Need to Know

About

Need to Know is a single player simulation game. It was developed by Monomyth Games and was released on August 28, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Ascend the ranks of the NSA-like Department of Liberty. Will you stand up for privacy, or help create an unstoppable police state? You must spy on citizens, pick apart their private lives, and determine how dangerous they are. You can also resist these suffocating privacy invasions by aiding underground groups and leaking internal reports to the media. Or, you can just use all of that juicy classi…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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66%

Audience ScoreBased on 268 reviews

story66 positive mentions

stability17 negative mentions

Engaging storyline that explores themes of surveillance and morality, making players question their choices.
The game offers a unique gameplay experience reminiscent of 'Papers, Please', with a focus on analyzing data and making decisions.
The developers are actively working on updates and improvements, addressing bugs and user feedback to enhance the overall experience.

The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for players to navigate and understand the game mechanics.
Lack of a proper tutorial leaves players confused about how to progress, leading to frustration and potential game overs.
The game can feel repetitive and grindy, with some missions lacking meaningful variation and engagement.

story
251 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
68%
6%
The game's story is generally engaging and well-written, exploring themes of surveillance and moral dilemmas, but it suffers from a linear structure that often gives players the illusion of choice without meaningful consequences. Many players found the pacing slow and the gameplay repetitive, with some missions feeling tedious and poorly explained, which detracted from the overall narrative experience. Despite these issues, the story's depth and character interactions keep players invested, making it a highlight for those willing to navigate the game's flaws.
- “The story is very compelling, also the music lets you dive into the game.”
- “I love how detailed and rich the story is and how many choices you get to make as a player.”
- “The story really is great and it totally made the game worth it for me.”
- “I was severely dissatisfied with how railroaded the story was.”
- “The story is completely linear and you only have an illusion of choice with the dialogue.”
- “Presents itself as a game with choices but railroads you, doesn't allow you to choose your stance in the story and ultimately doesn't give you real freedom.”
gameplay
117 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
60%
11%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitive nature and linear progression, which can lead to boredom over extended play sessions. While some appreciate the core mechanics and the engaging story, others criticize the lack of meaningful choices and the presence of bugs that hinder the experience. Overall, the game offers a unique premise reminiscent of titles like "Papers, Please," but struggles with execution and clarity in its gameplay mechanics.
- “The gameplay is involving and I like the time-trial aspect of it.”
- “Great gameplay concept and the profiling aspects are really interesting - a lot of thought has been put into these elements and I enjoyed seeing what I'd get access to next.”
- “You'll be challenged with fast-paced, exciting gameplay that forces you to make a large variety of choices that will ultimately have a large impact on the outcome of the game.”
- “I played this game a long time ago and put it down after one playthrough because, from what I remember, it was mainly a story-dialogue game that brought you down one path, and then right when you think the game is really about to open up and let you play around with the mechanics, the game ends.”
- “It could've been a fun game if it weren't for buggy and confusing mechanics.”
- “The gameplay at the beginning of the game is fairly dull, a strange mix of taking it easy on you while also explaining nothing about what you're meant to be doing.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
54%
14%
The graphics of the game receive mixed feedback, with many praising the unique art style and clean visuals that enhance gameplay. However, some users noted issues such as bizarre character designs, graphical glitches, and a lack of depth in visual variety. Overall, while the aesthetics are appreciated for their minimalism and appeal, technical problems and design choices detract from the experience for some players.
- “The game is beautiful - I loved the interface and the art style.”
- “Graphically, this game is unique in the way it focuses on the mechanics and uses the art direction to enhance them.”
- “Still, the game looked beautiful with its cartoon style and many cool symbols, graphics, and so.”
- “I'm less a fan of the graphics, but the story may also be more developed.”
- “Seems like a weird style choice along with half-hiding the graphics for home/office/etc. There are a couple of missions where I had to write down data or take pictures of the screen to correlate data between people because there wasn’t a good way of doing this in-game.”
- “I think the developers put more money into the visuals than actually programming the game!”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
26%
16%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as beautiful and well-composed, enhancing the overall experience. However, some players find certain sound effects repetitive and distracting, and there are mentions of volume inconsistencies. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally appreciated, it has its flaws that can detract from the gameplay.
- “The soundtrack was beautiful, truly well composed.”
- “Monomyth games have presented a strong stylized experience with some of the best music I have heard in an indie production for a long time!”
- “The quality writing and soundtrack combined with good formula make this a fun and immersive game.”
- “The music was bad, the dialogue was worse, and the story ruins any fun that could be had from the 'searching for bad guys' aspect of it.”
- “Play it with other background music; the repetitive sound effects are rough.”
- “This game could be frustrating, especially missions that require the player to match suspect profiles or match suspects with their travel destinations, but generally is a good game, maybe with the exception of the soundtrack that could be annoying in some missions.”
stability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent visual glitches, slow UI interactions, and issues with triggering achievements. While some players note that minor bugs have improved over time, the overall experience remains hampered by a buggy interface that detracts from gameplay enjoyment. Despite these issues, there is a sense of potential for the game, especially with ongoing updates from the developers.
- “The UI elements are buggy and in the way almost every day.”
- “I'd love to recommend this game, but the UI is beyond buggy and non-functional in some areas.”
- “Unfortunately, the game is buggy, and on top of that, the process of identifying evidence or tying pieces together is so painfully unintuitive that it kills the enjoyment.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring excessive time investment without meaningful progression. Many reviews highlight the frustration of balancing multiple tasks and dealing with lag, which further detracts from the experience. Overall, the grinding is seen as a significant drawback, making the game less enjoyable for extended play sessions.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “At first they were alright but it got really tedious once you had to balance between 3 sellers.”
- “The after work missions get extremely tedious.”
- “I had to restart multiple levels because the data I was pulling wasn’t right and this is already a very lengthy game where there isn’t a meaningful change in mechanics, so it was feeling really tedious by this point.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Overall, users report that the game's optimization is commendable, with a well-designed UI that has improved significantly since the beta. Regular updates from the developers have led to noticeable enhancements in performance and interface, although some players feel that progression is overly scripted rather than based on individual performance.
- “I saw in a couple of cases I could just approve everyone very quickly and my performance would still be good.”
- “Also, for now, Monomyth is updating things pretty regularly and making noticeable differences to the performance and interface for what you need to know.”
- “The UI is well-optimized, especially when compared to the beta.”
- “Also, for now, Monomyth is updating things pretty regularly and making noticeable differences to the performance and interface for what needs to be known.”
- “The UI is well-optimized (especially when compared to the beta).”
- “Initially, I thought you moved through the levels according to your performance, but unfortunately, it's all scripted.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its witty moments, such as amusing character names and entertaining codex entries. Despite some flaws, the humor contributes to a rewarding experience, suggesting that a shorter game length might have enhanced overall enjoyment.
- “Good humor makes for a rewarding experience!”
- “The codex facts are kind of funny sometimes, and the little Easter egg info bits are a nice touch.”
- “Although it is pretty funny when a woman with long blonde hair comes up with the name Rick (or something to that effect).”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, contributing significantly to its overall computerized feel and enhancing the enjoyment of both the environment and storyline. Reviewers find it immersive and engaging, adding depth to the gaming experience.
- “The game contributes well to the overall computerized atmosphere.”
- “It has a wonderful atmosphere.”
- “I'm really enjoying the atmosphere and storyline.”
- “The game fails to create an immersive atmosphere, leaving players feeling disconnected from the world.”
- “Despite its potential, the atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to engage players.”
- “The overall ambiance is underwhelming, making it difficult to feel invested in the game's environment.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted for its low replayability value, suggesting that players may not find enough incentive to revisit it after completing the main content.
- “The game has a low replayability value.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
- “The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying feel pointless.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is criticized for its lack of depth, with only two characters available and poor design limiting player engagement and emotional investment.
- “Character design is poor, offering only two different characters.”
- “The lack of depth in character development makes it hard to connect with the story.”
- “There are minimal options for character customization, which limits player engagement.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game effectively evokes strong emotions and conflicts, showcasing its artistic merit and depth. It resonates particularly well with players interested in themes of surveillance, politics, culture, and role-playing elements.
- “The game made me feel conflict and emotion, which is indicative of an excellent work of media or art. If you are interested in surveillance, politics, culture, RPGs, or conflict, this game is for you.”