Detroit: Become Human

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6420 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5,602 out of 6420
  2. Mixed: 485 out of 6420
  3. Negative: 333 out of 6420
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  1. Bioware-Critic
    Jan 18, 2022
    9
    This game probably deserves a 10/10, but I will not induldge in every aspect of the title by playing it several times. Therefor I have to rate it from my point of view: 9/10.

    The amount of work that must have gone into Detroit: Become Human must have been enormous! It looks spectacular! And for the first time I underastand and quite enjoy what David Cage is going for with his projects.    This game probably deserves a 10/10, but I will not induldge in every aspect of the title by playing it several times. Therefor I have to rate it from my point of view: 9/10.

    The amount of work that must have gone into Detroit: Become Human must have been enormous!
    It looks spectacular! And for the first time I underastand and quite enjoy what David Cage is going for with his projects. I own his prior two games via PS Plus, but I never wanted to play them. I dislike the controls. I still do. But I don't mind them in this game, at least.

    The stories told about the characters which drive these stories are so gripping and so human that you really want to play this title in one playthrough. To fully engage with these chareacters ... every little thing you do or don't do has real and long lasting consequences like I have never experienced it in another game before!
    On top of that, Detroit: Become Human has many branching paths for each of the three character stories which also heavily crossover and intertwine with eachother. So, there are a lot of permutations to enjoy. But not just for a different ending but a completely different playing experience.

    I am really looking forward to what this studio will be doing with the hardware of the Playstation 5!    … Expand
  2. Tirah
    Jun 11, 2018
    9
    After years of trying and failing miserably, Quantic Dream has finally made a game that's actually good. And yeah, David Cage is a piece of crap, but this game was a team effort, so hating on it just because you dislike Cage is childish and unfair towards the rest of the studio.

    I'm quite struggling to call Detroit a game. It's a choose-your-adventure style interactive movie. There are    After years of trying and failing miserably, Quantic Dream has finally made a game that's actually good. And yeah, David Cage is a piece of crap, but this game was a team effort, so hating on it just because you dislike Cage is childish and unfair towards the rest of the studio.

    I'm quite struggling to call Detroit a game. It's a choose-your-adventure style interactive movie. There are so many choices to make which change the story as you go and result in one of many endings. It's overwhelming at times, but fortunately you have a handy flowchart available which you can view after you finish a chapter. The chart clearly shows where the path splits and makes it easier for you to unlock alternate routes. I was actually quite blown away by how much your choices matter. A little detail I learned in one of the first chapters saved my life in the story's finale. One of the main characters can make choices that will massively affect the other two leads and completely change the outcome of your story. It's much deeper than your usual Telltale Games experience.

    The characters are all very likeable and relatable, each of them in a completely different way. Connor is an android investigator who hunts down other androids and has to deal with the resulting moral dilemma of betraying his own species. Markus is a caretaker android who had it all before hitting rock bottom and rising again to become something more. And finally Kara, a housekeeper/nanny android who's accompanied by a little girl named Alice whom she desperately wants to keep out of a harm's way. You play as all these characters, switching between them periodically. In the beginning their stories are quite separate, but they all merge in the end in various ways. I can't say much about the story without spoiling it and ruining your experience, but know that it deals with racism and borrows many elements from the Civil Rights Movement in America and the WW2 Holocaust. It does so in subtle ways, though, so it's no obnoxious SJW propaganda.

    Gameplay wise, it's just one massive quick time event. Right analogue stick is for movement, left for interaction, the rest of the controller for QTEs. All these buttons are pretty much just a glorified "play" button, but it works just fine for an interactive movie. One odd thing I have to mention is: you have to press the R2 button in a very specific way (press down the upper half of it, don't pull the trigger like you normally would), otherwise it doesn't register. It took me forever to figure out why it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't until I realized this. It's one of the weirdest quirks I've seen in any game I've ever played. I even thought my controller was broken, but it works just fine when I play God of War so it's definitely the game.

    The graphics are great, though there were a few issues with textures popping in late and once there was some minor clipping in an NPC's face. Likewise, the soundtrack is fantastic and sets the mood nicely. The facial animation tech is one of the best I've seen, but that's to be expected from an interactive movie.

    This is one of the rare cases where an interactive movie is actually worth replaying. There are quite substantial parts of the story you may never even see depending on the choices you make. There are even entire locations you may never visit. The story even affects the AI on the main menu screen, which was quite unique and definitely a nice touch. When I came back after a late night gaming session, the AI commented on me staying up late last night and said she hoped I wasn't too tired today. If you stay on the main menu screen for a while, she offers trivia on the city of Detroit, comments on your interior decor, and other fun stuff.

    Detroit is definitely one of the best interactive movie games out there, and the best QD game to date. After the abomination that was Heavy Rain and Fahrenheit, and the disappointment that was Beyond Two Souls, I just can't praise Detroit enough. With a main story that's about 10 hours long and that has quite a lot of replay value thanks to its complex branching path and multiple endings, it's definitely worth several playthroughs.    … Expand
  3. Sanastusa
    Jan 5, 2022
    9
    In the year 2038 the world has been hurled into the future with the creation of androids. Similar to WestWorld, these androids are designed to look and feel like normal human beings but also to follow their programming. Over time the life of luxury having androids to everything, a divide arises in society.
    Human workers are replaced by synthetic life. People turn on their androids    In the year 2038 the world has been hurled into the future with the creation of androids. Similar to WestWorld, these androids are designed to look and feel like normal human beings but also to follow their programming. Over time the life of luxury having androids to everything, a divide arises in society.
    Human workers are replaced by synthetic life. People turn on their androids claiming they are just fake life and computer programs. They believe the androids are soulless and hold zero value to synthetic life. Till eventually an android breaks from his coding, killing his abusive owner and running away. Creating the first “Deviant” and the first free will android.

    Detroit Become Human has you live and play through three different arching storylines that have their own unique challenges and life decisions. More along the lines of an interactive movie, Detroit Become Human involves the player to really shape the outcome of the game. Every choice you make will change how people interact with your character and the ultimate climax of the story.

    Bouncing between the three main characters of Kara, Connor and Markus; You witness how the world treats androids and how more of them are becoming deviant. Dealing with free will, if a machine can have feelings, or if a program life of an android can really be alive. Will androids submit to their programming and remain property and slaves to their owners? Will you push forward to break the cycle and fight for equal rights? How far will you go to protect another life?

    I absolutely loved playing through this game. So much so I debated doing a second run to see how the story would change with different decisions but I really don’t want to change what I experienced. There are big moments and situations that are shocking. Sometimes making me pause the game after a chapter to really digest what happened. I think I’ve convinced Ciara to play so I can watch her story unfold in a different way with the choices she makes.

    Scoring:
    Story: 10 / 10
    Gameplay: 8 / 10
    Visual/Audio: 10 / 10
    Entertainment: 9 / 10
    Controls: 8 / 10

    Final Grade: A    … Expand
  4. VmsCritic
    Dec 19, 2018
    9
    Amazing history. This is the first game I've played of this genre and I absolutely loved it. Incredibly immersive, outstanding graphics, great narrative, characters, soundtrack and cyberpunk theme! Highly recommend it!!
  5. tonka819
    Oct 21, 2018
    5
    Story is superficial and predictable. Gameplay is non-existent since it's basically just a movie. It's not unique and the main characters are really boring.
  6. abvilla
    Jun 5, 2018
    10
    Quedé maravillado con la historia y como esta se ramifica en muchas opciones posibles , además la sensación que se vive en cada escena, te hace sentir inmerso en ella, lo cual hizo que no me distrajera de la trama en todo momento, el pero fue la parte extensa donde Marcus debe llegar a Jericho, fue un poco latera, pero bueno... no le puedo dar un 9 por ese detalle a esta obra maestra,
  7. chillaxer
    Jan 1, 2019
    5
    Detroit: Become Human is not really a video game. It's more of a movie with a "choose your own adventure" gimmick. I get the impression that it was actually a movie script to start with but since they couldn't get enough producers to back it, they transformed it into a video game. They even hired several real actors to play the characters. Seriously, half the game is just moving the analogDetroit: Become Human is not really a video game. It's more of a movie with a "choose your own adventure" gimmick. I get the impression that it was actually a movie script to start with but since they couldn't get enough producers to back it, they transformed it into a video game. They even hired several real actors to play the characters. Seriously, half the game is just moving the analog stick or pushing a button which are not even QTEs. It's like they just wanted to give your fingers something to do while watching the movie.… Expand
  8. MercenaryofHate
    Aug 28, 2019
    9
    Detroit Become Human is a powerful game. When I was playing it it never managed to slow down the tempo and kept running with it! Leading to situations more thrilling then the last. Make no mistake Detroit Become Human or DBH for short is an interactive action-adventure game yet, it does have some heartwarming, terrifying or controversial moments what makes this game so good is it puts youDetroit Become Human is a powerful game. When I was playing it it never managed to slow down the tempo and kept running with it! Leading to situations more thrilling then the last. Make no mistake Detroit Become Human or DBH for short is an interactive action-adventure game yet, it does have some heartwarming, terrifying or controversial moments what makes this game so good is it puts you in the drivers seat for most of the choices in the game. When you play the story you really get attached to their characters and sympathize with their motives. The game also delivers a great soundtrack to imerse you in the moment. In the end it is YOUR story that pushes the pace of the game every decision you make matters. Which multiples the DBH's replay value as the choices you make will decide the faith of your characters and the road they will follow. DBH deals with heavy themes that society either shy's away from or tries to ignore instead Detroit purposefully fuses these themes with it's main story to create an emotional roller coaster in some of the scenarios you will play. I myself never played Heavy Rain thinking that the type of gameplay mechanics wasn't for me. A few years later I picked this up on PS+ and I couldn't put it down a game I thought would quickly bore me kept me hooked on and I wasn't satisfied until I reached the end. In fact I am planning to do another playthrough of the game because there is something special about DBH that no other game could give me.… Expand
  9. Wander22
    Feb 17, 2019
    6
    Gameplay/Mechanics: 6
    Sound/Music: 8
    Graphics/Art: 9 Story/Atmosphere: 2 OVERALL: 6/10 Comparing android oppression to the holocaust or religion is pointless and tasteless. David Cage has a talented team under his belt, if only he was able to match their talents and not produce such idiotic and useless writing/scenarios. Love wandering around the gorgeous environments and some of    Gameplay/Mechanics: 6
    Sound/Music: 8
    Graphics/Art: 9
    Story/Atmosphere: 2
    OVERALL: 6/10

    Comparing android oppression to the holocaust or religion is pointless and tasteless. David Cage has a talented team under his belt, if only he was able to match their talents and not produce such idiotic and useless writing/scenarios. Love wandering around the gorgeous environments and some of the action sequences are very well choreographed. Some genuinely great/tense moments here, when the terrible story isn't sucking the life from the project that is.    … Expand
  10. GreK4
    Jul 27, 2021
    9
    So expensive graphics. So extend a plot. And so wonderful dialogs and affect their on the plot. I think this game is revolution in industry. It is new view on video game. Nwew decision that game make for people. In this game we see how skillfully writers handle fiction plot with real problem in the future. We have so good game, wich rise problem future world. And e.t.c...
    But for me game    So expensive graphics. So extend a plot. And so wonderful dialogs and affect their on the plot. I think this game is revolution in industry. It is new view on video game. Nwew decision that game make for people. In this game we see how skillfully writers handle fiction plot with real problem in the future. We have so good game, wich rise problem future world. And e.t.c...
    But for me game had so slowly gameplay. It is feature, but I a little boring in some moment. Butbutbut. Game is cool.    … Expand
  11. HTGamer
    Jun 17, 2019
    7
    Detroit: Become Human is a story-driven, "choose-your-adventure"-style game from Quantic Dream and David Cage, creator of Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls.

    Gameplay-wise, I'd say Detroit is the best of Quantic Dream's trilogy. It's a mix of Heavy Rain's QTEs and Beyond's simplistic controls. Heavy Rain's tank controls are replaced by Beyond's standard navigation, and QTEs are less    Detroit: Become Human is a story-driven, "choose-your-adventure"-style game from Quantic Dream and David Cage, creator of Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls.

    Gameplay-wise, I'd say Detroit is the best of Quantic Dream's trilogy. It's a mix of Heavy Rain's QTEs and Beyond's simplistic controls. Heavy Rain's tank controls are replaced by Beyond's standard navigation, and QTEs are less complex but still require reflexes. There is a bit of exploration and light puzzles, but I mostly enjoyed the crime scene recreations. As always, your choices shape the game's story, both in subtle and big ways.

    Detroit has 3 protagonists: androids Connor, Markus and Kara. Markus is an android who rises up against humans and demands freedom for its kind, Connor investigates a case of various androids becoming self-aware, and Kara is a nobody whose story runs in parallel to that of Markus and Connor who come in direct conflict. Kara is the easiest of the 3 to get killed (I had the bad luck of doing it early and missed up on a 3rd of the game's total content), Connor can repeatedly die and come back during the story, while Markus can only get killed in the very end. You can always reload a specific save point and replay whatever part you want.

    Mechanically speaking, Detroit is David Cage's best work to-date. The game's story has many branches based on the player's choices (you can even see the diagram mid-game). Your choices have consequences where even main characters can get killed. Graphics, voice-acting and soundtrack are great. But the story itself is a disappointment. While there are some great moments and a few very powerful scenes, the overall plot is uninspired. David Cage poses the question of what an artificial being would be like and what humans would do if a race of robots became self-aware and rebeled, but dares not to fully explore this idea. As if Cage was afraid of going deep. In common with Beyond, when David Cage tries to write a big story with worldwide ramifications he kinda misses the point, whereas Heavy Rain's more personal kind of story was very focused and well executed. Maybe David Cage should have written Detroit's story in a more personal style.

    Still, Detroit: Become Human is a very enjoyable game. While Heavy Rain still has the better story, Detroit is Quantic Dream's best game. I hope they release another great game in the future.    … Expand
  12. AlexanderFarias
    Sep 9, 2019
    2
    Jogo parado, chato, praticamente somente um simulador de caminhada. Um dos maiores tempos perdidos da minha vida. Ao menos serviu para curar a insônia, pois deu sono.
  13. Instable
    Oct 3, 2018
    7
    Probably I didnt enjoy the game because of the expectations. Three separative plots were a mistake. It was just boring to play some of them.
  14. VirgonoShaka
    Apr 6, 2020
    5
    Detroit: Become Human is a game of highs and lows. On the one hand, the game looks, sounds, and runs very well, with great soundtrack, graphics, desgins, sound editing, and mission structure. On the other hand, being a narrative-based game (interactive movie style) well, the narrative has to be top notch right? Unfortunately, this is where the game falters and in what way, with a worldDetroit: Become Human is a game of highs and lows. On the one hand, the game looks, sounds, and runs very well, with great soundtrack, graphics, desgins, sound editing, and mission structure. On the other hand, being a narrative-based game (interactive movie style) well, the narrative has to be top notch right? Unfortunately, this is where the game falters and in what way, with a world that's supposed to be super deep but that we never actually see or is explained how it works, characters who are either the next messiah or the antichrist, and black-white decisions that only lead to extremes, if you try to play on a middle ground the game says no thank you. There are better narrative based games out there, but for one playthrough, this games is... a mediocre one, but a nice looking and sounding one.… Expand
  15. antonzhalob
    Jun 24, 2021
    10
    Великолепная игра! Прошел на пс4, теперь купил в стиме и буду проходить там в 60 фпс.
  16. ElleryHQ
    Jan 4, 2021
    5
    По мнению разработчиков, андроид от человека отличается только светодиодом в виске. Игра про войну невоспитанного быдла и работников сферы обслуживания, наполненная нелогичностями и нелепыми сюжетными поворотами.
    Понравилась вариативность развития событий, графика и анимация. Однако однообразное прищёлкивание всего находящегося на экране за ограниченное время быстро надоедает.    По мнению разработчиков, андроид от человека отличается только светодиодом в виске. Игра про войну невоспитанного быдла и работников сферы обслуживания, наполненная нелогичностями и нелепыми сюжетными поворотами.
    Понравилась вариативность развития событий, графика и анимация. Однако однообразное прищёлкивание всего находящегося на экране за ограниченное время быстро надоедает.
  17. Eissa1996
    Jul 2, 2020
    9
    a masterpiece. This game is awesome in every sense of the word, fantastic acting, story , presentation, and graphics this is quantic dreams best work yet
  18. epfsecret12
    Jun 9, 2018
    10
    This game is amazing. At first I thought it was a faked trailer and polished demo but I was wrong. This game exceeded my expectations even though it was the highest expectations I have ever set for anything in my life. This game is a masterpiece that touches on slavery, parentship, cruelties of being the rejected part of society and more. This is one of the few games that has meaningfulThis game is amazing. At first I thought it was a faked trailer and polished demo but I was wrong. This game exceeded my expectations even though it was the highest expectations I have ever set for anything in my life. This game is a masterpiece that touches on slavery, parentship, cruelties of being the rejected part of society and more. This is one of the few games that has meaningful choices. I really liked the game's graphics and the different theme for each story like how was about motherhood, one had the more serious theme and one was a great, funny but also action-packed detective story. The storyline was good, it has lots of replay value, Sadly, I can't do this game justcice and enough praise, especially considering it was something build from the ground up from a tech demo. Props to David Cage and his amazing team working beside him to deliver such an amazing story to life. This game will remain among the best games of this decade in my heart. If you have not tried it, you definitely should.… Expand
  19. tima26tl
    Sep 9, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Action Adventure
    Graphics: 2/3
    At the end of the game I found some really low quality textures, especially at the moments the you were runing.
    Scenario: 4/6.
    At the beginning it was really interesting to play for all the characters, but closer to the end, the story line of Marcus ( and sometimes Karas) were geting pragmatic and monotonic.
    QTE: 1/1
    I don’t think this aspect plays a big role in this type of the game, where scenario is the main thing.    … Expand
  20. martinsll
    Jun 8, 2018
    10
    Melhor jogo da produtora até então ! O sistema de interação que em Heavy Rain às vezes deixava o usuário irritado evoluiu positivamente. Ignorem os reviews negativos, pois provavelmente é coisa de fanboy ! As atuações de todos os personagens estão perfeitas.
  21. ty92
    Aug 3, 2019
    7
    This is more of a long movie than a game. That being said it's better than most movies. And you have a big influence on what happens by making choices throughout. The gameplay isn't that great. In fact don't buy this game for the gameplay. Buy it for the story and uniqueness of it. Detroit Become Human looks incredible on my PS4 Slim. And it gave me some shocking moments the few games giveThis is more of a long movie than a game. That being said it's better than most movies. And you have a big influence on what happens by making choices throughout. The gameplay isn't that great. In fact don't buy this game for the gameplay. Buy it for the story and uniqueness of it. Detroit Become Human looks incredible on my PS4 Slim. And it gave me some shocking moments the few games give you. I want a sequel to this game with better gameplay.… Expand
  22. KenshinX
    Aug 5, 2020
    8
    The Playability is good, interactive but still good
    The Graphics are well done. the futuristic Detroit seemed just good.
    The Sound, is good enough.
    The Story and the writing are very good, the path branching, and choices are very interesting.
    The Characters are lovable, you feel, empathy, anger, sadness with and for them, and that's a very good job from the team.

    It was good.
  23. Mestari
    Jun 9, 2018
    10
    Best game for a long time :) I'm absolutely blown away by this game. The graphics are jaw dropping, as is the world building. The story is pretty good and can be exciting a lot of the time. If I had to give it a complaint it would simply be I want more, at only 8 hours long it might be a bit short for some, that said there is enormous replay potential, if you want to see all the branchingBest game for a long time :) I'm absolutely blown away by this game. The graphics are jaw dropping, as is the world building. The story is pretty good and can be exciting a lot of the time. If I had to give it a complaint it would simply be I want more, at only 8 hours long it might be a bit short for some, that said there is enormous replay potential, if you want to see all the branching paths the game will take 30 hours plus to complete!! Overall, an amazing narrative driven single player game, hopefully more games like these come out.… Expand
  24. bersi84
    Jul 6, 2019
    9
    It feels hard to rate this game. This game moved me emotionally a lot and has a 10/10 in terms of immersion but the dull QTEs and the questionable flowchart-system makes it impossible to rate Detroit a plain 10/10.

    The story might contain plotholes and miss oppurtunities here and there, it still is innovative in comparison to 95% of the games that were released over the last years. The    It feels hard to rate this game. This game moved me emotionally a lot and has a 10/10 in terms of immersion but the dull QTEs and the questionable flowchart-system makes it impossible to rate Detroit a plain 10/10.

    The story might contain plotholes and miss oppurtunities here and there, it still is innovative in comparison to 95% of the games that were released over the last years. The emotional and immersive depths that really drives the pulse when it comes to making decisions is outstanding and thus a 10/10+ for me.

    The graphics are stunning, although the engine is facing minor fps drops at times on a PS4 Pro with SSD. This is only on very few scenes but still notable. I d rate this a solid 9/10.

    The controls are okay. Some QTEs are very fast and probably not nice for casuals. Also some triple button combinations are pretty strange. Combined with: pressing button, holding button or sliding the pad is sometimes confusing. When it decides about life or death it feels frustrating at times. This is at most a 6/10 for me as QTEs in general are somewhat sub-par to other game elements. Another thing to note is the VERY slow walking pace that drove me nuts at times.

    Replayability is between 0/10 and 10/10. Now this is an interesting one. Detroit is really huge when it comes to decision paths and replayability. This also covers completely new scenes and actions. On the other hand you need to replay many parts at times where you cannot even skip the cutscenes. This is absolutely stupid and not understandable at all. I was tempted to 100% it but I probablly will skip this endeavour. Also some decisions might seem game changers but then they are not. Dead androids sometimes come back, some endings still do not change at all. It is a bit weird and probably reducing the complexity to more meaningful choices and a better system would ve helped a lot. The story wants me to replay, the system does not. It is a sad 4/10 for me.

    After all this game is absolutely worth a buy at a discounted price tag. The game has an emotional immersion that is amazing. Sometimes it feels so hard to make decisions or side with or against persons. I personally did like the story a lot. The characters are cool and touching with small deficits. I was wondering a little bit that they let the chance of DLCs pass. I think the story lines could ve been pushed even further maybe Quantic decides to go on Detroit 2 somewhen but I personally doubt it.    … Expand
  25. kataaay
    May 28, 2018
    10
    Great story, great chracters and the most important our choices is important this game, You can fell something about the chracters and empathize with them. The reviews average point is 79 but i think that game deserves more than that. Even the Beyond crap has 72 avarage. So I believe that game deserves 10/10 because it's the best game in its category.
  26. Flava
    May 30, 2018
    10
    An excellent, smart, emotional and clever game. This boost my hope for games that have a strong agenda and able to keep you intrigued with a profound story, rather than the usual hack'n'slash. I hope to see more of this from Quantic Dream.
  27. Tiagofpp
    Jun 1, 2018
    10
    "Uma obra de arte" define melhor essa forma de entretenimento do genial David Cage, dos gráficos fotorealistas no ps4 pro até a trilha sonora digna de oscar, as emoções que se sente ao jogar Detroit Become Human são raras de se ver em um jogo e apenas quem está no comando das ações saberá a sensaçao e assim como os seres que aqui são apresentados quem o joga descobre que estamos diante de"Uma obra de arte" define melhor essa forma de entretenimento do genial David Cage, dos gráficos fotorealistas no ps4 pro até a trilha sonora digna de oscar, as emoções que se sente ao jogar Detroit Become Human são raras de se ver em um jogo e apenas quem está no comando das ações saberá a sensaçao e assim como os seres que aqui são apresentados quem o joga descobre que estamos diante de uma obra única.… Expand
  28. FabledFay
    Jun 4, 2018
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. [SMALL SPOILERS]
    Detroit has both good and bad stuff.
    The good:
    - Everything about the visuals. The game is gorgeous, the design is great, but what I liked most was how much care went into creating different universes for the three main protagonists.
    - Everything sound related. The soundtracks are amazing (especially Kara's). The sound design is overall great as well - you can tell that a lot of effort went into it.
    - The large amount of choices that actually have consequences. Some choices' consequences are very obvious - will you make Connor a deviant, or will he remain a machine? Will Markus lead the android revolution peacefully or violently? But on the other hand, a lot of choices also have minute consequences that can end up being significant. For example, maybe you want Connor to get to a specific place to pursue his mission. But maybe you don't want him to go, because it would impact another character. Maybe Kara's experience of the world will change based on the decisions you make with the two other characters. The existence of the flowchart, which allows you to see which possibilities you've unlocked, but also how many remain hidden, compels you to play again and again to find new outcomes.
    - The game knows what you want to do, and will let you do a lot of it. I remember many times where I was in a chase and I would think "what about this thing? can I use it?" In other games I've played, the answer would more often than not be "no". But in Detroit, I was surprised by how often the answer ended up being "yes". Not only do the choices have consequences - they are also numerous and the game will really reward you for going back and checking out areas or possibilities you didn't try at first.
    - The acting is overall good to great. All of the main cast is incredibly convincing and manages to get you invested in the characters. There may be one or two performances that aren't as solid, but the others more than make up for it. I have to point out Cornelius Smith Jr and Dana Gourrier's performances. Since they aren't really part of the main cast, people tend to overlook them.
    - Fair QTEs. So this is very subjective, but I played on the "Experienced" difficulty and I felt like the QTEs were fair. Meaning some fights were easier, but if I wanted to pull a stunt where I wanted to save a character from a tight situation, the QTEs got harder, which makes sense.
    - Connor's investigation scenes and Markus' mid-game scenes. Those are as gameplay-like as the game gets, and they are SO. FUN.
    - The Crossroads chapter. The stakes. Gosh.
    - Some writing moments. I loved the dynamic between Connor and Hank. I ended up getting an ending with Kara that involves cold water (I'll leave it at that) and it really got to me - made me think of people who are stuck in that situation right now, and how nightmarish it must be. I feel like Detroit gets some scenes incredibly right - enough to keep you engaged, especially since you KNOW that those characters can get completely screwed up if you don't take the right decisions.

    The bad:
    - Some of the writing. Honestly, it comes out most in Markus' path. Some of the allusions in there are BLATANT, to the point where it's almost disrespectful...? There's no subtlety in his path - it feels like wish-fulfillment at times. I almost wish we didn't get a backstory for Markus. Because then he'd be this cool mysterious leader with piercing eyes and a knack for suspense-filled declarations. He felt much more impressive when I met him as other characters than when I played him. Also, the whole romance is flat, boring and unexpected. Markus and that character have 0 chemistry. It's not the actors' faults - the characters just don't go well together.
    - Some scenes are really over-the-top. Like Markus dramatically grabbing a coat that was just conveniently THERE. Come on, David Cage.
    - Controls are sometimes weird. Especially when walking. Or when walking and then trying to do an action.
    - There's a very essential element in Connor's investigation that never. gets. explained. It's Heavy Rain all over again except Heavy Rain was like that cause part of the game was cut. I don't mind if it's not addressed, but give me the means to find the answer. Even if it means reading every tiny little detail. I'll do it and I'll love it. But I want answers if it's a plot point.
    - This might seem like nitpicking but it's bugging me: the time is way off. The game is set in 2038 and that doesn't feel realistic - too soon. Also, the whole game happens in the span on something like a week, which is laughable. I wish all revolutions were this short.

    With all that, I'll give Detroit and 8/10 because I've already completed two playthroughs and I'm not stopping. I love the universe, the characters and the multiple possibilities. Even if some scenes are weaker, I still feel compelled to play again. And even if I've played twice, I still manage to get characters killed - I still have to stay alert    … Expand
  29. nandika
    Sep 7, 2018
    7
    Nice graphics, sometimes well-written story, but altogether it's very ideology-driven, it sometimes almost feels that it was written by androids with a political agenda.
  30. NameOfAccount
    Sep 8, 2018
    7
    TL;DR: Clunky but visually beautiful Choose-Your-Own-Adventure rehash of the old 'Alien Nation' film can be a somewhat refreshing change of pace .

    Thematically and plot-wise, Detroit: Become Human is a little 'Blade Runner' and a lot of 'Alien Nation': replace the latter's alien "newcomers" with androids, and you've got essentially the same story. Unfortunately said story suffers from    TL;DR: Clunky but visually beautiful Choose-Your-Own-Adventure rehash of the old 'Alien Nation' film can be a somewhat refreshing change of pace .

    Thematically and plot-wise, Detroit: Become Human is a little 'Blade Runner' and a lot of 'Alien Nation': replace the latter's alien "newcomers" with androids, and you've got essentially the same story. Unfortunately said story suffers from some of the same weaknesses that 1988 film did (check out Roger Ebert's review for some ideas): some intriguing ideas, but it's essentially still just a police procedural.

    Of course, both this game and 'Nation' (as well as the other countless works they both crib from) are parables for the minority and immigration issues that trouble not just the US today but the entire world since the beginning of civilization, as well as other android-y themes that are now commonplace: androids are inferior and the're stealing our jobs; no, they deserve to be treated as equals; they have the same potential for creativity and emotion as the humans, if not moreso; what does it even mean to be human? and so forth.

    Visuals are top-notch. Graphics represent the current state of the art in photo-realistic realtime rendering; no complaints here. Unfortunately the excellent visual presentation only makes the game's other flaws stand out that much more. On the gameplay mechanic side, these include clunky character movement and a finicky camera system. The hunt, peck, and line-up-the-icons-for-the-clues mechanic feels routine and minigame-y and can break the immersion of the narrative.

    More glaring, however, are the game's story elements, which are the essence of 'Detroit.' Characters, both human and android, are all one-dimensional Hollywood caricatures and stereotypes; it's either love the androids or smash them to pieces, with few shades of grey in between. Given the ambitious scope of this game, the androids deserve deeper introspection: should they be treated as equals, or are they appliances and need to be controlled, and where is the middle ground? Instead, we get cliches like jealous sons and abusive druggie dads; danger situations feel contrived and some plot holes border on the absurd. Primarily, producing a mass-market android without multiple fail-safes to shut it off before it starts murdering you and your loved ones - regardless of any "glitch" that overrides their original programming - is negligence tantamount to selling a smart car without safety belts or airbags; for a game with Detroit in the title, you get the feeling a lot of somebodies should know better.

    Further, the game's main conceit of actually "being" an android - primarily the choices you make as one, and the consequences those hold - kind of falls flat at times. You're usually presented with a few choices at any given point, but they're often so vague and detached from what your android actually does that you feel more like a voice in its head giving suggestions than actually becoming one with it. And no matter what choice you make, there's always this "all roads lead to Rome" vibe to it; sometimes you don't even have a real choice, it's just "push the button to proceed."

    But much of this is just nit-picking. While maybe as a Hollywood film it would feel like yet another hackneyed "what is human" story, for a video game it's an admirable effort, and it's definitely got the triple-A Hollywood-level visuals to boot. Just don't expect anything too profound, and you can have a fun time with it. Oh, and don't give the androids any sour milk.

    Two-to-three out of four-to-five stars, depending on your mood. Worth a look if the idea sparks your interest.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Best PS4 Game of 2018
5
#5 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2018
12
#12 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 104 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 104
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 104
  3. Negative: 2 out of 104
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Aug 18, 2019
    85
    Detroit: Become Human delivers a story with a ton of possible choices, and a lot of questions for a player to bear afterward. If you like it when games make you think about them after you play them, this is the game for you. Stunning visuals and music score, make you forget about some weaker points of the game. But all in all, it is an enjoyable experience you should not miss.
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  2. Adventure Gamers
    Dec 21, 2018
    70
    Detroit: Become Human looks and sounds great, and includes key player choices throughout, though it could have benefited greatly from a tighter script. While it’s commendable that Quantic Dream tried to cover hot-button issues in a big-budget video game, it works better when focused on the personal character moments than the bigger themes that don’t dig deep enough to make a meaningful impact.
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  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Sep 26, 2018
    85
    Although the narrative is fairly linear, there are enough branching paths over the course of the game to make it feel like your actions matter. That allows Detroit to still be fun even on multiple playthroughs – and for an interactive movie, that’s a rare praise. [Issue#231, p.68]
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