Gamedec: Definitive.
Took me almost 14 and a half hours here, but I played through Gamedec: Definitive Edition. It was really good. Some thoughts incoming.
Have you played Disco Elysium? If you liked that, you're also likely going to like this one. Gamedec is similar to Disco in many ways, as Gamedec is a CRPG/adventure game focused mostly around a very strong narrative, decision-making & lots of detective work and investigating. What you likely say, do, and decide here will matter, as you're investigating a bunch of cases - and also, this is how you'll shape your character and their skills too. And these cases, in which some do feel a bit separate, likely can find some interesting ways to get connected to each other ways too...which often can be downright shocking, too.
Gamedec takes place in a sci-fi type of cyberpunk setting, in which you play a Detective that often does this detective-work in online video Games; hence the title GameDec (which is short for Game Detective). You're likely looking into players mistreating other players, players cheating, incidents that happen in the game (which could also do stuff to that player outside of it), who the players online are in Realium, and even more stuff. You might even have to be in Realium (which is the City in The "Real World" here, that you're in) and take care of stuff there, as you'll also be going between the game's online game-worlds and Realium to take care of these players. Head-trippy type of stuff, for sure.
Some players might be trying to get pleasure of doing messed-up stuff in an online-world based around S&M; some might be hanging out in a Farmville-like world where you have a farm and grow stuff, in which this world's mixed with the Wild Wild West and elements of that (having outlaws, Sheriffs, saloons, and other stuff). There's a world that feels like Feudal Japan here where a Cult that you're trying to investigate is getting too powerful and mistreating people & players. That isn't even the half of this here, as this game can feel like here Disco Elysium meets Blade Runner meets Matrix meets WestWorld (HBO TV series) and meets...well, God knows what-else, TBH. [shrug]
I really don't want to give away too much here, but some of these cases can be down-right weird, bonkers & twisted too. There is definitely some mind-blowing, shocking and messed-up stuff in here, in some of these cases, especially in the early cases - and that's not even getting into the even more out there, bizarre, and unique stuff, which takes place in the 2nd half of the game. A lot of the stuff in the 1st half of the game feels more grounded & normal, despite its off-the-wall nature and tackling some heavy & edgy stuff - but the 2nd half of the game can really get into some real grand stuff & themes here of life, death, reality and more stuff.
You'll often take on jobs for someone and have to solve the case & their problems (if you can), in which this feels similar to The Sinking City and Frogwares' Sherlock Holmes games. It's similar that you're going to have at some point to advance the story and/or case, you're going to have to make Deductions on incidents & certain things, to push the cases ahead and eventually try to solve the case (if you can even solve it properly) - and all of this can matter, especially later on. For example, you might meet a player in-game in one online video game-world while in-game...and then befriend them in the Realium. That player in another game-world and case might help you out in the next case...or possibly not, depending upon what you did in there.
Like Disco, all action elements will happen based around your skills & stats and likely will happen within mostly dialogue trees. The prose here in Gamedec is also pretty good, even though it doesn't hit the levels of say Disco & other great narrative CRPG's like say Planescape: Torment (even though PS:T has combat, Gamedec doesn't). But still, Gamedec's still pretty good at this.
Similar to Disco's old versions (before that game got the The Final Cut Update, in which TFC added full-blown voice-acting), not everything in Gamedec is voice-acted. A lot actually isn't voice-acted here. Some key stuff & events are, some NPC's might have greetings to greet the player with voice-acting - but most of the game is not voice-acted - and well, it honestly doesn't need to be, since the writing's good here. There's a lot of prose here, so if you like reading and want to read some good prose - yes, you'll be right at home here. Like many other CRPG's, there is a Codex here with info on characters you meet and some of the lingo/terminology you'll need to learn. Of course, the more stuff you find and investigate, the more info you'll also unlock in the Codex.
On my RTX 3060m gaming laptop, no problems whatever. Ran like a dream at 60fps so much, didn't even honestly need it. It's not like this is an action game or anything of that sort; this is a story-based and narrative-driven CRPG/adventure hybrid here, where no real action and combat happens. Only action elements might happen in dialogue trees, if it even does.
Regardless, in the grand scheme of things here, this is a very good CRPG/adventure combo of sorts here, as it does feel like your decisions will shape the journey and that there will be at least some different outcomes. After almost 15 hours of this bonkers, twisted, wild, and really good game - the game never felt too long and never felt too short. It felt just right - and the type of game to replay, as it does look like it could turn out some different ways in the journey itself and in the very end. And it's likely going to get a replay, as the end sequence does besides give you your ending(s)/permutation(s), but also tells you what decisions you made and how they mattered.
While it might not have seemed to hit the heights of Disco here - which is a very high bar here, TBH - Gamedec is definitely a really good CRPG/adventure for gumshoes to get stuck into these game-worlds and investigate all kinds of matters; all kinds crazy matters that likely will matter, in the grand scheme of things. Must play game & a very easy recommendation here; even more so especially if you picked it up while it was Free (in its Complete Edition form!) from the Epic Game Store.
now how will I find deals on Steam games I'll buy and never play?
ed."