The Initiate: The First Interviews

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The Game The Initiate 2: The First Interviews is a first person mystery puzzle game set in a secret remote location, and tells the story of three individuals as they try to escape their mysterious captors. The Story With little memory of how they got there, three people awake in adjacent cells. A voice bellows from a wall speaker. "Welcome to your trial - Your goal is simple, escape or die". Thi…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 78 reviews

story8 positive mentions

stability8 negative mentions

The game features a variety of interesting and challenging puzzles that require thoughtful problem-solving.
The introduction of multiple characters adds a unique mechanic to the gameplay, allowing for item sharing and collaboration to solve puzzles.
The atmosphere and graphics create an engaging environment that enhances the overall experience.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
Some puzzles are poorly designed or worded, leading to confusion and requiring players to seek external help for solutions.
The lack of polish in the game's technical aspects, such as resolution limitations and user interface issues, detracts from the overall enjoyment.

story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
The story in this game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its improvements over the predecessor, including a more engaging narrative and character development. While some found the plot predictable and the writing lacking, others enjoyed the dark themes and the gradual unraveling of the story through exploration and character interactions. Overall, the game is seen as a solid escape room experience, with the puzzles taking precedence over the narrative.
- “Huge improvement over the first game, with puzzles that are mostly not obtuse and pixel-hunty, and a pretty decent story (especially compared to its predecessor).”
- “There's a dark story that's fun to unravel and the entire experience feels like some Twilight Zone episode gone wrong and distilled into an old school point-and-click adventure that just so happens to play out in real-time FPS.”
- “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.”
graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
29%
18%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them passable or decent, while others criticize them as subpar, especially in character design compared to the environment. Although the graphics effectively create an immersive atmosphere, many users feel that improvements are needed, particularly given the game's complexity. Overall, while some appreciate the visual style, others believe it detracts from the overall experience.
- “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, 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.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The gameplay features a mix of engaging puzzles and a unique multi-character mechanic that encourages creative problem-solving, though it suffers from persistent quality issues like a clunky interface and bugs. While the new character-switching feature adds depth, some players experienced frustrating delays due to misaligned mechanics and poorly designed elements. Overall, the gameplay is intriguing but marred by technical shortcomings, making it feel less polished than its predecessor.
- “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).”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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, the overall consensus suggests that it lacks thorough testing and polish, leading to a frustrating experience for some players.
- “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.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The music in the game has received mixed feedback; while some players find the soundtrack engaging and professionally done, others are frustrated by the inability to turn it off or adjust its volume, which can overshadow other game sounds. Overall, the music contributes positively to the experience, though some players wish for more control over its levels.
- “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.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its dreary and eerie qualities, enhancing the overall experience. Users highlight the combination of strong voice acting and graphics that contribute to this immersive environment, 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.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 sharing between rooms. However, many appreciate the clever mechanics that enhance puzzle-solving, even if they prefer the simplicity of the first game. Overall, while grinding can be confusing, it adds depth to the gameplay experience.
- “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.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users have noted that while the game features impressive graphics, this has negatively impacted its performance, leading to issues with smooth gameplay. This contrasts with other titles that manage to deliver high-quality visuals without sacrificing optimization.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
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 humor is woven into the gameplay; it keeps things light and entertaining.”
- “The quirky characters and their absurd interactions provide endless comedic moments.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Users indicate that replayability is limited, as the game loses its appeal after completing all puzzles, unless players are interested in speedrunning.
- “The game offers a wealth of choices and different paths, making each playthrough feel unique and engaging.”
- “With multiple endings and various character builds, I find myself coming back to explore new strategies and outcomes.”
- “The dynamic world changes with each decision, 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 everything the game has to offer, there's little incentive to play again.”
- “The lack of varied outcomes or branching paths makes replaying the game feel redundant.”

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