A couple of weeks ago, I was able to test the first act of the upcoming Detroit Become Human, slated for a release on PlayStation 4 (Pro) next month. Since its initial reveal as a tech demo called ‘Kara’; Detroit Become Human grabbed my attention. The premise of playing in a futuristic world where Androids and humans are trying to co-exist was something I wanted to see for myself. Fast forward to today, the day I finally got my hands on a major portion of the game, I longed for this day to finally be here, but I could never anticipate the impact it would have on me.
Welcome to Detroit, year 2038
Before we jump into the actual game, it’s important to understand its setting. The year is 2038 and Detroit has become one of the major cities in the USA. Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short, has been around for a couple of years now; extremely smart Androids are used as everyday objects and humans from all layers of society can get their hands on such an impressive piece of technology. Even if you can’t really afford it, the city offers enough options for you to get your favorite Android on the market. At first, this innovation was applauded by the man in the street. Androids could give you more freedom, more wealth and could solve problems more efficiently than you could ever do. But, it did come with a major downside. The Androids took away a lot of jobs, forcing a lot of humans to live on the streets. Needless to say, this caused a lot of tension in the modern city.
Sounds like something you could easily fix at first sight. Since the Androids were taking ‘our’ jobs, we could easily dismantle them and replace them with humans once more. This became impossible when the Androids started to feel. The human race managed to create AI with a subconscience, the Android was able to feel and think on its own. These ‘malfunctioning’ Androids are labeled as ‘Deviants’ and are the cause of the real problem in the game, a problem which isn’t easy to solve.
Modern slavery
In my session, I controlled three separate Android models, which I will discuss in this preview. I’ll start with Markus, since his introduction struck me the most. Markus is the leader of the Deviants and will fight for his cause. It’s an interesting character since he’ll be confronted with a lot of dilemmas, the biggest once ultimately being the use of violence. Markus wants to show the world that Androids aren’t bad, a hard task when his group is under a constant attack. Will you defend yourself and prove the others that you’re violent? Or will you become a martyr for your cause?
The Markus we’ve seen so far, is far from this Deviant leader just yet, instead, he takes care of Carl, an old painter. Markus’s chapter starts off rather easy, with the task of picking up a parcel in the center of Detroit. It’s here where the game managed to hit me right in the face. This modern Detroit isn’t a happy place at all. Everywhere I looked, I saw homeless men in the street, begging for money. I saw fellow Androids cleaning up the city, a job that was below human standards. What I saw most, was the hate and the modern racism against the Androids. I was knocked down just for being an Android, I was forced to take place in the back of the bus with the other Androids, leaving no room for comfortable seats, I was considered an outcast and it felt like there was no place for someone like me in a world like this.
It’s amazing how accurate the game manages to translate this feeling to the player. Since you’re controlling the Android, it always feels like the hate is directly aimed at you. It reminded me of the sixties where people stood divided in a so-called united country; but also at how we like to feel superior to others. By giving the Androids tags on their arm sleeve, and a small color-coded circle on their head, we ‘mark’ them as inferior and replaceable, a visual decision that brought me back to the inhumanity the Jewish people faced in the Second World War. Detroit Become Human doesn’t shy away from controversy, instead, it shows us exactly how we could respond to something that simply surpasses our knowledge.
Domestic abuse
Speaking of controversy, let’s talk about Kara, our second playable Android. Just like Markus, Kara is a deviant but with no power at all. Kara instantly takes the victim role, right from the start, you’ll feel sorry for her. Kara’s story begins in the repair shop where Todd picks her up after he damaged her. Todd takes Kara to his place in the suburbs where he lives together with his young daughter Alice. Right from the start, it doesn’t feel right. Todd is clearly addicted to alcohol or worse and as Kara, you simply need to clean the entire place. While you’re cleaning, the game demonstrates its vast lore. Everywhere you look, you’ll find small clues like magazines, showing you more of this futuristic setting. The gameplay itself is far more interactive than other Quantic Dream productions since it feels like you’re finally in full control of your characters. As Kara, you’ll have no problem at all clearing your daily routine. The story of Kara gets interesting when she meets Alice.
It’s clear that Kara and Alice have a strong connection and eventually, Kara will be forced to save the young girl from a father who’s constantly abusing his own flesh and blood. When Todd slaps Alice to the ground, Kara breaks out of her programming (which is cleverly designed in the game) to protect her. This is only a small portion of Kara’s story since she’s forced to protect Alice in a world that doesn’t take deviant Androids kindly. Without spoiling the actual story too much, it’s interesting how their story will develop. Will Kara maintain in control of her situation or is she forced to use violence, pushing Alice further away with every felony see commits? The story of Kara is an extremely hard one since it’s clear that she truly has no power at all, she just tries to protect what she loves in a world she doesn’t understand.
Try to understand the other side
Every conflict has another point of view and the Android vs. human conflict isn’t different. The game focusses heavily on the injustice dealt towards Androids but there’s another side to it all too. Not all deviants have good intentions and that’s where Connor enters the game. He’s a new type of Android controlled by the humans, used to investigate certain crimes. As Connor, you’ll try to reconstruct what was going on by finding enough clues on the scene by either talking to others or using some of your crazy Android equipment to spot evidence others would have missed. Connor feels way more ‘cold’ and doesn’t offer much depth at first sight but the more you play with him, the more you’ll appreciate him. Connor’s chapters are filled with mysterious murders, crime investigations and tons of dad jokes. Controlling him offers a different take on the futuristic city and I’m sure he’ll play a crucial role in the development of the story.
It’s great to have a character like Connor in the game since he offers the needed variation in gameplay. Thanks to Connor, you’ll play small segments of a detective game rather than just an interactive drama all the time. It’s clear that the team learned from their older games since they are literally doing everything possible to give more control to the player.
Can you write a symphony?
Writing down everything I felt during my first couple of hours with Detroit Become Human is hard, how do you translate something you can hardly understand? I’ll try with one of my favorite moments of the game. As said before, Markus takes care of an old painter named Carl. Right from the start, it’s clear that Carl doesn’t see the Androids as mere technology, he sees the entity behind the mechanics. He forces Markus to be creative, he pushes him to play the piano or even paint without example, forcing him to translate his feeling on a blank canvas. The words of Carl are filled with wisdom and understanding, he supplied remarkable quotes like ”Sometimes I think you have more humanity in you than most humans”. This in combination with the creativeness we see in Markus during this chapter really opened my eyes to the global theme of the game. Where would humanity stand if we create something that surpasses us in every way possible? Will we be proud of our creation or will we make the same mistakes as before? The game dares to ask questions no other game dares to mention, the game even dares to question our own humanity when a superior being is introduced in a world led by the human race.
Early conclusion:
Since I played Detroit Become Human, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The game pushes the boundaries when it comes to its story but on the other hand, it offers us a look into a future filled with interesting dilemmas. The three playable Androids all offer a different take on this gorgeously created world and I simply can’t wait to see the rest of it. Detroit Become Human isn’t like anything currently on the market but I’m sure everybody will be blown away by it. By far my most anticipated game at this moment.
