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The element that makes video games stand out from other entertainment media is found in interactivity. Of course there are various limits, but it is the only form of entertainment on the screen that allows us to become an active agent who participates in the story.
Interactivity in video games can take several forms. From putting ourselves in the shoes of a powerful warrior to fulfill the fantasy of power, but without the possibility of changing the destiny already written, to the possibility that our decisions impact the future of our character and everyone around them. This last example has opened up a narrative possibility that evolves the concept of “Choose Your Own Adventure” style books to offer a new style of story where the audience becomes an active agent.
These types of stories have been around for a long time in the world of video games. Ace Dusk Falls, INTERIOR/NIGHT and Xbox Game Studios, is the new proposal of this genre. It is an adventure of trauma and hard times that tells a dramatic story that is worth knowing, but that carries some of the problems of the genre. We will learn more about the proposal in our review.
Related video: Ace Dusk Falls – Gameplay Reveal | Xbox & Bethesda Showcase 2022
The clash of fate of 2 families
Ace Dusk Falls is a story about 2 families, whose destinies are connected in what we can describe as an intense clash that forces them to never forget each other. On the one hand, we have Vince, a frustrated pilot who must leave his old job behind to start a new life in another city with his wife, his daughter Zoe and his father without emotional responsibility.
On the other hand, we have the 3 Holt brothers, who come from a troubled family. One day, these young people enter the house of the Sheriff of Two Rock, the town where they live, to steal a good amount of money. The policeman does not sit idly by and immediately sends the full force of justice to persecute them.
Just before the robbery, the Holts have a minor car incident with Vince, damaging his truck, forcing the father of the family to stay at the nearest motel. To their misfortune, the Holts decide to hide in the same place and take them hostage to try to escape to Mexico. So little by little Ace Dusk Falls tells us a story that is escalating in intensity. The stakes are high and you will have to make decisions that will affect the lives of everyone involved.
We will not give more details to avoid spoilers, but Ace Dusk Falls it’s a narrative adventure with a genuinely good story. There are several reasons why it shines, and one of them is its fantastic rhythm that takes the events through various climaxes, and then leaves you in moments of calm that serve to explore the past of the protagonists and unravel some of their deepest secrets and better understand their actions.
“Explore how people process, cope with, or try to escape trauma”
The latter works very well thanks to Ace Dusk Falls has a truly human cast of characters. Most of the protagonists have an imperfect past that transformed them into broken people, and they reflect that in different ways. Some do something positive with their trauma, while others become victims of their environment. The game makes it easy to empathize with those we see on screen, but without trying to justify or romanticize their worst actions. It just shows that life is extremely complicated for most of us and that things are never really black and white.
For all this, decision-making has a lot of weight within Ace Dusk Falls. Your responsibility will be to select between different dialogue options, which have the potential to change the destiny of the protagonists. For the same reason, you should always keep in mind that the stakes are high and that the lives of many people are in your hands. Because it’s easy to feel connected to the characters, taking sides is never easy. Of course, the game rewards your efforts with moments to send the devil to the characters you hate the most and make you feel that divine justice exists.
And if that was not enough, Ace Dusk Falls It has truly unpredictable moments. While it’s far from the most surprising story in the world, there are several unexpected situations and twists. In particular, this happens when we talk about the past of the characters, which is revealed little by little and is as shocking as the events of the present.
Something that makes the story work is that at no time does it try to be more than necessary. The developers shrewdly steered clear of any pretentious attitude. In this way, the game focuses on presenting a compelling story that explores how people process, deal with, or try to escape from trauma, rather than trying to ask questions on the air that end up with superfluous answers. This is a story worth knowing.
The sins of a narrative adventure
we said that Ace Dusk Falls has decisions that cause the story to change, but let me tell you that some are so important, that they determine whether a character lives or dies. Others completely modify the fate of some subject of the cast. In short, there are decisions that determine if some end up living the dream of a lifetime or if the trauma that haunts them breaks their knees to prohibit them from moving forward.
Unfortunately, there are times when your decisions seem to have little or no impact. This is natural, since it would be difficult to write a story where absolutely every decision leads down a different path. However, it is tiresome to replay the story and try to take other paths, and end up in a situation very similar to the one you saw, only with a couple of different details.
We were also not convinced that INTERIOR/NIGHT decided to implement Quick Time Events as a way to increase interactivity. at different points, Ace Dusk Falls will ask you to move the stick in some direction, rotate it as if it were a minigame of mario party or mash a button. They are simple commands, but they are not very fun and their contribution to the experience is null, especially if we think that in most cases failing the commands has no impact and the story follows the same path.
We also want to talk about the art style of Ace Dusk Falls. The developers went for a visual style of a kind of moving visual novel. In this way, we have spaces in 3 dimensions where characters created in 2D coexist, which are decals of the faces of the actors. At first it may seem strange to you, but you just have to allow time to learn to appreciate what makes it unique.
The problem is that, although the work to achieve this must have been immense, the animation is very limited and slow; it is almost like moving from one page to another. While visually appealing, it’s a creative decision that limits the potential for outstanding performances from the cast. With simple gestures and words they say a lot, but it would have been great to see them in motion.
One of the most interesting details of Ace Dusk Falls is that it has a multiplayer mode where we can meet up with friends – either online or on the same couch – to experience the story together. These are sessions for up to 8 players in which each participant can vote on which is the best decision. The most popular option will be the winner.
It’s well-implemented multiplayer, especially since it lets you download an app so you don’t need a bunch of controllers to get everyone to play. It even allows streamers to play with their audience! However, it’s kind of meh because it’s only really enjoyable if you’re with a big group. If you are going to play just with a friend, then the decisions depend on chance, since the game will use that method to decide between what you and your friend chose. Anyway, it’s not bad, but we would have liked to see a more ambitious multiplayer.
Lastly, we should point out that we love the opportunity to see the story tree so we can replay from a bunch of different points, but it would have been great if they included the ability to speed up the action of scenes we’ve already played. It’s a waste of time to watch the same scenes over and over again, when you want to get to the tipping point to find out what would have happened if your initial decisions were different. Hopefully they can implement it in the future.
A story that will keep you on the edge of your seat
In the end, Ace Dusk Falls It arrives as an intense and mature narrative adventure that will hook you during the nearly 6 hours that each of its routes lasts. It’s an emotional story with broken characters whose lives are swerved in the wrong direction simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Something that, unfortunately, can happen to anyone.
Being practically an interactive movie, it may be boring for those who want to make their video game time action-packed. On the other hand, those who enjoy this type of experience will find an adventure worth knowing, especially if we take into account that it will come to Xbox Game Pass on its opening day.
Related video: Ace Dusk Falls – Trailer Behind the Scenes
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