🎮 Gamedec Nintendo Switch Review 7.5/10 "A Combat-Free Cyberpunk Tale" 🎮 @GamedecTheGame @AnsharStudios #GameDev #IndieGames

I’ve been following the development of Gamedec for a couple of years, playing the PC preview back in 2020 really gave me a taste for the thought of a choice-rich RPG that was bereft of any combat in the core gameplay.

I think at the time, I’d covered a handful of games with clunky combat and the thought of an RPG fully focussed on the dialogue / investigative side of things seemed a very cool way to go.

In Gamedec, you are a game detective, a person that solves crimes and issues in the many virtual worlds that pepper the dystopian future in which you live. The visuals go for a realistic vibe, with character portraits popping up during the dialogue sequences and a top-down angle being the chosen viewpoint.

The audio has dashes of other styles such as electronica but is mainly orchestral and filmic, its understated usage suits the game well, acting as a textured backdrop to the many lines of dialogue you’ll find yourself reading. They work together to create a pleasantly moody atmosphere for your cases.

In terms of gameplay, as mentioned above, the vast majority of the game takes place through dialogue between the many characters you meet, whilst there are more action-based set-pieces, these are spread out through the game, as opposed to being an intrinsic mechanic. Gamedec also isn’t shy when it comes to complexity, you have a skill tree that you unlock by using certain traits in conversation - they act as experience points - which you can then spend on unlocking characteristics that unlock new dialogue choices.

There are several in-game menus which you should take a little bit of time to get used to, as it’s easy to get to a point in the game where you need to make decisions or move forwards in the investigation, and the key evidence could be in a dialogue log, or description somewhere.

Anshar Studios have really created an impressive world here, each case feels very much like an isolated virtual world that makes exploration a joy. The game plays like a hybrid RPG / graphical adventure / visual novel.

Make no mistake, there is an impressive amount of lore and text here that will clearly appeal to fans that like to fully immerse themselves in game worlds, and the fact that each virtual world visited plays on real-world gaming concerns such as addiction, extreme role-play, loot-boxes, farming and the like, it’s all very relatable.

There are some issues, however. The game features so much text that it’s easy to get fatigued, I’m not a huge visual novel fan, and with Gamedec, I found myself dipping in and out as opposed to ‘sessioning’ it.

It’s also a game that you can’t really go back to after some time away, as you’ll lose the threads of the case, which, whilst being a testament to the depth, could pose a problem for some.

The writing can also sometimes waver, there were some situations put before me that I found genuinely intriguing, insightful and difficult to judge, but there were other times I did feel that edge of boredom creeping in if a case didn’t grab me, and after an hour or two I just found I needed a break from the game.

There is replay value here, for those that want to see all that the game has to offer, as certain decisions and dialogue choices will lock off routes and also come to bite you further down the line, meaning that Gamedec isn’t about exhausting dialogue trees, but carefully choosing your words and responses.

Gamedec is a very impressive and detailed game that feels traditional in its gameplay but throws some interesting things in the mix, dealing with current issues in that wonderful cyberpunk way.

Developer: Anshar Studios