Warp Frontier (PC) Review

In the very first, introductory chapter, Warp Frontier shows what its main problem seems to be, and that is unfortunately its inability to make you invested into what's going on. The story isn't magnificent by any stretch of the imagination (a sci-fi crime space drama in the distant future, dealing with an evil conspiracy), but it's definitely interesting. This seems to not care that much, though, as it suffers greatly when it comes to presentation.

It's somewhat boring to look at, with all those greys and browns that blend altogether, the animation has that awkward, doll-like feel of those dime-a-dozen online browser games, and the voice-acting is so flat that everyone sounds like the main protagonist's android sidekick. However, that's not really what ruins the story. Warp Frontier's pacing is very bad. It's one of those point-and-clicks with many, many puzzles that aren't really part of the narrative, which take you out of the whole thing. Fix the door so you can get out. Oh, you need that special tool to open the door. Hmm, you need to open this box to get the tool. Right, you also need to unlock the panel that handles the door. Wait… why you are doing all this exactly?

Aside from having many puzzles that add an annoying, start/stop feel to it all, most of these are also quite irritating when it comes to solving them. It’s one of those point-and-clicks that will soon have you randomly trying out item combinations, or going straight to the hint system, that initially gives you some clues (that you are usually already aware of), and then straight up says what needs to be done. Almost no puzzle follows the kind of crazy logic of the LucasArts era, but they tend to drag way to long, require lots of trial and error, as well as frequent back and forths.

It doesn’t help that puzzles seem to be the main thing in this five-to-seven hour adventure. The story occasionally enters the room, but although intriguing on paper, in practice it’s not that engaging. Even the very interesting and promising world, with humanity trying to survive far away from the solar system, was thrown out of the window. There are plenty of interactive hotspots in each scene, but they don’t really add something in terms of world building. The first scene is a great example. There are over 10 elements to check out, but they are mostly simple things, for which the protagonist will make a simple comment.

This isn’t an era of drought when it comes to such games. The indie scene is filled with gems that rival the classics of the past, so there’s not really any place here for a subpar title like Warp Frontier. It’s not exactly a terrible experience, just one that doesn’t really manage to grab you with its narrative, or entertain with its gameplay. A much better recommendation for a good sci-fi adventure game with lots of detective work (even if it doesn’t take place in outer space) would be Whispers of a Machine. You are welcome.