Tech Support: Error Unknown

About

In "Tech Support: Error Unknown," you play as a new tech support specialist who discovers a conspiracy while addressing customer concerns from home. Through a virtual computer, you'll utilize various software to solve issues or exploit them, with the power to support your employer, join a hacktivist group, assist the police, or act independently. This adventure game features simulation and puzzle mechanics, offering multiple paths for player choice.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 466 reviews

story32 positive mentions

stability15 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and engaging experience, reminiscent of Papers, Please, with its focus on tech support and customer interactions.
Players appreciate the humor and realism in the customer service scenarios, making it relatable for those with experience in tech support.
The game features multiple endings and branching storylines, encouraging replayability and exploration of different paths.

The game suffers from bugs and inconsistencies, such as incorrect feedback on solutions and repetitive dialogue, which can detract from the overall experience.
Many players find the gameplay loop becomes monotonous over time, with limited variety in customer issues and responses.
The story can feel incomplete or poorly executed, with abrupt endings and unresolved plot points that leave players wanting more.

story
137 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
72%
5%
The game's story is a mixed bag, featuring an intriguing premise centered around a tech support role intertwined with conspiracy elements and multiple branching paths. While some players appreciate the immersive and layered storytelling that enhances replayability, others criticize its execution, noting issues with pacing, bugs, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, many find the narrative engaging and worth exploring, especially for those who enjoy unique story-driven gameplay.
- “The storyline is richly layered, offering players a chance to explore multiple outcomes based on their choices.”
- “This depth of storytelling not only enhances replayability but also ensures that each playthrough feels uniquely personal and profoundly impactful.”
- “The game features branching paths as well as extremely interesting reasoning to support either side of the story.”
- “The story just doesn't ... do anything.”
- “I can tell there was a vision behind the basic concept, but they started building the game before polishing the gameplay or story beats, and they never really went back to polish off the rough edges or to bestow the game its own unique voice.”
- “The story hasn't been exploited at its full potential, which is a problem for me since I mostly play games for their story and the way they tell it.”
gameplay
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
72%
10%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitive nature and lack of depth, leading to a dull experience over time. While some appreciate the innovative mechanics and engaging story elements, others criticize the gameplay loop for being tedious and lacking variety, making it feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience. Overall, the game offers a unique concept but struggles to maintain player interest due to its mechanical and mundane gameplay.
- “Its innovative gameplay, deep narrative, and cultural impact signify its status as the magnum opus of humanity, transcending the boundaries of conventional gaming experiences.”
- “This innovation not only enhances the gameplay experience but also pushes the boundaries of what video games can achieve.”
- “The game is similar to 'Papers, Please', but the gameplay itself feels a lot more in-depth.”
- “The base gameplay loop is very dull, and the fact that if you miss a single thing you're stuck in a nothing playthrough (with no hint that's happening other than radio silence from any of the plot-progressers) until the end is definitely a choice...”
- “I can tell there was a vision behind the basic concept, but they started building the game before polishing the gameplay or story beats, and they never really went back to polish off the rough edges or to bestow the game its own unique voice.”
- “This game was initially fun but shortly into the game you start having to enter a 6-digit code or your game is basically over and you have to restart the day; this has added an unnecessary difficulty spike that ruins any immersion and gameplay flow.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
53%
18%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews; while some players praise its stunning visuals and immersive cyberpunk art style, others criticize the simplistic 2D assets and lack of substantial graphical options. Despite some glitches, many find the overall aesthetic appealing and enjoyable, particularly in the context of its gameplay.
- “Stunning visuals and sound design.”
- “Its art style, a blend of cyberpunk aesthetics and realistic detail, creates a visually striking world that is both immersive and thought-provoking.”
- “The game offers some nice graphics; although there are some ugly glitches here and there, it is pleasant all the same.”
- “While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
- “Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the lackluster 2D visuals.”
- “Tech support: error unknown has the ridiculous, laughable price of $10 USD, for which you could easily get any number of older AAA games (with 3D graphics and actual gameplay!), let alone the sheer number of free games available on Steam.”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is plagued by numerous stability issues, including frequent glitches and bugs that disrupt gameplay, such as incomplete data in emails and incorrect ticket statuses. Many players report that these problems significantly detract from the overall experience, with some suggesting that those sensitive to such issues might want to avoid the game until patches are released. Overall, while the game has potential, its current state is described as a "buggy mess."
- “There are a few glitches that I've seen, and I've noticed some of the emails have incomplete data, where it just says something like 'insert the correct response' instead of actually having the correct response.”
- “I like this game a lot, but damn is it buggy. After replaying it a couple of times, I constantly encounter bugs, most notably completed tickets appearing as failed, and I don't get paid for them.”
- “Buggy mess that isn't getting fixed.”
humor
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it funny and relatable, especially for those with experience in customer service. However, the humor tends to become repetitive over time, and while the game offers hilarious situations and a good backstory, some players feel that missed opportunities for character development and recycled content detract from the overall experience.
- “The game itself is actually pretty funny with the backstory and the possibility to get fired at any time (currently playing hard).”
- “Having worked for a few years in teleservices, this is hilarious, even though I did get fired after 12 days on my first run in the game.”
- “On one hand, it's a fun and hilariously too real sim for anyone who has worked customer service in general.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
18%
73%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, often requiring significant time investment to achieve progress. While some enjoy the initial gameplay and upgrades, many report that the experience becomes monotonous quickly, leading to disappointment during subsequent playthroughs. Overall, the grinding can detract from the enjoyment, making it more suitable for short sessions rather than extended play.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The gameplay is even more tedious than usual for these games, and that has turned me off from replaying it to try and get different endings.”
- “I completed the game and wanted to do a second playthrough for some achievements, but halfway through it was just getting tedious doing the exact same things over and over.”
- “I've gotten 4 of the endings so far, and it's already really monotonous, and I'm someone who usually likes grindy stuff.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Tech Support Error Unknown" is highlighted by its well-developed characters, each with unique backstories and emotional arcs that foster empathy and investment from players. The game combines technical challenges with emotional intelligence, creating a meaningful experience that includes unexpected twists, although some players may find it overwhelming. Overall, it offers a rare depth of emotional engagement in gaming.
- “Players assume the role of a tech support specialist, navigating complex scenarios that require both technical acumen and emotional intelligence.”
- “The characters in 'Tech Support Error Unknown' are meticulously crafted, each with their own backstories, motivations, and emotional arcs.”
- “This emotional depth fosters a sense of empathy and investment rarely seen in video games, making each character's journey meaningful and memorable.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the depth of storytelling and community aspects that enhance the experience, others feel that the lack of variety in gameplay elements and endings diminishes the urge to replay. Overall, it offers good replay value for some, but not enough for others to return after the initial playthrough.
- “This depth of storytelling not only enhances replayability but also ensures that each playthrough feels uniquely personal and profoundly impactful.”
- “This sense of community enhances the game's longevity and replayability.”
- “All in all though, I would give this game a 4/5 due to the challenging nature and replayability.”
- “I don't think it is really replayable though, and I feel no urge to go back and try to get a different ending.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the soundtrack generic and lacking in variety, suggesting that additional music options would enhance the experience. However, some users appreciate the artistic quality of the music, noting its creativity and originality. Overall, while the gameplay is enjoyable, the music aspect could benefit from improvement.
- “The game has outstanding artistic art and music, bringing creativity and originality to the game.”
- “The music in the game could use a little work as there aren't very many music options and they are all very generic sounding, but overall the gameplay is pretty fun.”
- “The game passes the time, though more music options would be nice.”
- “The music in the game could use a little work as there aren't very many music options and they all sound very generic.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The optimization of the game is criticized for frequent bugs and a poorly designed interface, which detracts from the overall experience. Players express frustration over being penalized for performance issues that seem unjustified, indicating a lack of balance in gameplay mechanics.
- “I would play much more if it had unlimited days, but I get fired too often due to 'poor performance' while my performance was amazing. I had also just gotten up to lead tech specialist!”
- “Has too many bugs, the interface is not optimized and the story is hard to actually find (probably fell into another bug for that).”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Character development in the game is noted for its emotional depth and humor, with engaging gameplay and a seemingly well-crafted story. However, the ending is seen as disappointing, and the use of recycled customer profiles detracts from immersion, leading to missed opportunities for deeper character exploration.
- “Character development and emotional depth.”
- “The gameplay is hilarious and sometimes too real, with a seemingly neat story and funny customer responses. However, the ending is incredibly disappointing, and the recycled customer profile pictures, replies, and names break the immersion, leading to some wasted opportunities for smaller story and character development.”
- “The character development lacks emotional depth, making it hard to connect with the story.”
- “While the gameplay is hilarious and sometimes too real, the ending is incredibly disappointing, and the recycled customer profile pictures and names break immersion.”
- “There are wasted opportunities for smaller story and character development that could have enhanced the overall experience.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is significantly enhanced by its hauntingly beautiful score and detailed sound effects, which effectively immerse players in its universe. Despite the potential for repetitiveness, the atmosphere remains engaging and captivating, keeping players fully absorbed.
- “The sound design, featuring a hauntingly beautiful score and meticulously crafted sound effects, enhances the overall atmosphere, drawing players deeper into the game's universe.”
- “Usually, games like this get repetitive and boring, but this game somehow manages to keep even me (a scatterbrain) fully submerged in the atmosphere.”

60%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Tech Support: Error Unknown Review
Tech Support: Error Unknown brings its own ideas to life in great detail, but it's missing the emotional core of Papers, Please.
Wegotthiscovered.com
60%

Buy Tech Support: Error Unknown

4h Median play time

8h Average play time

3-15h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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