Upcoming Solace State crosses hacking with negotiation
Don't kiss the dirtbag with the nice jacket
Stylish 3D visual novel Solace State takes place in a locked-down surveillance society, but I suspect those in power don’t quite see our hero Chloe coming. She’s a resistance hacker searching for her lost best friend Rebecka, who will I’m sure get inevitably tangled up in something bigger. Plug into the trailer below, which mostly features her making jokes at the expense of her ex-boyfriend.
At least he has a sweet jacket.
Chloe dunking on Alden isn’t just a cheap shot; the game seems to tie together interpersonal relationships and rebellion. It centres on “social hacking,” – a combination of interpersonal negotiations and trickery involving their online profiles aimed to get the other citizens of the neighbourhood on board with overthrowing the state.
“By connecting with the people around her, can she overcome both the tyranny of the great and the divisiveness of the masses?” asks the game’s website. It also hints at some romance, because what would a choice-based drama be without the ability to smooch?
I like the way that the city itself is inescapably the bones of the story, with the words themselves plastered on walls and stairs and concrete floors. It certainly looks like a game about a specific place, and the directions it might go in.
Solace State doesn’t have a scheduled release date yet, but you can already hack your browser towards its Steam page.