The Secret of Retropolis

Searching for a short game for the quest, Retropolis got my attention, mostly thanks to its art style.
The game is indeed very short, but it still managed to leave me happy with the experience.

Extendable arms and annoying chests

Retropolis is, at its core, a point-and-click game. I appreciate how they integrate that into the game, with the main character being a robot with extendable arms.
It was a nice way to create a sit adventure that still let you interact with everything in an immersive way.

I honestly thought, playing it mostly blind, it was a game where I could move and search for things, which I would have probably preferred, but in the end I was ok with it and made for a more relaxing experience.

What I really didn't like was the way they handled the inventory, with a sort of chest that keeps following the direction you look.
The issue was that it was annoying, especially during dialogs, see this chest with the corner of my eyes keep moving here and there as I was looking at different things during the chat. I guess they could have hidden it while talking.
Besides that, I think that it was just an object that didn't belong to the environment, ending up sort of "cluttering" it.
Maybe they could have added a bag inside the robot itself (like a chest), or just put it under u in a fixed position.

Let me click on that

Talking about the puzzles, it was sort of fun to understand how to progress. I would say that sometimes you just end up clicking on everything, as you often do in a game like this, but, in the end, it's not frustrating, especially since every section is small and has everything you need (no need to backtrack to search for missing items and stuff).
The way you interact with the environment and the characters to solve the puzzle is also creative and fun, making it a pleasure to go on to see how it unfolds.

The only grip you could have is that there are just 2 sections where you truly need to solve puzzles, with the second one being the only one that it's really good and feels complete and satisfying.
I was ok with it, since I was looking for a short experience, but could feel like a sort of delusion, or more like an interactive film than a game.

Made with Quill

The thing I loved the most was how Retropolis looks and the way they set up the scenes.
I didn't notice it at first, before buying the game, but after a few minutes in I was like "OMG this game has been made with Quill!".
I love Quill style, and also used it myself, so seeing a game made with it was so exciting! It made me also appreciate even more the effort put into some effects, knowing how hard it can be to achieve that.

But, even if you don't know what Quill is, the visual style is just charming. The colors are so good, the way the "fake" lights are put on the objects, the low-frames animations, I was so impressed and delighted!
I loved so much the design of the robots honestly, they are all so cool, and sort of make them feel more alive and real, and combined with the animation, the voice acting, and the writing, they feel like they truly have a soul.

The scenes are also so nice to look at, even though some more than the others (which were a bit less interesting), with the blue bar being one of the better ones together with the final one in the desert (loved the lighting there).

I particularly loved the transition scenes where it feels like you are looking through a window. Those scenes are so good and original and truly helped the immersion and connection with the story and the world.
The one that leads you to the blue bar was so good!

Feeling like a detective

Overall, the game really does a good job of setting up and keeping an immersive and nice atmosphere.
The scenes, the characters, the music, it all comes together and makes you feel like you are in there, like you are deep into the mystery. It made me feel like I truly was a detective.

The story, as the game, is short, and maybe doesn't have the best start, but at the end I sort of felt a connection with the main characters and also felt a bit sad for them.
More than the story in itself, which is still intriguing, the characters are what makes it worthy. Not sure if it was thanks to the voice acting, animation, writing, design, or whatever, because it feels like they all, together, made a great job.
I also liked how Retropolis is presented, through the various robots and scenes, making me even more invested in the game.

As said, the start, or better, Part 1, may not be so exciting, but Part 2 really manages to get you into it.
It's not like Part 1 is bad, the issue is probably that it had to set up everything for Part 2 which is not easy to do in a "thrilling" way.

Even though the game could end with only this chapter, it clearly foreshadows a sort of sequel.
Not sure how to feel about it, because on one side I really wanted more of it, especially because of how good the atmosphere is (especially visually), but on the other hand, when you already know the main characters and the world, it's harder to deliver the same level of investment.

What I haven't liked at all is the choice at the end of the game.
The game gives you 2 options were the first is the only one that really makes sense based on the story and the second one is just embarrassing.
It feels like they wanted to add a twist near the end, but honestly it just "ruins" a bit the way the games end for no reason.

Money well spent

I'm so happy I decided to play this, I really wasn't expecting it to get me so much. It's short, but playing it was a pleasure, and since I was looking for an experience that could be completed in a few sessions, it was what I expected. It also left me wanting more, which is a sign that I really liked it.

Honestly, the game shouldn't be longer, I feel like it would ruin the pace of the story, which was fast for the good, my complaint is one that is not really a fault of this game.
There are so many games on the quest which cost between 10 and 30 and just last 1-3 hours with no replayability, and even though I usually do not complain about the price, having to pay like that potentially every 3-4 days can be frustrating.

I am happy though that, for Retropolis, it was money well spent.