Pros & Cons
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- Engrossing, nonlinear storytelling.
- Requires actual detective skills.
- Strong lead performance.
- Moody, 1990s atmosphere.
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- Only a few hours of footage.
In most detective games, there's an answer for every question. The solution may be confusing, obtuse, or unsatisfying, but ultimately every mystery can be solved. The game can be finished. But life isn't like that. Life is ambiguous and often contains riddles that can never be completely understood. What makes Her Story ($4.99) such a captivating crime game is that, like life, it has no real end. There is only the moment where you decide to walk away, or in this case, turn off this iPad game.
True Detective
Her Story gives you one goal: determine if a suspected murderer is guilty or innocent. The game provides the perfect balance of smart, carefully honed systems to keep you moving forward while still allowing for some of the most creative and organic player choices I've ever encountered on an iPad or any other gaming platform.
You access a database filled with hundreds of short video interviews featuring the suspect, a British woman named Hannah. Some of these clips are nothing but seemingly innocuous small talk while others contain bombshells like hidden family secrets. You're thrown in completely cold. You initially don't even know the name of the victim, but the deeper you dive in the faster you'll start mapping your own web of conspiracy theories with confidence. It's almost impossible to avoid certain key story points, but your path toward them will be different than any other player's.
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