Twin Mirror Might Be the Christopher Nolan Game You've Been Looking For

Information technology'due south non long that we accept to wait until the next release from the storytelling-focused programmer Dontnod Entertainment and their latest game, the psychological thriller Twin Mirror. Thanks to the programmer, I got some hands-on time with the new game and got to feel the first few hours of the story. For what I idea the title might suggest–a game that feels like a lovely comparison to David Lynch's iconic TV series Twin Peaks–in actuality Twin Mirror shares more Deoxyribonucleic acid with the films of Christopher Nolan.

In previous Dontnod games, the focus is usually spent on personal relationships with characters that you develop forth the way while uncovering deeper, scarier secrets in a given community. Twin Mirror is no different from that formula. Instead of teenage girls from Acadia Bay in Life is Strange or fractured siblings from Delos Crossing in Tell Me Why, in Twin Mirror we go Sam Higgs, an investigative journalist formerly of Basswood, returning home later ii years away. He finds himself coming back to the boondocks later on writing an article that took away i of the major functions of the town, the mines, and to pay his respects to friend and colleague Nick, who passed away due to unusual circumstances. Information technology's non long until Sam starts to investigate and comes to the conclusion of foul play in Nick'southward death, and discovers what part he might play later on waking upwardly the next morning with his shirt covered in claret.

Information technology'due south non a Dontnod game if the main character didn't have a supernatural ability of some sort, and while Twin Mirror has that, it's not necessarily a "power" in the typical sense. Instead, it'south more than of a visual representation of what goes through the listen of Sam, who by profession is an investigative reporter. Sam'due south thoughts are represented through the "Mind Palace," this "mirror globe" motif that allows him to remember past memories that enriches his relationships between the other characters, but also helps him recreate criminal offense scenes. It's less like Batman using Detective Mode in the Arkham series and more like my man Dominic Toretto in Fast & Furious. While it's a tried-and-truthful game mechanic that has seen many uses, it does fit well inside this story Dontnod is trying to tell.

Along with Sam'due south Heed Palace, he also seems to have a mental construct of a more sophisticated version of himself that he has conversations with throughout the game, acting as a moral compass when it comes to decision making. Sam's double demonstrates his internal strife afterward the fallout of his article. Sam looks tired and beaten down, with a v o'clock shadow that is days belatedly from a shave, and Sam's listen doppelganger looks similar a suave Patrick Bateman-type with gloves. He's sophisticated, make clean, and clever, and he knows how to get under Sam's skin. Sam'southward doppelganger very much might be the standout for the game, and made me curious if he tin can exist trusted even if he is Sam himself.

"For what I thought the championship might suggest–a game that feels like a lovely comparison to David Lynch's iconic Telly series Twin Peaks–in actuality Twin Mirror shares more DNA with the films of Christopher Nolan."

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So far, I am intrigued by where the story of Twin Mirror is going to take me when the full release comes out. I'm sucker when it comes to small-town stories with defined and interesting characters, and this looks no different. With Twin Peaks existence my favorite example of a murder mystery small town with fascinating denizens, it'due south clear that Twin Mirror'south cast wont be every bit wacky every bit Twin Peaks despite a few honestly hilarious interactions. But either way, I'm looking forward to learning more about the boondocks of Basswood as the game continues and getting to experience the full story. With the murder mystery aspect of Twin Mirror, information technology feels more in line with Christopher Nolan's early on films such as Post-obit, Memento, Insomnia, with some clear inspiration from Inception. As a contempo watcher of some of his piece of work, I was very much pleased as I continued to see how the story took similar unexpected twists and turns. From what I've played of Twin Mirror so far, I'm looking forward to how this aspect of the story shakes out for those who love suspenseful narratives in their video games.

While I like what I'm seeing in Twin Mirror then far, at that place are some pocket-sized gripes from what I played that I hope gets polished upwardly in the final release. A key function of this game is seemingly the illusion of selection, which appeals to me every bit someone who has played many choose-your-own-adventure games over the years. I've loved this style of storytelling in games like Telltale's The Walking Dead and Supermassive Games' Until Dawn, thanks to their implementation of choice and branching paths. As of now, Twin Mirror is not as expansive equally I hoped when information technology came time to making those aforementioned sort of "big option" moments. To exam this theory, I made sure to play through the preview a few times to see if there were major divergences in how the story unfolds, but there was nothing massively dissimilar from moment to moment. In the preview notes the developers did say that while these are the opening hours of the game and that my choices are seemingly not-consequential, the later parts of the game will provide more dynamic changes, and then I wait forwards to how that shakes out.

"For the well-nigh role, information technology seems like Twin Mirror will be all about who Sam can and can't trust, including himself and his own mind."

My main other concern in Twin Mirror is the style that the investigation aspect is handled in regards to finding and gathering clues. Like a lot of other games that utilise a like mechanic, you simply have to walk around an area and wait at viewable objects. My result with this part is that some of the clue objects are not highlightable until you find certain clues kickoff, which could pb to annoyances for the player having to circle back a lot to search for something in an area they already thought they completed. It's these instances in Twin Mirror that I wish at that place might be more consideration for unlike ways that players can map out solutions, since the recreations of crime scenes seem like they accept merely one true decision.

I'm very much looking forward to Twin Mirror when it comes out, hoping the choices in the game grip me equally much every bit they did in Dontnod'southward previous games and that they knock this out of the park as their first self-published title. Sam Higgs' journeying is certainly troubled, and with the help of his doppelganger and the denizens of the town of Basswood, he may be able to figure the mystery alee or be damned by his choices. For the nigh part, it seems like Twin Mirror will exist all nearly who Sam tin can and tin't trust, including himself and his own mind.

Twin Mirror launches on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on December 1, 2022. For more on the game, you can likewise check out our fullDualShockers Discussion for Twin Mirror with me and Nick Blain (Video Editor).

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