Game Review: Against All Odds
Game Review: Against all odds Developed by United Nations High Commission on Refugees
Against all odds is a fantastic work of art. It's emotional, real and informative. It really immerses players with a deep moving story which makes you experience every emotion and danger that the character you control - a young refugee - goes through.
There are many single player adventure games out in the market, however this is not your typical story driven game. It's a lot more than that. In many stages of the game, your morals will be challenged which gives a sense of discomfort, however it's this aspect that makes players react as they would have to oppression and desperation.
The main objective is to escape as your chosen character and find refuge from a war ridden country. There are 3 parts to the game. First stage is learning about the war and oppression of the government. Second stage is fleeing the country with dangers along the way. And third stage is setting up in a new country - the process of adapting to different cultures and dealing with judgments and stereotypes of locals.
One of the most outstanding factors is the art. You can sense the mood through the desaturated and cold - almost monochrome colours as soon as you launch the game. The 6 characters that players get to chose from all have different designs which determines a different personality for each The art style is unique - a sketchy look giving an almost 3D appearance despite being a 2D game. Everything in the art style suggests grunge and oppression. It did very well to suit the somber setting. They input quite eerie music when it was suitable and had silence when it was not. The silence made the game more realistic and stressing, as if you were actually in the game.
Every stage of the game had different rules. Some where timed, some you had to hide and some you had to explore your given area. Depending on which path/option you took there was a different result. Decision making creates a sense of reality, stress and makes the game much more enjoyable.
Components were quite well set out. Obstacles were placed at an good interval - not too often, not too less. Despite being introduced to multiple helpers and the story following the main character, the focus is not the characters themselves - the character is only a representation of refugees stuck in warring countries and their struggle to adapt in foreign places they're forced to call home. This game is more narratological than ludological to show its value - war.
The only downside is the controls when maneuvering through the city during one of the stages - the player must rotate the character on the spot before they are able to head left or right and there is no indication which way they are facing. I also feel that sometimes there is too little time given for the player to fully explore the city or make decisions causing the player to not fully discover all four corners of the game.
Despite those negations, I highly recommend this game to those looking for an absorbing story.