The Agency: Chapter 1

About

The Agency: Chapter 1 is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Sapphire Dragon Productions and was released on July 13, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The Agency is an episodic mystery kinetic novel. In a fictional dystopic sci-fi steampunk world still recovering from the destruction of a recent global war; a young man travels to the Imperial capital city to seek better fortunes for himself. Upon his arrival he is recruited in a private investigators agency and is soon embroiled in a case that will change his life forever!

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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61%

Audience ScoreBased on 36 reviews

story10 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game features an interesting story with a well-developed steampunk atmosphere and engaging world-building.
The puzzles, while simple, have a relaxing art style and can serve as a nice diversion from the dialogue-heavy narrative.
The music and some of the loading screen art are praised for their quality and aesthetic appeal.

The dialogue is often drawn out and filled with filler content, making the pacing feel tedious and unengaging.
Character development is lacking, with many characters feeling underdeveloped and lacking distinct voices.
The gameplay is criticized for being minimal, with choices having little impact on the story and puzzles being overly simplistic and repetitive.

story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
70%
7%
The story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its political intrigue and engaging elements like conspiracies and a missing person, while others found it underdeveloped and lacking in character depth. The pacing has been criticized for feeling slow and bloated, detracting from the overall experience, though the art and atmosphere were noted as positives. As the first installment of a potential episodic series, there is hope for improvement in future volumes, particularly in character development and narrative engagement.
- “The storyline really got me interested and I am eager to see more.”
- “[*] [b]story[/b]: political intrigue, conspiracies, a missing person, and a stolen jewel!”
- “The story revolves around a young man named Jack Beckwith, who joins a detective agency in the capital of the fictional nation he lives in.”
- “I'm paraphrasing and exaggerating a lot, but speaking for myself, I was not gripped by the story enough to be willing to either want to see what would happen or to click through to get to the puzzles.”
- “However, it started to sink in that the reason I was having a problem with the pacing is because of all of the fat left in the story.”
- “- bland, lifeless story/writing”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The music in the game is generally described as nice and fitting for the overall atmosphere, with some reviewers noting its relaxing qualities. However, there are criticisms regarding the lack of variety, as tracks tend to sound similar and do not change throughout the game, leading to a monotonous experience. While some praise the music as "brilliant" and "inspired," others feel it could benefit from more diverse compositions to enhance engagement.
- “On the plus side, the music is nice and some of the loading screen art is extremely pretty.”
- “The music was very appropriate towards the feel and the style of the novel.”
- “"Brilliant" and "inspired" music?”
- “The music became a bit of a bother since they waited later in the game to bother changing it at all, or the tracks sounded so similar that I couldn't tell which is even worse.”
- “In particular, it didn't sound 'bad'; a new song for different areas or something would have been nice though, it just about put me to sleep.”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The game's graphics feature a neat art style that enhances the relaxing nature of the puzzles, though the character expressions are limited, detracting from the overall experience. Additionally, the lack of resolution options and graphics tweaks is a notable drawback, leaving players with a more static visual experience. Overall, while the aesthetic contributes to immersion, it falls short in character expressiveness and customization.
- “Honestly, the puzzles have a neat looking art style and although it isn't particularly challenging, it's kind of relaxing to do them.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “I liked the art style, but the lack of expression on the characters (maybe Fio had one or two expressions besides her normal one) was not nice.”
- “The decisions are more 'aesthetic' than anything else and are more a means to get more information and immerse oneself better in the world of this game.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The gameplay is largely criticized for its lack of meaningful choices and poorly executed puzzle mechanics, with most interactions revolving around clicking through subpar dialogue. While there is an image puzzle component, it fails to elevate the overall experience, leaving players disappointed with the game's execution.
- “There is gameplay though, in the form of an image puzzle game.”
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
- “Besides that, the mechanics of the puzzles were awful.”
- “[*] [b]gameplay[/b]: the choices didn't affect anything as far as I know (except maybe minor bits of dialogue), but this isn't the first visual novel I've played that's done that, so I'm not too disappointed.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The atmosphere is characterized by a unique blend of steampunk aesthetics, post-World War I themes, and elements of private investigation. Reviewers appreciate the art and storytelling, noting that the overall atmosphere enhances the value of the experience, provided it aligns with the player's interests.
- “The art, story, and atmosphere are worth it for the price as long as it's at least sort of what you're looking for.”
- “Atmosphere is a combination of steampunk, end of WWI, and private investigating.”
- “That said, the art, story, and atmosphere are worth it for the price as long as it's at least sort of what you're looking for.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in visual novels and e-books is often described as tedious and repetitive, as players must click through text at a slow pace rather than enjoying a seamless reading experience. While this mechanic can detract from the enjoyment, it is generally considered harmless and manageable within the context of the game.
- “It can get a bit tedious and repetitive at times, but it's generally harmless.”
- “Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best. Imagine the best novel you ever read, whether it's 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' or '2001: A Space Odyssey' or even 'Twilight' (if you have terrible taste in literature), but then translate that to a format where the words dribble out and you have to click your mouse every time you want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in Chapter 1 is polarizing; some players find it either amusingly bad or perfectly suited to their tastes, suggesting a subjective experience that may resonate differently with each individual.
- “Chapter 1 wasn't anything special, and I can't be sure if it was so bad it was hilarious or if the humor was actually right up my alley.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is generally viewed as lacking depth, though many players appreciated the overall story.
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect is positively highlighted, with users noting effective advertising on the store page that likely contributes to the game's visibility and appeal.