Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller

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Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is a four-part series where players assume the role of FBI agent Erica Reed, who has the ability to see the past and solve crimes. The game follows Erica's investigation into her younger brother's murder and a new serial killer case in Boston, with Erica's unique abilities playing a crucial role. This award-winning game includes exclusive director commentary for all episodes.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 496 reviews

story238 positive mentions

stability88 negative mentions

The storyline is captivating with many twists and turns, keeping players engaged throughout the game.
The game features unique mechanics, such as the protagonist's psychic powers, which add depth to the puzzle-solving experience.
The voice acting and soundtrack are well-executed, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.

The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs, glitches, and slow character movement, which can detract from the experience.
Some puzzles can be overly complicated or illogical, leading to frustration for players.
The character animations and graphics are dated, which may not appeal to all players.

story
554 mentions
43 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely praised for its engaging and complex narrative, featuring a mix of suspense, dark themes, and unexpected twists, particularly revolving around a serial killer plot. While some players found the pacing slow and the dialogue lengthy, many appreciated the depth of character development and the integration of supernatural elements, which added intrigue to the overall experience. Despite some criticisms regarding mechanics and occasional convolutions in the plot, the story remains a standout feature that captivates players throughout the game.
- “The story was really engaging, and the puzzles were pretty good too.”
- “The story is amazing, you can really see Jane Jensen's handiwork and are reminded of the suspense in the Gabriel Knight series.”
- “The story gets more and more intriguing as it unfolds, all the puzzle pieces come together to form a clear and crazy picture at the end.”
- “I must admit by the halfway point of the fourth episode I had more or less lost all interest in the story and the game but completed it because I’m a self-imposed victim of the sunk cost fallacy.”
- “The only reason I drudged through the last two episodes was that I wanted to see the rest of the story, and it turned out to be disappointing as well.”
- “My god this plot is painfully bad, I am baffled at what the writers were thinking.”
graphics
172 mentions
26 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag, featuring a comic book style that some players find appealing, while others criticize it for being inconsistent and often ugly. Many reviews highlight significant graphical glitches and awkward animations that detract from the overall experience, although some players appreciate the unique art style and engaging story enough to overlook these issues. Overall, while the visuals may not meet modern standards, the game's narrative and atmosphere are often praised as compensatory strengths.
- “The graphics are in a nice comic book style and stay at a high quality level throughout the four episodes.”
- “The artwork is hauntingly beautiful and the music adds the right atmosphere on top of it.”
- “Graphically, the game is presented like a comic book (but in 3D).”
- “And the graphics get really screwed up, with pieces of character's bodies moving independently and facial expressions getting outright nightmarish.”
- “The graphics are just plain ugly.”
- “The graphics and animation were so screwy that I initially thought this was a much older game than it is, in fact.”
gameplay
160 mentions
30 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its unique mechanics, particularly the protagonist's psychic abilities that enhance puzzle-solving and interaction with the environment. However, many players found the controls to be clunky and the gameplay sluggish, leading to frustration at times. Despite these issues, the engaging story and innovative mechanics keep players invested, with each episode introducing new elements that maintain interest throughout the game.
- “Very engaging story, intelligent puzzles, and interesting game mechanics make this game turn out to be almost perfect.”
- “The gameplay mechanics are distinct and unique, as the main character Erica has psychic abilities to see some of the past and memories at crime scenes, which makes the scenes fun and thrilling, even though it is technically a point-and-click game.”
- “Each episode introduces new mechanics that keep puzzles interesting, and the story has cool twists.”
- “The story might be okay, but the mechanics of the game are unbearable.”
- “But between the controls and the sluggish, unreliable gameplay involving those controls, the game became too much of a chore for me to finish.”
- “Many feel that the interface and gameplay are rather clunky.”
music
122 mentions
61 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and emotional depth of the story, while others find it repetitive or occasionally annoying. The soundtrack is often described as catchy and evocative, successfully immersing players in the game’s world, though some players suggest turning it off during certain gameplay segments. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to the overall experience despite some criticisms of its consistency.
- “The artwork is hauntingly beautiful and the music adds the right atmosphere on top of it.”
- “This is a fantastic adventure game, great story, good puzzles and awesome themed music that really sets the mood.”
- “The art style is beautiful, the plot is amazing, and the music was one of my favorite parts of this whole experience, very atmospheric!”
- “Every move command is delayed a very long time, too, which is doubly frustrating when the game assaults you with gruesome time-sensitive tasks and panicky music.”
- “Samey music throughout.”
- “But the dramatic staging backfires: since I can look for side cutters, shovels, and other objects without time pressure, the excited music doesn't fit at all and is annoying after a few minutes.”
stability
88 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, including character animations that are often choppy and unnatural, frequent freezes, and occasional crashes that can disrupt gameplay. While some players find these issues amusing or manageable, others report significant frustration, particularly with hard freezes requiring a system reboot. Overall, despite its stability problems, many reviewers feel the engaging story and gameplay make it worth playing.
- “There were a large number of glitches with these animations, parts of people’s bodies clipping through themselves, body parts disappearing, and classic 'freak out' animations as character upper bodies flailed around.”
- “But, unfortunately, this game freezes constantly and I can't even just turn it off; I have to reboot my computer.”
- “And the game regularly freezes for several seconds, occasionally crashes, and permanently slowed down to an unplayable crawl in the middle of episode 2.”
atmosphere
42 mentions
57 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its haunting beauty, effective music, and immersive storytelling, creating a compelling dark and creepy environment reminiscent of thriller classics. While many players appreciate the moody ambiance and strong voice acting, some note issues with graphical glitches and a lack of polish that detract from the overall experience. Overall, it is considered one of the best atmospheric adventures in recent years, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay and presentation.
- “One of the best atmospheric adventures in recent years.”
- “The artwork is hauntingly beautiful and the music adds the right atmosphere on top of it.”
- “It successfully creates that dark/thriller murder mystery atmosphere (a bit like Se7en in a way).”
- “Nice serious atmosphere but terrible gameplay.”
- “Weird graphical glitches around the character's mouths and shoulders/arms make the whole atmosphere pretty hilarious, not good in a detective game where atmosphere should be important.”
- “Severely lacking in both atmosphere and polish.”
humor
28 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a mix of unintentional comedic moments stemming from graphical glitches and awkward character animations, which players found both amusing and occasionally mood-breaking. The dialogue and interactions, particularly involving the protagonist's precognition powers and her partner's reactions, add a layer of humor that balances the game's darker themes. Overall, while some players noted that the humor can detract from the game's atmosphere, those with a forgiving sense of humor appreciated the quirky and bizarre elements.
- “Sometimes the character models will morph into shapes they're not supposed to - it's funny to look at best and horrifying at worst.”
- “Also putting giant things into your inventory and having them straight up shrink and disappear was funny.”
- “Starting at episode 3, I had some funny bug with Erica's model: from time to time, after a load or a cutscene, her model was completely freaked out... hands in the air, head pushed back against her back, and head spinning 360° permanently... funny to watch but kind of breaking the mood.”
emotional
22 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its dark, twisty narrative and impactful soundtrack, which resonate deeply with players, often leading to tears and a sense of devastation. However, some reviewers noted a lack of character development and convoluted plot points that detracted from an emotionally satisfying conclusion. Overall, while the game is praised for its heartfelt moments and thrilling story, it struggles with certain character interactions and tropes that may limit emotional engagement.
- “I just finished all 4 chapters and I'm emotionally devastated.”
- “Great voice acting, soundtrack on point: perfectly fits and gives even more pathos to emotional moments.”
- “This game really is a work of art - it is the most thrilling and emotionally powerful game I've ever played, and I strongly recommend it.”
grinding
16 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is characterized by slow-paced investigations and tedious gameplay, which can lead to boredom and frustration. While some players find the experience enjoyable despite its challenges, many agree that the complexity and slow character movement contribute to a tedious overall experience, requiring significant patience.
- “Game play is slow which gets tedious and boring; this game could have been great if they kept it simple and didn't keep overcomplicating already complicated constructs.”
- “And you should have plenty of patience on reserve for it because it can be extremely tedious.”
- “Reached episode three and by this point the puzzles have become a lot more tedious.”
character development
8 mentions
25 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the deep character design and engaging story, others feel that inconsistencies in the plot and insufficient character growth lead to an emotionally unsatisfying experience. The potential for strong character arcs is noted, but ultimately, many reviewers believe it falls short, particularly towards the conclusion.
- “Good story and character development.”
- “I walked into this game feeling like it had so much potential, and then a lot of it ended up wasted somehow both through holes in the character development and the plot's inconsistencies.”
- “One of the main assets of the game is the dark, twisty story (there are some genuinely surprising turns here), although I felt that the plot became rather convoluted towards the end and the lack of character development resulted in a less than emotionally satisfying conclusion.”
- “This one has fairly deep character design for computer games.”
optimization
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game received mixed reviews, with some users reporting significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware, while others praised its overall performance, noting minimal flaws.
- “The performance here was amazing and I can barely find a single flaw in it.”
- “So that's an F on technical performance right away.”
- “Performance issues on my toaster laptop aside, I have no complaints.”
replayability
4 mentions
25 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its branching paths, allowing players to explore different dialogue options and achievements. After completing the game, players can choose to pursue various outcomes or achievements, enhancing the incentive to replay.
- “In terms of replayability, once you finish it, you'd either go for the achievements or explore the other dialogue options or possible outcomes.”
- “In terms of replayability, once you finish it, you'd either go for the achievements or explore the other dialogue options or possible outcomes (not planning to do either, for now).”
- “There are branching ways of approaches which could lead to different dialogue and achievements, which gives the game replayability.”