QCF: Republique

This Review was Freelanced by Rob Rich; you can find his other work here.

eorge Orwell’s ‘1984’ and the bleak, oppressive image of the future it paints, is a theme that’s been adapted many times over throughout many forms of media ever since 1949. It’s referenced in other novels and movies, comics and cartoons, and of course video games. The latest piece of interactive fiction to give a nod to the Orwellian classic is Camouflaj’s Republique - Episode 1: Exordium; a surprisingly compelling stealth adventure game with some serious talent behind it.

Hope is a young girl living in some kind of super-swanky “we’re just kidding ourselves it’s totally a prison” compound, and the powers that be just found out she’s been reading something she shouldn’t have. It quickly becomes apparent that her would-be protectors have some rather nefarious plans for her, but there’s not much she can do about it locked in a cell. That’s where you come in.

That initial comparison between ‘1984’ and Republique is an apt one, but it’s also not entirely accurate. Yes it’s an existence filled with government oppression, propaganda, and constant surveillance, but here the cameras are on your side. Well, technically the cameras are you but the principle’s the same. You control the facility’s security system by hopping from camera feed to camera feed, keeping an eye out for guards, locking and unlocking doors, and otherwise keeping Hope out of the guards’ line of sight.

It’s an interesting one-touch system that allows you to pause the action at almost any point in order to look around and interact with the various electronic devices you’ll come across. It’s also an essential mechanic since you won’t always be able to see the guards from a given camera angle, and you’ll have to be careful that you don’t walk Hope straight into a patrol. Plus there’s the added benefit of being able to collect your thoughts, get your bearings, and plan your next move in the event you find yourself dangerously close to a run-in (or even in the midst of one).

Playing Republique is a mostly fluid affair. Tap once to get Hope moving, and tap twice to make her run (be careful because it makes noise!). There’s also a system of contextual commands for various objects that will get Hope to pick up items, push buttons, flip switches, hide in lockers, and so on with a single tap, which is quite handy. She’s no slouch, either. Provided you’ve managed to pick up a taser or some pepper spray, she’ll automatically unload into a guard if she’s caught. She’ll also automatically step around corners if a guard is walking past, which is a pretty cool touch.

The problem is there’s also a contextual system for switching the camera view. I get that it’s meant to constantly stay with Hope so you never lose sight of her, but there’s a dedicated “Find Hope” button that will automatically hone in on her from anywhere and the auto-switching constantly gets in the way when trying to plan a room or two ahead. There were so many instances, especially late in the episode, in which I was trying to keep an eye on a guard or two in a separate room but the camera would constantly switch back to focus on Hope the moment she’d start moving. Calling it obnoxious would be putting it lightly.

Republique’s story makes up for the occasional gameplay headache almost entirely, though. Sure totalitarian dystopias have been done before, but Camouflaj is careful to keep as much of the plot as they can centered around Hope. Most of the information we’re given only hints at the bigger picture, and the few snippets that make it through in collectible bits of data pulled from various sources (emails, phone messages, posters, etc.) are incredibly intriguing. The top-notch voice talent (including veterans from Metal Gear Solid, Mass Effect, Killer7, Resident Evil 6, and Metal Gear Solid 4) also goes a long way towards selling the game’s world—especially newcomer Rena Strober (Hope).

It does take a fair bit for the story to really ramp up though, and by the time I managed to really get pulled into Republique’s story I was a mere stone’s throw away from the credits. Granted this is only the first chapter in a much larger story, but I can’t help but wish it hit its stride a little sooner. Or that there was maybe just a little more.

Even so, this is only the first episode of a much larger series. The handful of hiccups in Republique - Episode 1: Exordium are pretty minor all things considered, and there’s a very solid foundation in place for the rest of Hope’s story; and personally, I can’t wait.