Erica

Erica stands as the best FMV game available on consoles.

Overall, Erica is a unique undertaking in the FMV world that worked out well and has set new standards for the genre. It brings an engaging story to life with superb acting, and enough interactive choices for the player to make it a cut above the rest in its genre. It does waste time in unnecessary interactions on occasion, but nothing too detrimental to take away from the mystery and intrigue of its narrative.

Erica is an interesting game at a budget price that everyone should try if they can. If you have ten dollars burning a hole in your pocket, you might as well experience one of the best FMV games made in recent times instead of blowing it on a few microtransactions or fast food extra value meals.

Interactive storytelling done right. A superb setting and impressive central performance heighten a relatively simple plot, demanding multiple playthroughs just so you can see everything. [Issue#167, p.88]

Erica has a strong, fleshed-out narrative full of twists and turns that each bring their own unique piece to the story. Its cryptic tone is carried through the audio, visuals, and writing; it never lets you relax. Sometimes weird controls jolt you out, but there is an abundance of enticing threads to follow, and it's a treat to be able to mold your own adventure out of it. Using a combination of crisp cinematography and FMV-specific game mechanics, Erica never fails to hook you into its haunting, mysterious world.

The gameplay may be uninspired, but Erica is the best FMV game we’ve had in a long time and is the perfect length for a single evening’s entertainment.

Through allowing players to interact by using their cellphones, the game offers a modern-day alternative to storytelling, utilizing today’s technology to tell a hair-raising narrative about the murder of Erica’s father and the secrets that revolve around it. Even if some of the controls may seem unnecessary, the mysteries you uncover and the chilling plot is worth staying for. Strengthened by the interactive nature of the game and the stellar acting from a talented cast, Erica is a thriller you won’t want to miss.

Quotation forthcoming.

With Erica, Sony shows it's got something different up its sleeve, and its eye on the genre, both things I quite appreciate. The replay value is reasonable. I'll probably play at least once more to make all the opposite decisions. Erica is a solid addition to the FMV world, and I'm excited to see if the developer (FlavourWorks) continues with this genre in future games. The acting is solid, the companion app is a delight to use, and the story is intriguing.

Whether Erica is a successful fluke or the start of a FMV renaissance is impossible to predict, but the game is a solid and beautifully crafted example of how the technique has evolved and just how effective great interactive storytelling can be.

Lovers of exciting stories, in other words, should give a chance to Erica's affairs because - believe it - they are worth the ticket price.

An intriguing multi-choice adventure, Erica does almost nothing new but offers an interesting story and great replayability.

Erica is an intriguing, admirable experience that those looking for something a little outside of the video game norm will surely latch on to. With an impressive set of performances, a story that’ll have you hooked straight from the off, and meaningful decisions that have a major impact on the game, FMV is making waves all over again.

Erica is experimental in design, and because of that, some things just aren’t going to work out as well as you would hope. But despite both its big fault and barely noticeable flaws, Erica is an interesting, immersive and well-realised experience.

It is a succinct experience with lots of different choices that change the story and lead to different sorts of outcomes. It is well performed has good transitions, and there are no overly-complicated inputs. That it basically requires you to get an outside app and use your phone and goes a little overboard with quick time events is a bit of an annoyance. But, it has an interesting story to tell about a woman who has been through terrible things and finally has a chance at answers and, if you are smart, a happy ending.

With great technology behind the transitions from the "main movie" to the moments when the viewer must become a player-director and some great performances from the cast, Erica is a true next step to the interactive storytelling of videogames.

Although it has its flaws, Erica is still a great revival of the old FMV genre, further erasing the line between video game and movie. An inspired control scheme, an engrossing multi-branched narrative that allows for multiple replays, and top-notch acting and directing - usually the pitfalls of the classic examples of the genre - make for a thrilling interactive experience.

A highly engrossing occult interactive adventure anchored by a great central performance and refreshing interactivity and non-linear storytelling, Erica is deftly curated bite-sized adventure that makes a compelling case as the best Playlink title available.

Is Erica the beginning of a new era of FMV games? We can only hope! Erica is an atmospheric movie/game-hybrid with minimal interaction, arriving at exactly the right time: during a hot summer when almost every exertion is too much. In a future attempt however, I would like to have more of that triple A-feeling, with an even better storyline and beautiful cinematography. And to make the game feel a bit less like a movie, meaningful choices you can easily replay wouldn't be a bad thing either.

Erica is difficult to judge. It has neither the tension of an Heavy Rain, nor the convoluted plot of other interactive dramas. Its choice of live-action makes it different from its genre but it also confines it within it, especially about interactivity and design. However, despite its low duration and hybrid nature, it’s evident the passion in every level (writing, background, actors). A courageous but also risky experiment.

Erica is an outstanding production that may jumpstart the interactive live action game genre yet again. Even though it has its fair share of issues, Erica will definitely leave an impression on you long after you watch the end credits roll.

Erica promises players a nice story. But is the story beautiful enough? We don't agree on this.

It's a bold first effort from the studio - the first spark of something great, perhaps. [Issue#338, p.122]

Erica is a weird mixture of inconsistent but mostly quality writing, with astounding visuals and soundtrack. It poses as a truly interesting experience and even though with its flaws it is a step in the right direction for FMV games.

If you view Erica as an interactive movie, you'll have a great time. Flavourworks sure knows how to tell a compelling story. If you really desire a lot of gameplay, Erica is not your game.

Sony builds a bridge for people who do not play regularly to cross. Erica refines everything that's been done so far in interactive cinema and triggers its possibilities for the near future. The story of Erica is not at all exceptional, but the way we interact with it is several positions above everything we had seen so far.

Erica does some things really well, like giving you choices that really have an impact on the story. However, it all feels a little bit rushed, and answers come before you have time to ask questions.

Erica offers a very casual take on the adventure game genre with a rather convoluted story, but a great price and solid production values make it a novelty thriller that's worth a look.

Value-wise, this is a reasonably inexpensive game at only AUD13.95. With that said, this is a game valued accurately – although there isn’t much gameplay itself, who hasn’t paid at least this much just to watch a movie?

Erica is by far the best game to feature in the PlayLink category, but some of the ideas are unnecessary. The acting is great, but the story never really picks up until the final third of the game.

It’s a suspense thriller that could’ve been written at any point in the last century, were it not for the gripping addition of player choice. In a month that’s seen Man of Medan push interactive fiction into multiplayer, and Telling Lies build on the investigative purpose of Her Story, there’s no comparable innovation here beyond those tactile controls that feel like you’re manipulating scenes in real-time. But there are shocking truths buried at Delphi House, and maybe that’s enough to soothe the soul on a long Sunday.

Perhaps it's because of the novelty, assisted by strong production values. With each decision, the player feels closer to unraveling a mystery, all the while knowing a single playthrough will only just crack the surface. The days of streaming services may be in full swing, but in a niche corner of the popcorn-entertainment and chill night-in, leave a space for interactive stories. Because if Erica is any indication, they'll be here to stay, and that's not such a bad thing.

It's not interactive enough to work as a game, though it's perhaps a bit too interactive to count as a movie. The choices you're presented with may be interesting on paper, but in practice they mostly just remove all tension from what should and could've been a fine thriller.

FMV-game Erica does a lot of great things, but it keeps on walking into obstacles. The controls are not amazing, the acting is a bit flat and the ending is just very unsatisfying.

An adventure that lacks of puzzles and interactivity, with a mobile app that doesn't really bring enough interest. It's a shame because the atmosphere and direction is great, with an good implication of Holly Earl.

ERICA stands as an intriguing example of connecting players with a game through touch controls. It succeeds primarily as a technical feat and less so as a deeply-engrossing video game. If the storyline were given more time to grow then maybe it would have blossomed into something special. As is, it’s akin to a murder mystery popcorn flick. There’s fun to be had solving the mystery, but not quite enough to create a memorable experience.

Despite its production quality, some good acting and great accessibility, Erica doesn't feel like a great interactive movie. Most of the actions are just pointless and the story and characters as a whole, whatever our decisions are, feel rushed and fail to really create a connection between the player and the characters.

In theory Erica shows off a very interesting plot. The picturization, though, is unemotional and rigid.

The production values place Erica in good company as an FMV psychological thriller, but with a near total absence of gameplay and a plot that struggles to consistently thrill, what’s left is an underwhelming choose-your-own-adventure tale that leaves a poor lingering impression.