Not for Broadcast (2022)

I'll start by saying the acting in this game is absolutely superb. As someone who's taken college classes in Broadcasting and sat at an actual TV switchboard, this game really took me back to those days and felt incredibly real. The commercials they have you run are funny, and the writing is top notch. On that side of the game, I really cannot find a single fault.

It's the gameplay that made this take a dive for me. I wanted so badly to be able to focus on the story and follow along with what was airing, but as someone who gets distracted really easily, I found myself more focused on making sure I could remember the controls, and bouncing that little dot up and down to keep away hackers or something like that. They were trying to recreate the actual chaos that can go down in a newsroom and they've done so beautifully, but that's one reason I stepped away from Broadcasting and used my degree for something else: in this game, and the real world, it's just too chaotic.

Naturally, it's a game, so they have to include some challenge and make it difficult. I just feel they went too far in doing that. By Chapter 3, I had completely given up on following the story and was just trying to make the editing actually flow smoothly (which, just as I found in my classes, is impossible unless you've had some serious training in it). But, I soon found that I couldn't even focus on the editing, because they had introduced a mechanic where every so often one of the switchboard buttons to change the camera becomes electrified, and if you change to that camera, the screen shakes and you get electrocuted. And half the time, the electrified button is the camera you need for that specific shot. So you just end up furiously clicking trying to find a suitable camera angle, but end up just giving up and waiting for the effect to pass.

This game does so many things right, but gameplay wise, I just had to give up. I really wish there was a difficulty setting or something, where it would be more forgiving. Obviously this game is in early access so they're still building it, and the fact that we're in a pandemic hasn't helped with that because it's very much a live-action game. I'll end up going back to it eventually to view more of the story, but for now, I just don't have the proper attention span to be able to focus on so many things at once.

Also, a little tip I learned while in college that I was reminded of while playing this: If you have any sort of anxiety, DON'T go into Broadcasting, and watch this game on a Let's Play or something like that. The pressure is just too much.

TL;DR: great game well worth price of entry (even with Early Access) but be aware that in current state it is quiet short

Pros

• Humor: The Humor is top notch in this game. I was pleasantly surprised by this. As a general rule games with a focus on humor have a terrible habit of resorting to really lowest common denominator humor. However his game humor really is top notch. Most if not all of the jokes land and the song numbers are a particular highlight.
• Gameplay: Gameplay is similar in some respects to games like papers please but with some FNAF thrown into the pot as well. It starts off easy enough but by the final (currently available level) things can be quiet hectic. There are also some CYOA elements as well thrown in between broadcasts. These seemed a tad underbaked but this game being in early access I have no doubt they will improve as updates come rolling in.
• Acting: Not something I would usually comment on but given this games unique presentation style I really feel the need to praise the acting on display here. All of the cast seem to be having fun with there characters and they are a joy to watch

Neutral:

• Length: Game is in early access so this should not be viewed to harshly BUT the game is quiet short (it took me around 3 hours to reach the end of the available levels. For some this might be a major turn off but I do think those 3 hours were quiet enjoyable. Replayability is high however and rewatching all of the clips without the constraint of the audience meter is quiet enjoyable.

Conclusion:

A great game with fantastic humor but a little on the short side at the moment though I am confident this will change with more updates.