This is the Zodiac Speaking Reviews

fuck this shitty ass game

I want to be clear the reason I can't recommend this isn't because I hate the game or it's terrible or offensive or insulting to the player. No, I can't recommend it because it's one of the weirdest games I've ever played - especially when taking into account how its obviously been presented and leverages the real-life Zodiac Killer. If you go into this blind expecting what it says on the tin you are in for a bummer. So like many have pointed out, the presence of the Zodiac Killer here feels very tacked on and arbitrary, not just in the way the story unfolds with the focus clearly NOT on him, but on the protagonists personal life, but also in that you do basically zero actual detective work, puzzles, or decryption of any sort. You know, stuff you'd do if you were an investigative journalist targeted by the Zodiac Killer. Instead the game is an existential psychological thriller where you sneak around a one hit kill enemy with bad ai in giant lifeless boring maps to find arbitrary hotspots, activate them, and then put 4 pieces of a timeline in order which may or may not make any sense. All this, in game-wise, from a shrink's chair high AF. So as a game using the likeness and gravitas of an actual serial killer to paint an evocative and scary atmosphere of cat and mouse, this game is a misleading and dismal failure. Ok, but what about taking it at its own terms, forgetting the Zodiac stuff and just focusing on this weird Silent Hill Shattered Memories from TEMU sadcore daddy issues simulator? Well I probably spoiled the answer there but surprisingly it is also quite bad. But it's the combination of these two that ended up being fascinating and kept me through to the end! It's very obvious they had a ton of ambition making this, you can see little hints everywhere that also pop up in most games like this that clearly are in over their heads: weirdly over-complicated UI, features that appear once if even that and never come up again but are implied to be key mechanics, narrative threads that go nowhere, shoehorned "choices with consequences" systems that don't change much, if anything at all, and often the consequences make no sense for the choice made, etc. So my guess is they had this idea for a psychological thriller where an investigative journalist is going over cold cases from serial killers, or maybe seeing visions of victims yada yada yada. And that was a very narrative heavy, puzzle light, almost walking sim type affair that would have these trippy sequences play out in therapy sessions as you find/help the victims, avoid the bad guy, and figure out whats real, whats not am i the killer?! blah blah. THEN someone on the team or somehow someone goes "HEY! what if we make the killer the Zodiac Killer? I bet that'll get us some attention!" and then the process of integrating an incredibly infamous and well-researched serial killer with all the real life contextual weight and expectations that entails, are stapled to this goofy personal tale of a man confronting generational trauma, guilt, grief, and shame. The outcome is exactly as bad, insane, and confusing as you'd expect. Glad I played it, but again I'm a weirdo who likes figuring out theories for how these unhinged media messes get made and why they're so weird. Chances are you are not that, but if so, hey have at it! Thanks for reading.

[h1] Mystery/detective adventure where you follow the footsteps of a killer named Zodiac. Find clues and solve the case. After finding clues each time you will have to sort events in the right order to complete chapter. Gameplay is like your typical first person game with stealth elements. The bad part is AI that is easy to avoid sometimes it might not notice you even if you stand in the plain sight. Also jumping behind any obstacle ends chase without much hassle. Music builds up suspense feeling and makes for dramatic atmosphere. Voice acting leaves much to be desired but it gets the job done. Play for the story, AI sucks badly and is horrendous. [/h1]