The Change Architect

About

The Change Architect is a single player action game with mystery and thriller themes. It was developed by de Fault and was released on November 25, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

You are a protest organiser, coordinating the crowd outside your window. When the police move in on your position you have to decide whether to tell the protestors to hold the line or pull back.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 35 reviews

music6 positive mentions

gameplay2 negative mentions

The Change Architect offers an engaging and thought-provoking experience, effectively simulating the complexities of coordinating a protest.
The game features a compelling narrative and decision-making mechanics that immerse players in the emotional weight of their choices.
Visually minimalistic yet functional, the design allows players to focus on the critical data and analysis required for strategic planning.

The game is criticized for its brevity and lack of depth, leaving players wanting more context and content.
Some players found the art direction and sound design lacking, detracting from the overall experience.
The narrative can feel underdeveloped and overly simplistic, making it difficult for players to connect with the characters or the story.

story
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
38%
31%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some praising its political themes and engaging writing, while others criticize it for being too short, lacking depth, and offering limited interactive choices. Many players express a desire for more content and character development, as the current narrative feels rushed and underdeveloped. Overall, while the concept shows promise, the execution leaves much to be desired.
- “Recommended if you like political storytelling.”
- “The sacrifices is a great example of storytelling and design.”
- “Beautifully written story just like two of the previous games, but this one is much more intense and straightforward.”
- “A short and boring story with few interactive choices you make.”
- “I can't believe how so many people made this game; it just has one scene and the story is boring. Actually, why did you try to make a scene? Why did you tire yourself?!”
- “There's little buildup and no time to really get invested in the story or the characters in it.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is generally praised for being immersive, intense, and relevant to current themes, enhancing the overall experience. However, some users noted that it can be overly loud, necessitating adjustments to volume settings. Overall, while the music stands out positively, it is often highlighted as one of the few strong aspects of the game.
- “An interesting little short with enjoyable art and intense music.”
- “The music is very immersive and serious.”
- “Really good music and especially relevant to current world politics.”
- “I’m less convinced by the art direction, the character concept art, their animations, the color palette, as well as the music and sound design.”
- “There are no menus of any sort; the music is pretty loud, so have your volume mixer open to turn it down if needed.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The gameplay is characterized by an engaging 3 Cs dynamic—camera, control, and character—enhanced by decision-making elements and interactive conversations. This design choice suggests a focus on exploring themes within a constrained development timeframe, allowing for experimentation with mechanics.
- “My full review of this game, where I discuss gameplay, narrative, and styling, is available on indie hive.”
- “The 3 Cs (camera-control-character) dynamic is particularly interesting, especially when combined with decision-making and one of the game’s core mechanics: following a conversation on a screen and responding.”
- “Maybe the goal was to explore the subject matter within a limited creation time, with an idea of testing mechanics and experimenting?”
graphics
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics are described as appealing, complemented by nice music and decent writing, contributing to an overall positive visual experience.
- “It has appealing graphics, nice music, and decent writing.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for its lack of depth, with users finding the story short and unengaging, and the limited interactive choices failing to evoke a meaningful emotional response.
- “The story felt short and unengaging, with very few interactive choices that impacted the emotional experience.”
- “I found the emotional depth lacking; the narrative didn't resonate with me at all.”
- “The game failed to evoke any real feelings, leaving me disconnected from the characters and their journeys.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game, while short at around 10 minutes, provides a compelling experience with multiple-choice elements that enhance its replayability.
- “It is a short game, playable within 10 minutes or so, but it is a powerful experience that even offers some replayability in its multiple-choice elements.”