I’m an 80’s kid at heart. I grew up with the big hair, neon lights, synth-rock music, and watching cop-themed TV shows and movies. There have been a few games lately that have tried to capture the spirit of those days – most have been more action-based affairs, but new from Epiphany Games is Majestic Nights. It puts you in control of a detective who’s out to solve cases that revolve around mysteries, cover-ups, aliens, and conspiracies (and alien conspiracies!). In this alternative-80’s timeline, every possible conspiracy theory that you’ve heard of is true, and your goal is to get to the bottom of them in a series of episodic adventures.
The overall game is divided up into 7 chapters, each focusing on certain conspiracies and mysteries. The first chapter is a tutorial of sorts that eases you into the gameplay and introduces you to all the mechanics and how-to’s. You’re also introduced to the main character, John Cardholder, a detective who lives on exploring these kinds of cases. His world is shown from an isometric perspective as you explore and interact with people. This style of gameplay reminded me a lot of the old Shadowrun games, which is a plus in my books.
A key part of the gameplay revolves around talking to people, using dialogue trees trying to get the information needed to get a lead on the current case. The way things are written, it is much like a mystery novel with the more fantastical taste. I love conspiracy tales and this game appears to have no shortage of them – this seems just the type of story I’ve been waiting to sink my teeth into.
Along the way you will hunt for secrets and items in the world to help break the case, but it won’t be easy. There are certain people who want to stop you from finding the truth, and will try to take you out. Using your gun isn’t always the best approach, so often you’ll be using the world to sneak around and avoid detection.
For those of you that remember the 80’s you will enjoy this game’s neon colors, the big hair, and the clothing. I was getting all nostalgic while hanging out during the nightclub level of the game. The game has a very bright, cell-shaded look, which seems to work rather well, and the character designs are not overly serious looking or too toony. I did have some issues where I was able to fire my gun through some walls, and the characters felt maybe a little “floaty” when walking – but I was playing an early build, and I expect these problems will be addressed in subsequent versions.
The music of the game has everything an 80’s-themed game should have, from bouncy electro-synth to intense, dramatic tracks while sneaking around, trying not to be discovered or shot. There are no voice-overs, but honestly I don’t think the game needs it.
When it comes down to it, Majestic Nights definitely seems to be headed in the right direction for a game like this. I only had access to one chapter and the game’s premise intrigued me; this game is worth keeping an eye on. I loved the overall feel of the game, but next time I head back into it I may need to don my tinfoil hat to block the alien signals from Area 51. That’s another mystery that needs to be solved!
