- Publisher: Wales Interactive
- Release Date: Mar 31, 2020
- Also On: iPhone/iPad, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Jun 10, 2020The Complex is an interesting experiment that sometimes yields the fruits of its labor. More often, though, it reveals precisely why developers stopped using live-action video as a means to tell an interactive story. With a minuscule budget and equally small ambitions for its narrative and characters, The Complex just doesn’t replace the gaping whole that TellTale left behind. I don’t want to discourage Wales Interactive from continuing down this path, however. While it didn’t shine often, there were glimpses of a world in which this can work and work beautifully. I just hope they can secure the funding necessary to achieve their ambition.
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CD-ActionMay 12, 2020While waiting for the game, I didn’t realise how close to home it will hit. Lockdown here, lockdown there. I like immersion but this is too much. Fun experience though. [06/2020, p.72]
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Apr 19, 2020The Complex is hardly a game, but rather a bunch of videos glued together with a shallow story. It would be unfair to compare it to true interactive movies like Telling Lies or Detroit: Being Human.
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Apr 10, 2020The Complex isn’t as much much a game as it is a movie with some interactive elements. As such, it is well-told and delivers some thrills. However, the decisions one makes don’t have a lot of impact on the overall story. Because of that, repeated playing (or viewing) becomes boring really soon.
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Apr 10, 2020Releasing a “viral pandemic” game in this timeframe would normally be an instant success. But the good sets and a very solid camera work are not enough to hide neither the very poor acting of most characters, nor the disappointingly shallow and lackluster choices of this title. A release straight to Netflix would probably work better, both for the game and for the investment from the side of the player.
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Apr 9, 2020A polished but disappointingly by-the-numbers FMV adventure that won't linger in your mind for long.
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Apr 2, 2020For the most part, the acting is pretty dismal, as if the cast were exhausted by the number of takes they had to make for each branch path of action. Nevertheless, the always welcome Kate Dickie pops up as the tech company’s CEO and gets to sport a particularly amusing pair of tartan pants – the kind of clothes you dig out of the closet when you have been in isolation for too long.
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Apr 1, 2020With cinemas closed and most everyone hunkered down at home, The Complex’s hybrid interactive movie experience might be just what the doctor ordered to remedy your cabin fever. Whether you play it by yourself or navigate via decision by committee with some friends, there’s something to be enjoyed here by everyone. In my mind, Wales Interactive has earned itself a reputation for being the bar to be measured by in the interactive movie genre, and I can’t wait to see where they go with it next.
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Apr 1, 2020Once The Complex enters full-on thriller mode, this compelling choice-driven tale of a trapped scientist facing terrorists and moral decisions doesn’t let up and even provides enough prompting and interesting options to weather multiple plays.
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Apr 1, 2020Those who want more involvement than occasionally making a choice from two or three options won’t suddenly get over their frustrations with the nature of what’s essentially a visual novel, but for people who want to enjoy a good slightly sci-fi thriller, I’d really recommend this. I’ve really enjoyed it.
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Mar 31, 2020The Complex has some good ideas and solid acting, but for an interactive movie, there's not enough going on here that makes it more worthwhile than just watching something on Netflix.
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Mar 31, 2020The Complex can be enjoyed as a decent B movie, with its poorly written plot and cheap visual effects. The actors do their job though and there is real replay value, since the choices made through the game have real consequences on the conclusion, with nine different endings to achieve.
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Mar 31, 2020Thanks to some poor performances and a serious lack of meaningful player choice, it's not a complex decision whether you should check this one out or not.
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Mar 31, 2020The Complex's potential gets lost amid weird subplots, throwaway characters, and a ton of plot holes. With so few meaningful choices, it's not an experience worth repeating more than once.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 24
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Mixed: 13 out of 24
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Negative: 2 out of 24
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May 20, 2023This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view.
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Jan 16, 2021I actually liked this game. If you are into FMV games then I suppose you could give it a shot. 2hrs on record.
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Dec 25, 2020