Dead Synchronicity

Last updated
Dead Synchronicity
Dead Synchronicity Cover.jpg
Developer(s) Fictiorama Studios
Publisher(s) Daedalic Entertainment
Platform(s) Linux, OS X, Windows, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release
  • Linux, OS X, Windows
  • April 10, 2015 [1]
  • iOS
  • August 19, 2015 [2]
  • Android
  • January 20, 2016 [3]
  • PlayStation 4
  • October 4, 2016 [4]
  • Nintendo Switch
  • November 21, 2017 [5]
Genre(s) Point-and-click adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Dead Synchronicity (full title Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today) is an episodic point-and-click adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic future. The game was partly funded through the Kickstarter crowd-funding website, with the first episode released in April 2015. [6]

Contents

Development

Fictiorama Studios consists of three brothers, Mario, Luis, and Alberto Oliván, and artist Martín Martínez. This story was pitched by Alberto, and the art, plot, and music were designed to fit his vision. [7] The developers cited influences such as The Secret of Monkey Island , 12 Monkeys , and The Road , among others. The art style borrows from expressionism and tribal art. [8]

One of the main challenges for the production team was designing the non-linear narrative and complex branching-tree dialogue, eventually settling on a software called articy:draft to collect all the data needed to streamline this process. [7]

The game was partly funded through the Kickstarter crowd-funding website, raising $51,501 in April 2014. [9]

Plot

The player controls Michael, an amnesiac who wakes up in the apocalyptic New World, where many humans, called "the Dissolved", have a terminal disease. Michael explores the areas, trying to work out what is really going on, all the while confused by strange visions and dreams that cloud his mind.

According to the studio, the game features "space-time distortions, a dystopian atmosphere... and a dark, bloodstained plot". [10]

Reception

According to Carsten Fichtelmann of Daedalic Entertainment, Dead Synchronicity was a commercial flop. He said in 2016, "Unfortunately, it did not sell well, only a few thousand units, so we had to say to the developers that we cannot put money in a second game, because we lost money with its first part." [15]

PC World praised the game as a brave and "surprisingly disturbing" title, but said it lacked a "catharsis" due to its abrupt end and lack of narrative cohesion in gameplay. [16] John Walker, writing at Rock, Paper, Shotgun had been very enthusiastic about the game during its Kickstarter campaign. However, upon reviewing the first chapter, he too was disappointed with its abrupt ending. [17] [18]

The PlayStation 4 port received positives reviews, with Crash Landed scoring it 4 stars, praising the game's control method: "Developers Fictiorama Studios have gone a step further and transformed Dead Synchronicity - a game that would usually be more suited for the PC space - to feel right at home on the console using a controller, thanks to some smart game design decisions." [19] Kai Powell of wccftech scored the game a 7.7, praising its "macabre" setting; [20] meanwhile, Jose A. Rodríguez of IGN scored the title 7.8. [21]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today -- Releases April 10th". comicbastards.com. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  2. ↑ Thomas, Lucas M. (2015-08-19). "App Store Update: August 19". IGN. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  3. ↑ de 3DJuegos, El equipo (2016-01-20). "La aventura gráfica española Dead Synchronicity se estrena en Android". 3DJuegos (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ "The Week In Games: Don't Drink The Paint". Kotaku. 2016-10-02. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  5. ↑ Brian (2017-11-14). "Dead Synchronicity launches November 21 on Switch". Nintendo Everything. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  6. ↑ "Interview with Luis Olivan, Producer For Dead Synchronicity". Artistry in Games.
  7. 1 2 Kurt Indovina (13 November 2019). "IGM Interviews – Fictiorama Studios (Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today)". indiegamemag.com.
  8. ↑ Dave Cook (2014-03-25). "Dead Synchronicity: hope in a world on borrowed time". VG247 . Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  9. ↑ Fictiorama Studios (2014-03-12). "DEAD SYNCHRONICITY: TOMORROW COMES TODAY". Kickstarter . Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  10. ↑ "INTERVIEW – In Conversation With Luis Oliván (Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today Kickstarter, Fictiorama Studios) - Alternative Magazine Online". Alternative Magazine Online. 8 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today PC Critic Reviews". Metacritic .
  12. ↑ "Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today PlayStation 4 Critic Reviews". Metacritic .
  13. ↑ "Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews". Metacritic .
  14. ↑ "Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today Reviews". OpenCritic. 9 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Karkalemis, Manos (February 28, 2016). "Interviews with the Daedalic Entertainment team". Ragequit.gr. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
  16. ↑ Hayden Dingman (11 April 2015). "Dead Synchronicity review: This surprisingly disturbing point-and-click adventure lacks catharsis". PC World .
  17. ↑ John Walker (2014-04-10). "Finish Funding Dead Synchronicity Or Puppies Start Dying". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  18. ↑ John Walker (2015-04-08). "Wot I Think: Dead Synchronicity – Tomorrow Comes Today". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  19. ↑ Robinson, Dave (3 October 2016). "Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today – Game Review". Crash Landed. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  20. ↑ Powell, Kai (6 October 2016). "Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today Review - The Day The Earth Stood Still". wccftech. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  21. ↑ Rodríguez, Jose (7 October 2016). "Dead Synchronicity - Análisis - Un año después, vuelve la Gran Ola". IGN Spain. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
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