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FORECLOSED (PS4)
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Publisher: Merge Games.
Developer: Antab. Released: August 2021. Genre: Action/Adventure. Other versions: PS5; XSX; XONE; SWI. Posted 26th January 2022. By Tom Clare © 2022 |
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Foreclosed makes for a brief though diverting cinematic action game that uses an interactive, multi-tiled graphic novel style to distinctive effect. Its story is a familiar one, straight from the gospel of Blade Runner. A clinical, dystopian future in which cyber commerce dominates and individual rights are controlled by, you guessed it, those at the top of the big-business pyramid. It’s hardly a groundbreaking vision, but Foreclosed does produce a commendably multi-faceted experience with lots of promising ideas. It’s just a shame its execution falls a little short.
Central protagonist Evan Kapnos awakens to discover his identity faces cancellation. Mental blockers prevent him from leaving the city and by extension, his life and freedoms are soon to be rendered forfeit. His task in the immediate is to reach the judicial centre, known simply as “the Court”. His journey, however, soon becomes a lot more involved as those in positions of power fight for what is (quite literally) in his head.
Central protagonist Evan Kapnos awakens to discover his identity faces cancellation. Mental blockers prevent him from leaving the city and by extension, his life and freedoms are soon to be rendered forfeit. His task in the immediate is to reach the judicial centre, known simply as “the Court”. His journey, however, soon becomes a lot more involved as those in positions of power fight for what is (quite literally) in his head.
Events often split the action into multiple frames in real time, creating a dynamic and cinematic-feeling experience
Foreclosed plays from a third-person action perspective but has the player engaging in a little bit of everything. There’s a fair chunk of exploration, a smidgen of stealth, the odd narrative-branching decision and a smattering of hacking mini-games. In the main, these disparate elements are tied around a third-person shooter.
If you know what you’re doing, you can see everything Foreclosed has to offer in a couple of hours. So is it a case of quality over quantity? Well, that depends very much on what aspect of the game you focus on. If it’s shooting, then Antab’s game is functional though largely uninspired. Kapnos has just one weapon, a pistol. The player can upgrade it to include some nifty enhancements, including explosive rounds, telekinetic bullets and so on, but whatever way you dress it, it makes for a bland shooting experience. Enemies are competent shots, but their unadventurous design means there’s little variety to the combat.
If you know what you’re doing, you can see everything Foreclosed has to offer in a couple of hours. So is it a case of quality over quantity? Well, that depends very much on what aspect of the game you focus on. If it’s shooting, then Antab’s game is functional though largely uninspired. Kapnos has just one weapon, a pistol. The player can upgrade it to include some nifty enhancements, including explosive rounds, telekinetic bullets and so on, but whatever way you dress it, it makes for a bland shooting experience. Enemies are competent shots, but their unadventurous design means there’s little variety to the combat.
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The hacks and puzzles fair a little better. Here, the developers have slipped in a few different scenarios and, for the most part, they work quite well. Whether it’s borrowing Watch_Dogs’ camera-hopping surveillance feature to scout out security, locating switches through electronic pulses, hacking turrets or matching wavelengths to gain access to another’s cybernetic implant, there’s enough to keep things engaging, as nothing feels overused.
Foreclosed’s stealth is a little rickety. Evan is very easily spotted and turrets can prove particularly tricky obstacles due to their sensitive powers of detection. Fortunately, there aren’t too many of these sections, so the pacing of the game doesn’t suffer too much as a result.
Foreclosed’s stealth is a little rickety. Evan is very easily spotted and turrets can prove particularly tricky obstacles due to their sensitive powers of detection. Fortunately, there aren’t too many of these sections, so the pacing of the game doesn’t suffer too much as a result.
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The presentation is a mixed bag. There’s no denying, the graphic novel tiling, with gameplay splitting off into two or even three concurrent images, is really cool. One such moment involves sneaking past security before the image divides off to reveal Evan’s escape route as he crawls through a vent. Another sees Evan held at gun-point, requiring him to simultaneously neutralise his foe’s neural implant and head over to disarm them. It lends itself well to action sequences and acts as a useful thematic tool, a persistent reminder of the surveillance that follows him, everywhere. However, the graphics themselves are lacklustre, with bland interiors, dull enemies and the general sense of a promising setting that needed more fleshing out.
Whilst perhaps not the most original of compositions, a brooding synth soundtrack, nevertheless counts in the game’s favour. Soaring dramatically to life, particularly during some of the late-game action sequences, it manages to make some fairly routine firefights quite tense. The thumping nightclub wub-wub (and the muffling effect that descends upon leaving the main dancefloor) is also a good fit.
Whilst perhaps not the most original of compositions, a brooding synth soundtrack, nevertheless counts in the game’s favour. Soaring dramatically to life, particularly during some of the late-game action sequences, it manages to make some fairly routine firefights quite tense. The thumping nightclub wub-wub (and the muffling effect that descends upon leaving the main dancefloor) is also a good fit.
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Foreclosed has a cool, futuristic vibe that's let down a little by its modest production values
Foreclosed’s world is undoubtedly an interesting one, but the story lets the side down. The writing is at times deeply lacklustre, with messy phrasing and cliché-riddled dialogue. On a second playthrough, choosing contrasting dialogue responses often doesn’t change the outcome of the scenario at all. Even deciding whether or not to shoot a particular antagonist has no effect beyond a line or two in the immediate aftermath. The voicing is awkward, with some shady figures coming across as more comical than threatening.
Whilst the vibe and variety on display will likely prove enough to see you through to completion, there’s disappointingly little replay value. Based on your final branching decision, there are two different endings, both of which are brief and not especially illuminating. A so-called ‘secret’ ending, attained by discovering all 23 hidden communications throughout the game, turns out to be nothing more than a couple of vague lines of dialogue played out against a blank screen. It’s a real let-down.
For endeavour alone, however, Foreclosed deserves some acknowledgement. An action game that doesn’t weigh itself too heavily with narrative baggage, it makes for a brief but varied experience that keeps the player engaged, despite occasional frustrations. Bigger production values would likely have allowed for stronger visuals and more memorable shooting sequences, as well as its range of promising ideas to be more fully realised.
Whilst the vibe and variety on display will likely prove enough to see you through to completion, there’s disappointingly little replay value. Based on your final branching decision, there are two different endings, both of which are brief and not especially illuminating. A so-called ‘secret’ ending, attained by discovering all 23 hidden communications throughout the game, turns out to be nothing more than a couple of vague lines of dialogue played out against a blank screen. It’s a real let-down.
For endeavour alone, however, Foreclosed deserves some acknowledgement. An action game that doesn’t weigh itself too heavily with narrative baggage, it makes for a brief but varied experience that keeps the player engaged, despite occasional frustrations. Bigger production values would likely have allowed for stronger visuals and more memorable shooting sequences, as well as its range of promising ideas to be more fully realised.
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VERDICT
"...much of Foreclosed is functional but uninspired. It deserves some acknowledgement for an interesting setting and varied gameplay, even if it's ultimately held back by modest production values." OVERALL: 5/10 |