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Whispers of a Machine - new adventure game from Kathy Rain and The Samaritan Paradox devs

Infinitron

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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
https://rawfury.com/portfolio/whispers-of-a-machine/




https://af.gog.com/game/whispers_of_a_machine?as=1649904300



AI was embedded everywhere. In our cars, in our homes. In the clothes we wore. For some of us, even inside our own bodies.

Dreading the Singularity, mankind abruptly put an end to AI. The result was a worldwide technological collapse.

vera.png


Generations later, Vera, a federal homicide detective is sent to rural outpost Nordsund to investigate a string of murders. She soon finds herself pulled into an invisible war about technology and religion. While some want to awaken the Singularity, seen as a last deity in a godless world, others are vehement technophobes.

This point and click adventure will feature hand-painted 640x360 graphics, an exciting story with existential twists, and multiple endings.

screenshot02.png


screenshot03.png
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Whispers of a Machine is being targeted for a 2018 release for Windows and Mac, and is a collaborative effort of indie developers Clifftop Games and Faravid Interactive.

Clifftop Games previously released Kathy Rain, of which Destructoid said "No hyperbole, Kathy Rain is yet another milestone in this resurgence of old-school point-and-click adventures."

The Samaritan Paradox was the first game released by Faravid Interactive. It was said to be "a challenging, intelligent tale wrapped up in a neat adventure game package" by The Telegraph.
 
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LESS T_T

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Codex 2014
Published by Raw Fury (the publisher of Kathy Rain, The Last Night, Kingdom).



Steam page:



Whispers of a Machine is a Sci-Fi Nordic Noir that tells the story of Vera, a cybernetically augmented special agent tasked with investigating a string of murders.

Due to the wounds of our past, AI is outlawed and now nearly non-existent. However, as the threads of Vera’s case begin to unravel, she is pulled into an invisible war between two opposing forces — those who are intent on destroying AI, no matter the cost, and those who seek to awaken it again, regarding it a lost deity in a godless world.

To help in her mission, Vera has been equipped with an advanced nano-substance called Blue. This rare and sought-after technology allows her to develop superhuman abilities adapted to her psychological mindset.

Choose your methods and utilize these augmentations to investigate, gather information, and solve puzzles with solutions shaped by your choices.

In this gripping story with existential twists and multiple endings, what Vera uncovers will have monumental consequences for humanity — will we be able find a way to peacefully coexist with AI, or will one of us inevitably destroy the other?
  • INVESTIGATION, AUGMENTED:
    Will Vera approach situations with a more empathetic, analytical, or assertive style? Your choices will impact her augmentations and subsequent puzzle solutions.
  • A POST-AI FUTURISTIC DYSTOPIA:
    Immerse yourself in a realized world of beautifully hand-drawn pixel art design and gorgeous settings influenced by the Nordics.
  • POINT-AND-CLICK INNOVATION:
    A groundbreaking entry to the point-and-click adventure game genre by the experienced developers of Kathy Rain and The Samaritan Paradox.
 

taxalot

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A bit disappointed they didn't stay in a "real world" setting. We don't have enough of games like that.
 

The_Mask

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Infinitron - no offense, but I cannot see any of the pictures in your post, and I normally do not have this issue. I, respectfully, ask that you fix this.

If this problem is on my end, and I'm the only one suffering of this, please disregard the preceding.
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Infinitron - no offense, but I cannot see any of the pictures in your post, and I normally do not have this issue. I, respectfully, ask that you fix this.

If this problem is on my end, and I'm the only one suffering of this, please disregard the preceding.

I can't, it's a copy-paste from their old website that got taken down.
 

Boleskine

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https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/37435

Whispers of a Machine hands-on preview
Written by Pascal Tekaia — April 3, 2019
wm-fp1__huge.jpg


When Joel Staaf Hästö of Clifftop Games released his debut adventure Kathy Rain in 2016, it turned quite a few heads, feeling like a reincarnation of the classic Gabriel Knight supernatural thrillers. So when the indie developer joined forces with Petter Ljungqvist’s Faravid Interactive, who earned acclaim with his own well-received first effort The Samaritan Paradox, to create a collaborative sophomore title, I’m sure I’m not the only one who was eagerly awaiting the result. Well, the wait is nearly over, and after some hands-on time, I can confirm that the upcoming Whispers of a Machine lives up to its lofty expectations.

Though Whispers has no connection to the developers’ previous efforts, those who have played either will immediately feel at home here. The game is another point-and-click murder mystery, only this time set in a dystopian future, drawing apparent inspiration from classic yarns like Fargo mixed with a healthy dose of Blade Runner. Players take on the role of Vera, a big-city police detective who’s been sent out to this sci-fi world’s equivalent of the boonies – the little burg of Nordsund, a city suspended aboveground on a giant metal plate balanced on a tall pillar – in order to investigate a series of mysterious homicides. Like others in this technologically advanced Nordic society, Vera has several cybernetic augmentations that you can take capitalize on in order to investigate crime scenes, interrogate suspects, and crack the case.



To help set Whispers apart from other traditional point-and-click adventures, the developers have taken full advantage of its sci-fi trappings to invigorate the moment-to-moment gameplay with some interesting enhancements. In the course of her investigation, Vera makes good use of her implants, which go beyond mere words on the screen and actually offer some cool mechanics to mess about with.

The most basic tool Vera has at her disposal is an environmental scanning augment, which lets you examine any area on-screen based on specific criteria that you yourself must first select – for example, a certain suspect’s fingerprints or a residual DNA or substance match. Another feature lets Vera measure any suspect’s heart rate during dialog, clueing her (and you) in on when a statement may be hiding further information. There’s also a strength booster that gives Vera some extra muscle power for a few moments when needed, such as allowing her to break into a locker.



All of these enhancements must be manually activated – normal environmental observation and unassisted dialog are also possible – and the strength booster is tied to a cooldown to discourage its misuse. In essence, Vera is a full CSI team wrapped into one; perfect for an investigative game like this, actually giving the player tons of agency in uncovering clues beyond merely clicking stuff. There are even three further augment slots that were locked for purposes of the demo. As if that weren’t enough, Whispers also tracks Vera’s choices and dialog responses, setting her down one of three personality tracks – empathetic, assertive, or analytical – which will influence certain parts of the story and the tools available to Vera during her investigation.

Even with all of these tools at your fingertips, successful sleuthing is no cakewalk. Over the course of the two-hour preview version, there were several instances where I had to figure out passwords and key codes to unlock doors or log into protected computer files. The solutions to these aren’t simple inventory puzzles, although there are plenty of those to be found as well. Rather, actual clues to be pondered and interpreted – little mini riddles – must be discovered scrawled on notes and written in letters along the way. The added complexity is a welcome addition to the standard adventure fare already present.



From being dropped right into the first crime scene (after a quick introduction that shows off the dystopian landscape) to eventually managing to hack the door to a slummy flat known to be frequented by the victim in hopes of finding leads to his killer’s identity, Whispers presents a credible low-fi future noir setting. The game sports a similar faux-retro look of its predecessors, except here the character sprites and portraits are noticeably pixelized while the background environments are depicted in a more painterly art style. While by no means unsightly, opinions may be split on whether the two styles mesh well together, and pixel purists may be sad to see their favorite environment art go.

Full voice-over is provided for each character encountered so far, led by Ivy Dupler (Unavowed, Lamplight City, and of course Adventure Gamers’ own Aggie Award narrator) as the game’s protagonist. A full musical background score also accompanies your investigation, featuring understated instrumentals that set an appropriate stage for digging up clues.

Those who have already placed this game on their 2019 adventure wish list based on its pedigree can rest assured that Whispers of a Machine looks to be a solid sophomore effort that stays within both developers’ wheelhouses while stretching its wings with some considerable and fun gameplay innovations. But really, even if you’re not familiar with Kathy Rain or The Samaritan Paradox (yet), anybody with even a passing interest in point-and-click detective mysteries would be well served to keep an eye out for this one. The future of detective stories is nearly upon us, as the game is scheduled to launch on April 17 for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.
 

evdk

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Codex 2012 Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Bought it, but i am currently hooked on heaven's fault.
Been playing it for 2 hours or so and got through the first day (or what I am assuming is basically an extended tutorial) and so far I like it. It has some light roleplaying elements which the game promises should have an effect on solutions available to you. We'll see.
 

MRY

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Steamcharts says it hit 90 players today. That is a really strong launch, as I assume the numbers will peak on the weekend. Shardlight peaked at 95, Technobabylon at 83, Lamplight City at 82, Kathy Rain at 59, though all of these (I think?) ultimately had higher numbers when they were put on sale or in bundles.
 

Dodo1610

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I am enjoying this game. Unlike Unavowed or Lamplight City, it feels and plays like a proper graphic adventure, even if a bit on the easy side.

Yes, it really feels like a classic Point and Click with real riddles.
-The dark sci-fi setting is really interesting
-there are nudity and gore
-voice acting is good
-characters have a lot of dialogue option that is not vital for progression
-pretty style

Really been enjoying the first two hours. If you like PNCs then don't miss out on this game. It really feels like the devs learned from the already good Kathie Rain.
 

evdk

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Codex 2012 Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Finished the game.
According to Steam it took me a bit over 4 hours,but I feel like I might have missed some stuff - not that the ending did not make sense, just the game hints at some backstory that never got properly resolved (but maybe that's just intentionally vague).

Anyway: what I gathered from skimming the Steam forums, you get different power upgrades depending on your dialog choices. That plus different endings give the game replayability, even though it's quite short otherwise.
 

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