Divide

PC (Steam), Science Fiction, Adventure, Action, 2017 TRAILER

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Having finished Divide I immediately struggled whether a review would be forthcoming and that's kind of a rarity on my end seeing that I enjoy plopping out walls of text much to everyone's dismay. Why? Well, it's a game that both overstays its welcome and manages to leave a lot cut short. Let's check out how and why.

Starting at the very beginning game opens with in medias res setup and we control this unknown guy accompanied by equally mysterious woman as they both find themselves on the run from something called the Vestige. I have to admit it's kinda overwhelming at first because Divide doesn't really ease you into things, but compared to when you actually reach that moment in the actual progression, game certainly gives you a beefed up version of the main character with plenty of upgrades you won't really have then. Still, you continue running through futuristic corridors, activating strange nodes and firing upon security forces with some sort of energy gun only to get ambushed and taken out by a snarky henchman who's been teasing you along the way about the fact you two are apparently intruding somewhere you shouldn't be.

There ends the action bit for a while and our protagonist is taking caring of his daughter Arly on a train ride to meet his wife's acquaintance because he has something important to discuss with him over his wife's work... for Vestige Corporation. More than earlier adrenaline-packed opening it was this segment where we see very charming characters and believable father-daughter dynamic that drew me in. Sadly it also demonstrates rather weak dialog “system” where you use the right stick to choose one of the options and seemingly over-sized levels with nothing to do. We'll get to levels later on, Did I mention your wife Marian is dead? Yeah, her pal Alton hands you a case for safekeeping. Needless to say you open it back home, find a strange orb and AR lenses you put on. Imagine my shock when you end up back in those tunnels with no idea how or why you ended up there. Or where your daughter is.

If that sounds jumbled or disjointed that's probably because it was intended by the game and less so by me in this awkward summary. Basically, you end up somewhere with no idea what's going on and there's robot guards, AR nodes as well as locks you can interact with, the whole shebang. Our hero David only has one question on his mind – have you seen a little girl?

Apart from one major thing left that's all I'll say about the story because the rest would be spoiling. Not to say there's much to spoil, though. Other than brief dialog bits you have with your companion there's very little of it directly told to you. What there is exists in the form of news, technology, upgrades, etc text you'll come across while playing. I found all of it rather gripping and now knowing game end so abruptly I can't help but feel cheated out of this tremendous narrative that could have been. If you go into it blind and absorb all the entries you find from it's pretty interesting to follow how a company interested in technological improvements goes to become... this.

I wish the game actually delivered on all the ominous foreshadowing and, well, core mystery itself.

So... I hear JPG backgrounds are all the rage these days. Wouldn't want to be left out.

Rarely have I taken a screenshot that so perfectly encapsulates a game, doubly so when taken from its first ten minutes.

I'll cut the preamble short with a message you need to hear before playing Divide – this is a three hour game stretched to ten or so if you take your time. No idea why they felt the need run with this other than someone really likes having the player wander through identical corridors and similar room layouts, checking out identical console interfaces and looking for Supervisor one to get the Prime key in order to open the next segment of the underground base. I have explained about 80% of the game with that single overly long line. It's not varied and is the equivalent of “collect 3X instead of X to advance” kind of nonsense. Yeah, it takes you around the complex, but that's not a strength because you can only vary the few tilests so many times. I also lost count how many times you're simply left to find your own way using a very general map. Be aware if you have trouble orienting yourself or poor spatial awareness because I could see myself easily lost had I not taken breaks only after clearing entire segments.

To make matters even more confusing there's a matter of combat.

Which isn't bad. Entire game rather controls in this weighty kind of fashion where you have to account for cumbersome movements. Taken at face value this is a twin-stick shooter, but focus isn't on shooting at all as much as simply navigating levels and unlocking doors to advance. I actually found myself avoiding the peashooter you have altogether by running away from enemies, robotic or human, and instead hacking where I could. As you play capabilities of your AR lense only get better and reprogramming or assuming control of robot spiders becomes an option, for example. Amusingly enough game manages to avoid some kind of RPG talent system or such replacing it with merely locating upgrades you then integrate. Better ablated plating, faster gun recharge and capacity, all of those you could feasibly end up skipping. With almost no mandatory combat scenarios to speak of you might as well.

Within its element, when lighting and shadows intermingle as red alert bleeps in the background and squad of Vestige security is coming down a flight of stairs wearing their AR armor, Divide can look stunning for an indie game. I think the isometric perspective may be the deal maker for me because it just goes so hand-in-hand with the visuals Exploding Tuba guys chose. In rare few instances 2D backgrounds are involved it really doesn't stay together, though. Soundtrack takes a notch even higher. Looking at the music department during credits I realize why because they almost outnumber the developers. Let's just say moody ambient pieces work great, but it's not like composer was embarrassed to go all out for set piece moments. Delivered beyond expectations on both fronts.