did not cry, haha). But I can affirm that the narrative in how you are gradually discovering the storyso touching (well at least this time I did not cry, haha). But I can affirm that the narrative in how you are gradually discovering the story is the best of the series, from the moment you start the game you will not want to stop until you finish it. I definitely recommend it and I hope that Freebird continues to develop games in this series, which are very worthwhi… Full Review »
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