Nobody Wants to Die brings detective noir sensibilities to a future New York in 2329
I’ve always enjoyed the tropes offered by detective noir. The hardboiled detective with a penchant for cigarettes, alcohol or both. The love interest who inevitably betrays him. The perpetual rain. It should all be old fedora by now, earning nothing more than an eye roll at the predictable settings and plot setups. And yet, there’s a delightful broodiness to the genre that, when done right, comes across as sophisticated and stylish rather than teenage edgy. Nobody Wants to Die promises all that with a futuristic twist thrown into the mix.
Set in 2329, Nobody Wants to Die follows James Karra, our resident moody detective. He’s working on an off-the-books case with only police liaison Sara Kai for company and assistance. Together, they’re investigating a serial killer who is targeting the city’s elite. Why? Well, that’s what I’m interested to find out.
You see, in 2329, so long as you have the finances, you can enjoy eternal life. There are memory banks that can store people’s consciousness, which is transferable from one body to another, should the need arise. From that description alone, you know some dark conspiracies are happening in the background. I’m rubbing my hands together with glee.
Nobody Wants to Die uses time as an investigative mechanic
To uncover them, Detective Karra will use various futuristic gadgets to gather clues at murder scenes. It’s 2329, after all. There’s less need for a magnifying glass and a keen eye when you have time manipulation at your fingertips. Using this augmentation, alongside others, he’s capable of reconstructing events leading up to murders, uncovering clues along the way.
In doing so, we will no doubt uncover those delicious dark secrets I referenced previously. It’s a fantastic set-up for a game, particularly if, like me, you enjoy slotting bits of information together to unravel a greater mystery. Of course, the execution needs to be good. If these sections merely play out as glorified cutscenes without me feeling involved with the solving side of the equation, it won’t have as much impact. No matter how visually stunning it might be.
A fabulous art style
And Nobody Wants to Die is certainly a looker. Even though it’s set in the distant future, New York has opted to keep its Art Deco aesthetic. Sure, there are flying cars and futuristic signs all over the city, but the past is still very present and prominent in this alternate version of the Big Apple.
It’s an interesting balance that Critical Hit Games has managed to strike, at least in the screenshots and trailers I’ve seen. Although the gadgets undeniably look futuristic, they don’t look out of place when paired with the more retro-styled backdrops. Perhaps that’s because their design is more subtle rather than screaming future tech. Even the holograms have a neon shimmer rather than the more abrasive sci-fi look I’m accustomed to.
I, for one, am really excited about If Nobody Wants to Die. It’s an impressive first offering from Critical Hits Games, and I hope it delivers on what it promises. The look and atmosphere are all there in the pre-release media, so let’s hope that doesn’t change when we get hands-on.
If Nobody Wants to Die sounds up your street, you can Wishlist it on Steam ahead of its release on July 17th. It will also launch on Xbox and PlayStation at the same time.
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