Summary
- Breaking the mold, Universe Has No Favorites offers a unique text-based cyberpunk adventure game experience.
- Drawing from literary cyberpunk roots, the game aims to deliver a narrative-driven story with deep themes.
- While it lacks Hollywood polish, the game's focus on storytelling and immersive world-building may offer a refreshing alternative to visually-driven titles.
Universe Has No Favorites, an upcoming dark sci-fi adventure game, might be a good fit for fans of Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield who are looking for something different. The text-based game is set in a mystery-laden world filled with the high-tech, low-life tropes present in Cyberpunk 2077, while offering the galaxy-faring adventure and sense of scale of Starfield.
Although many games have adopted the cyberpunk aesthetic and thematic framework in recent years, it's worth remembering that the genre was birthed in the medium of literature. Seminal works like William Gibson's Neuromancer laid the foundation for the visual and atmospheric staples that can be found in just about every cyberpunk movie, video game, or TV show today. It could also be argued that even earlier works, such as Alduous Huxley's Brave New World, provided the thematic soil for stories tackling humanity's relationship to technology, and how this relationship could lead to existential conundrums and major class inequity. Universe Has No Favorites could serve as a return to form for the cyberpunk genre, paying homage to its roots.
Universe Has No Favorites Could Be a Breath of Fresh Air for Cyberpunk Fans
The Presentation of Universe Has No Favorites Is Unique
Games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield are sprawling and filled with detail, presenting players with high-fidelity, fully-realized worlds that can be traversed in a number of different ways, and at their leisure. Moving from these technologically advanced games to a text-based point-and-click adventure might seem like a step backwards to some, but the existence of one type of game need not preclude the existence of the other; there are still strengths unique to text-based experiences.
It should be noted that Universe Has No Favorites developer DSI Softworks has been transparent about the game's "AI assisted" illustrations, as well as the AI used for its English dub. AI is a controversial topic in the gaming community, so this might be a mark against Universe Has No Favorites, for some.
A game like Cyberpunk 2077 lives and dies by its narrative and worldbuilding elements, even if gameplay is a key part of the overall package as well. Oftentimes, the most memorable parts of these science-fiction RPGs are the stories that they tell, especially if the player feels like they had a direct hand in shaping them via strong RPG elements. Next-gen visuals and game design can supplement these narratives and even enhance them in many ways, but a game that strips these elements back, while still incorporating interactivity, could be a unique experience, especially in the modern gaming market, which is perhaps too concerned with advanced graphics and 'gamey' features.
Universe Has No Favorites Seems to Understand What Makes Sci-Fi Work
Starfield's massive world and Cyberpunk's gritty, street-level stories both use science-fiction conventions to capture the imagination, showing players detailed and enthralling worlds featuring a compelling central mystery or question. Universe Has No Favorites does the same thing, with players assuming the role of a memory-wiped man named Yax who awakens aboard a space prison with undefined implants in his brain. This unique setting, based on the little information available about the game, seems rich with intriguing, disturbing, and creative details, and the core mystery regarding Yax's backstory and the implants in his head has the potential to drive the plot forward in an interesting way.
It may not have the Hollywood talent of Cyberpunk 2077 or the dizzying scope of Starfield, but Universe Has No Favorites does promise to provide an engaging and rich story that stimulates the mind. For players who love Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield, but also enjoy using their imagination to enhance gaming experiences, Universe Has No Favorites may be a game to keep an eye on.
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world action-adventure from the creators of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red.
Set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification, you play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality.
Upgraded with next-gen in mind and featuring free additional content, customize your character and playstyle as you take on jobs, build a reputation, and unlock upgrades.
The relationships you forge and the choices you make will shape the story and the world around you. Legends are made here. What will yours be?
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Publisher(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Engine
- REDengine 4
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- How Long To Beat
- 25 Hours
- Metascore
- 75
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
