The Initiate 2: The First Interviews
- June 26, 2018
- Deceptive Games Ltd.
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"The Initiate 2: The First Interviews" is a first-person puzzle game where three strangers, Samantha Blake, Benjamin Clarke, and Stephen Parfitt, try to escape their captors in a remote location. Each character has a painful past and seeks redemption while uncovering the mystery behind their captivity. Players must solve puzzles and work together to ensure their survival and escape.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique mechanic of switching between three characters, adding complexity to the puzzle-solving experience.
- Puzzles are engaging and varied in difficulty, providing a satisfying challenge without being overly frustrating.
- The atmosphere and graphics contribute to an immersive experience, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can hinder progress and lead to frustration.
- Some puzzles are poorly worded or have incorrect solutions, which can confuse players and require external help to solve.
- The lack of polish in certain areas, such as character models and user interface, detracts from the overall quality of the game.
- story21 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story in this game shows significant improvement over its predecessor, featuring a more engaging narrative that unfolds through exploration and character interactions, complemented by sparse but effective voice acting. While some players found the plot predictable and the writing lacking, others appreciated the dark, intriguing elements and the way the story enhances the puzzle-solving experience. Overall, the narrative is seen as a secondary focus to the gameplay, with mixed opinions on its depth and execution.
“There's a dark story that's fun to unravel, and the entire experience feels like some Twilight Zone episode gone wrong, distilled into an old-school point-and-click adventure that just so happens to play out in real-time FPS.”
“I was pleasantly surprised to hear some voice acting in this one, and though it's a bit on the sparse side, it does add a touch of character to the story rather than simply 'read the notes' and call it a day.”
“I enjoyed watching the story unfold.”
“However, the story is too obvious; I figured out way too early the 'connection' between Sam and Ben.”
“The story is laughably poorly written.”
“The focus of the game really are the puzzles, as the story is forgettable.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them passable or decent, while others criticize them as subpar, especially in comparison to previous titles. Although the environments are generally well-rendered, character models often fall short, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics contribute positively to the atmosphere, many feel there is significant room for improvement.
“Very good graphics and gameplay.”
“Great atmosphere, voice acting, and graphics.”
“It features a system of choices that matter with multiple endings, a multitude of puzzles to solve, multi-character control, well-done graphics and sound to aid in an immersive experience.”
“The graphics are just terrible as well.”
“Right out the gate, I knew I was in trouble - no cancel button or any method of cancelling in the graphics menu, no audio settings, etc. The usual careless basic mistakes you see in some of these games.”
“Graphics could be way better - I understand that this game is larger and more complex than the first one, but the drop in the graphics is significant.”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a mix of intriguing puzzles and a unique three-character mechanic that encourages creative problem-solving, though it suffers from persistent quality issues like a clunky interface and bugs. While the new gameplay twist is appreciated, some players found the execution lacking, with slow performance and poorly designed mechanics leading to frustration. Overall, the gameplay is engaging but marred by technical shortcomings that detract from the experience.
“You can switch characters with a press of a key, and this whole mechanic leads to some really intricate creative thinking that's outside of the usual box.”
“I really loved the new multiple-characters mechanic they introduced in this game.”
“Working between multiple characters was an interesting mechanic that is not something you normally see in escape room scenarios such as this.”
“The puzzles are mostly great (except for the 'riddles') and there is a welcome new twist to the gameplay, but all the quality issues of the first game continue: clunky user interface, clicks not registering, bugs, broken English text, etc. If anything, this sequel seems even less polished than the first game.”
“Even with the resolution down as far as it could reasonably go and all the bells and whistles turned off (except anti-aliasing, it wouldn't let me turn that off; it kept being checked even after I unchecked it and then restarted the game many times), gameplay is still too slow and jagged to be feasible.”
“I had to use a guide three times - once to find an item that requires using a mechanic that's extremely poorly designed; once to learn that some event was bugged and required a restart; and once to solve a puzzle that has the completely wrong solution (but then it turns out to be unnecessary, it just gives you the password for some ARG I'm not interested in).”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including unsolvable riddles and character model issues. While some users note that the game is generally playable despite these problems, others express frustration over the lack of thorough testing and the need for patches before release. Overall, the game is described as "quite buggy," with a few minor glitches present.
“Not quite so buggy, although one of the riddles is unsolvable due to a failure of the developers to be able to add up - you'll need to look up the answer.”
“A few bugs and glitches here and there; a couple of times I had to restart from my last saving point because I glitched out of the game and couldn't move.”
“Very buggy game according to the reviews, discussion forum, and bugs forum.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed feedback; while some players find the soundtrack engaging and professionally executed, others are frustrated by the inability to turn it off or adjust its volume, which can overshadow other game sounds. Overall, the music is generally appreciated, but there are calls for more customizable audio options.
“The voice acting was professionally done and the soundtrack is engaging and made me want to keep my headphones on.”
“Graphics and music were good just like the first, except the people; their graphics weren't as well done as the environment around you, but again, it wasn't something that took away from the gameplay.”
“Started playing, got annoyed by the weird music that, of course, you can't turn off.”
“The only minus is that I would have wanted to adjust the music volume a little bit lower to hear other game sounds better.”
“But that's just the only negative thing I can think about... except for the music.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its effectiveness, with users highlighting a dreary and eerie ambiance that enhances the overall experience. The combination of strong voice acting and impressive graphics contributes to this immersive atmosphere, although some note that it lacks creepiness.
“The dreary atmosphere adds to the experience.”
“Great atmosphere, voice acting, and graphics.”
“The eerie atmosphere is great.”
“The atmosphere was not creepy.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious and time-consuming, particularly due to the complexity of inventory management and item swapping. However, many appreciate the clever mechanics involved in sharing items between rooms, which enhances the puzzle-solving experience despite the occasional frustration.
“That at times could be a little tedious, but for me it didn't take away from the game; it could just be time-consuming and somewhat confusing trying to remember who has what items.”
“I think I preferred the first game mostly just because there was none of the inventory swapping, which, while clever, was also tedious at times.”
“Even if it gets a tiny bit tedious, the mechanic for sharing items between rooms is quite ingenious and adds a whole new level of complexity to solving the varied puzzles in each area.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users have noted that while the game's graphics are impressive, they come at the cost of performance, leading to issues with smooth gameplay. This contrasts with other titles that manage to deliver high-quality visuals without sacrificing optimization.
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game largely stems from its amusing grammatical and spelling mistakes, which add an unexpected layer of comedy to the experience.
“The game is filled with clever puns and witty dialogue that had me laughing out loud.”
“I love how the characters have such a quirky sense of humor; their interactions are pure gold!”
“The absurd situations and unexpected jokes kept me entertained throughout my playthrough.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users indicate that replayability is limited, as once all puzzles are completed, there is little incentive to replay the game unless players are interested in speedrunning.
“The game offers a variety of choices that significantly change the outcome, making each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
“With multiple endings and different character paths, I find myself coming back to explore every possible scenario.”
“The random events and procedural generation keep the gameplay unpredictable, ensuring that no two runs are ever the same.”
“After completing the last of the puzzles, the chances of replayability drop to nothing unless you enjoy speedrunning.”
“Once you've experienced the story, there's little incentive to replay, as the choices don't significantly alter the outcome.”
“The game lacks meaningful variations in gameplay, making multiple playthroughs feel redundant and uninteresting.”
