City Of Voices Preview: The Call Of Quality

City Of Voices is an upcoming adventure game developed and published by Kini Games. This game sees you taking the role of Sara Ramsbottom, a teenage girl growing up in 2000s-era Britain, dealing with all the struggles you’d expect of a girl her age. However, whilst on a camping trip, she discovers a strange Mayan Temple and a whole new adventure. In this title, you need to carefully study a series of scenes and deduce exactly what happened and who was responsible for what is going on.

This is the second adventure game I’ve done a preview of recently. And much like Confidential Killings, City Of Voices takes the experience in a very different direction. I’m not kidding when I say you need to carefully study the scenes that you need to solve. And this helps to create a rather fascinating upcoming game. But with all that said, let’s get to the preview!

City Of Voices is currently in development and is “Coming Soon”. It can be wishlisted on Steam and will also be available on Itch.io. On both sites, a demo can be downloaded.

Story – We’ve All Been There

City Of Voices is set during the early 2000s and sees you guiding Sara Ramsbottom through the perils of being a young and bullied teenager. The mysteries on offer, even in the preview build of City Of Voices, are rather compelling. In part due to the gameplay, which I’ll talk about shortly. But also due to the way the mysteries unfold. I won’t give anything away, but there was one puzzle in particular that I was stuck on because I didn’t twig who the culprit might have been. It was only when I went back over the evidence that it all fell together, and the case as a whole started to fall together neatly. I know I’m talking about the writing from a more technical point of view, but from a more substantive point of view. City Of Voices feels like something special.

This isn’t too far from the diary I had at the time.

Or at least I hope that it becomes something special. Because from what I’ve played thus far I’m honestly rather impressed with how this is all turning out. The quality of the writing is rather superb. It’s able to capture the fears and realities of being a teenager at that point in time. In a way that feels authentic. And doesn’t feel like it descends into the self-indulgent “Remember x?” territory that more nostalgia-inspired titles go for. There is a sincerity to the writing that makes it feel personal. And honest. To an extent that even gamers who are not of a certain vintage like I am will be able to identify with what is happening here. I will be interested to see how this develops. As the game takes a more fantastical leap early on. So we shall see how well or not it sticks the landing.

Gameplay – Wots All This?

As noted at the head of this preview, City Of Voices is a point-and-click adventure game centred around deduction and problem-solving. On each level, you are presented with a scene. Wherein something has gone a tad wrong for Sara or another character. Your mission is to determine how this all came to pass. Maybe you’ll need to determine who’s responsible for something bad happening. Or try and figure out how the characters came to be in their current predicament. The answers aren’t always obvious. However, all the clues are there for you to try and figure things out.

The evidence in City Of Voices might seem limited, but you have enough to work with.

This isn’t the kind of adventure game where you can just get by, by just clicking on random objects and hoping that you’ll trigger the right answer. I mean, you could, but it might take a while to come up with the exact combination. The game really requires you to pay attention to every piece of evidence you find. And all the while work through it to try and figure out what is relevant. And what information is something of a red herring.

A Second Look

I would be lying if I said that this was smooth sailing on my part. As I underestimated just how much attention I’d have to pay to each given scene; not every item will have a tag telling you what it is so you need to pay close attention to everything. Which is fine by me. And is something that, as a player, you can come to terms with rather easily. I will admit that there was something of a “leap of faith” with the first puzzle; as the motivations for why a given character did what they did aren’t clear, given the evidence that is available. Oh sure, they did it. But the “Why” isn’t clear. And the items that they have to suggest it are frankly rather tenuous.

It makes sense now, but at the time it seemed a stretch.

But beyond that, I don’t have many issues with the gameplay here. It all works. And provides an experience that is a great challenge. And whilst the game demands a level of care and attention over its puzzles, it never feels like it goes overboard. You aren’t spending extended periods going over lines of text in forensic detail. But you are doing it to a greater degree than other similar titles. This makes this feel like a far more active and compelling game than some of the other adventure titles I have played and previewed as of late.

Graphics & Audio – Sounds Of Yesteryear

City Of Voices has a distinct art style that is largely unlike any other game I’ve previewed. Whilst hardly avant-garde, the art and graphics style is rich in the kind of character that is reflected in the writing. With strong and distinct expressions that give every scene a delightful level of charm. I will admit that not everyone is going to like the art. It is something of an acquired taste. But any game that has a distinct and rather unique look versus its contemporaries is a winner in my book. And as a bonus. Even with the game looking as great as it does, you can still clearly see and understand what is going on with the game; the art doesn’t smother key details or UI information.

And in addition to this, I have to admit, it has done a fantastic job of invoking the look and feel of early 2000s UK. From the look of some of the tech, to the design of some of the magazines, and some of the finer details that are too numerous to cover. As someone who grew up in this period and had a younger sibling, this looks wonderfully familiar. And this is topped off by some great soundtrack and sound design. This really creates a fantastic sense of place from all the ambient sound effects whilst you’re out in the camp.

City Of Voices was previewed on PC.