Video Game Review - Acolyte

Rob reviews Acolyte on PC...

Acolyte is a great slice of what life would be like if Amazon's 'Alexa' decided to channel its inner Skynet. Not centred on keeping you contained within its digital world, Acolyte instead tasks you on delving into the digital domain in search of answers as to why the Acolyte program has developed "issues". 

Taking the role of a private investigator/beta tester, you're tasked with beta testing the A.I. before it's let loose on the wider world. As a new employee of Nanomax, you'll soon discover a shady world hidden underneath the glitz and glamour of the technology corporation. People involved with the Acolyte A.I. are mysteriously disappearing, with others being fired over small circumstances. To make things worse, the A.I. is also showing signs of being something more..sinister. before too long you're caught up in uncovering and exposing the wider conspiracy before you become the next victim to whatever is happening. 

Acolyte takes place within a traditional mobile phone setting. The gameplay is presented in a portrait position, with videos and text appearing via pop-ups and overlays much like in real life. As the wider conspiracy unfolds you'll soon be heading to real-world websites in search of answers. Furthermore, if you're a fan of digging through root files and program directories, Acolyte caters for this too. While its intricacies can feel a little too overwhelming at times, the Acolyte A.I. is always there to offer its assistance.

As mentioned above, there are times when the game is harder than it should be. You quite often have to think outside the box, and on a few occasions, the A.I. doesn't understand how sentences are constructed and will ask you to rephrase. The lack of a hint system could also put "casual" players off, but it doesn't detract from the experience that developer Superstring has created. 

In reality, Acolyte will be one of those marmite games. You'll either love what Superstring have done, or you'll question the reality of your existence. I loved the game and took a grasp of its world and story.  As such Acolyte feels more of an experience than a game. It doesn't necessarily hold your hand, and as such you are free to discover things at your own pace. The blend between utilising the on-screen "game" and the actual Internet is a great way of crafting augmented reality. It certainly makes for a very intriguing way to tell a story, and I'm surprised more studios haven't caught on to the augmented reality genre. 

Rating 9/10 

Acolyte is available now and can be purchased via Steam

A code was kindly provided for this review

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