Impostor Factory

 PC
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

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  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. 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.
  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 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    General 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.    … Expand
  3. Breikzer
    Oct 26, 2021
    10
    Freebird Games again brings us a fantastic story, it is incredible how they can make such emotional stories with such a limited technical section, they always make you see yourself immersed in their beautiful plots.

    This time the game is not 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 story is    Freebird Games again brings us a fantastic story, it is incredible how they can make such emotional stories with such a limited technical section, they always make you see yourself immersed in their beautiful plots.

    This time the game is not 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 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 worthwhile.    … Expand
  4. JurgenRamnball
    Oct 8, 2021
    9
    Since this game does a different proposal than the previous ones from the series, I decided to make this in a manual format on how to not get dissapointed with Impostor Factory, as it would be possible, because this game has two previous game to hold up to, and as mentioned before, it's different.
    Kan Gao said in an interview years ago that he wanted to make a psychological thriller, for    Since this game does a different proposal than the previous ones from the series, I decided to make this in a manual format on how to not get dissapointed with Impostor Factory, as it would be possible, because this game has two previous game to hold up to, and as mentioned before, it's different.
    Kan Gao said in an interview years ago that he wanted to make a psychological thriller, for marketing reasons, he decided to call it the Episode X of the To The Moon series. It's safe to say this game, for the sake of diversity, focuses more on mystery presentation and solution than the emotional appeal than To The Moon and Finding Paradise. That's how the game should be played, a mystery game with a drama background.
    It's not unfair to say that this game is what Final Fantasy XII means for the Final Fantasy series, different structure, but with tons of references to previous titles to make you feel familiar with.    … Expand
  5. DRainbow
    Feb 20, 2022
    8
    The writing in this series is insanely sharp, thought provoking and mindblowing. The music is as beautiful is as beautiful as ever and the story as confusing as ever. However, it isn't confusing because of story mistakes or plot holes, it's confusing because you take in a lot in a short amount of time. In the end you might sit there and wonder why you liked it as much as you did becauseThe writing in this series is insanely sharp, thought provoking and mindblowing. The music is as beautiful is as beautiful as ever and the story as confusing as ever. However, it isn't confusing because of story mistakes or plot holes, it's confusing because you take in a lot in a short amount of time. In the end you might sit there and wonder why you liked it as much as you did because you didn't even understand half of it. While I do miss the simpler storytelling of "To the Moon" this game deserves the praise it gets and I am excited to see where the series goes next, if anywhere.… Expand
  6. Dimon210
    Oct 28, 2021
    10
    Шедевр.
    Кто-то говорит, что эта часть сдаёт по сравнению с предыдущими.
    Не соглашусь. Кто-то говорит, что концовка будет не совсем понятна новичкам, не игравшим в предыдущие части. Соглашусь. Но это можно решить таким образом: не проходите более поздние части игр до прохождения более ранних. Крайне рекомендую к покупке. Masterpiece. Some people say, this part is losing positions    Шедевр.
    Кто-то говорит, что эта часть сдаёт по сравнению с предыдущими.
    Не соглашусь.
    Кто-то говорит, что концовка будет не совсем понятна новичкам, не игравшим в предыдущие части.
    Соглашусь.
    Но это можно решить таким образом: не проходите более поздние части игр до прохождения более ранних.
    Крайне рекомендую к покупке.

    Masterpiece.
    Some people say, this part is losing positions comparing with previous ones.
    I don't agree.
    Some people say, the ending won't be understood by newcomers, who haven't played previous games.
    I agree.
    This can be solved this way: don't play newer parts of games before playing previous ones.
    Highly recommended.    … Expand
  7. giannis2001
    Jan 6, 2022
    8
    Once again, an incredibly good and touching story driven game made by Freebird games. I highly recommend playing the other 2 games of the series so you can understand this one.
  8. Welkinz
    Oct 23, 2021
    8
    It is a pretty good expansion of the world of the To The Moon series, not as touching, but explained some mysteries from prior games
  9. Ilya-piven
    Oct 6, 2021
    10
    If you want to play this you FIRST MUST TO FINISH THE FIRST 2 GAMES! (To the moon , finding paradise)
  10. 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 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
  11. WellEvil
    Dec 31, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game with a huge focus on story, characters, and world-building. I don't remember the last time when the story absorbed me so much. Yes, there are a few bugs here are there, but nothing game-breaking. Usually minor visual glitches.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

83
#83 Best PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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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. 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.
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  2. 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.
    Read full review
  3. 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.
    Read full review
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