– Advertisement –
It is no secret that A.I. and its capabilities are igniting a fierce global debate. The future of this rapidly developing technology has stirred a myriad of concerns for people, not only in terms of employment, but it also adds to the existential questions of human purpose and exceptionality.
Bearbone Studio, a game developing company based in Taiwan, came out with their first ever game: a sci-fi, dystopian narrative featuring a city overly reliant on A.I., and what this means for everyday citizens. The game is a wonderful, intriguing concoction of deep plot, interesting relationships, quick time events, and the ability for players to select their own decisions that affect the overall story.
Minds Beneath Us was released on July 31st, 2024 on the Nintendo Switch, Steam, and PC.
Man versus the machine
Without spoiling too much, Minds Beneath Us takes place just over two decades into the future, in a cyberpunk and somewhat dystopian-feeling Taipei-inspired megacity. By the late 2040s, the world has become dominated by A.I., perhaps improving some aspects of daily life while simultaneously surging human unemployment. Society is facing a peculiar dilemma of the strengths of automation versus the power and purpose of humanity.
The game features five chapters (including a prologue), and prominently focuses on the lowkey, introverted man named Jason Dai, in which you play as throughout the game . . . well, sort of. Jason appears to be an unusually strong and agile human being living in a simple apartment with his girlfriend, Frances Cheng, getting ready for his interview with Vision Corp for potential employment. Frances works as a higher up at the company, and explains to Jason (and the player) that Vision is what is called a “flops farm,” in which “flops” are computational power given by contractors to operate the A.I. systems in place throughout the city. Frances hopes that flops farming will solve the unemployment crisis and get lower-income folks a chance to emerge from the slums of society.
The story is quite the slow-burner, starting off shrouded in mystery as you play as Jason Dai, experiencing “the farm” for the first time and getting to know fellow employees and the ensuing drama in both the “screening” and the “ops” sector. As days go by, players unravel the suspicious, dangerous undertones of the industry and insinuations of the dangers of late-stage capitalism in the world of A.I., and the continuing hierarchies of socioeconomic strata.
Minds literally beneath us
The visuals of Minds Beneath Us are stunning, resembling the same dingy, 2D-shaded atmosphere of Playdead’s Inside. Like the latter title, the characters in Minds Beneath Us lack facial features, adding to the anxious atmosphere. Just recently, Barebone Studio released a DLC soundtrack; the game’s music is a wonderful medley of eeriness and suspense, coupled with several futuristic, light-hearted tracks.
Perhaps I am reading too much into it, but I think the lack of character facial features highlights something important. Players are only able to identify characters by build and hairstyle, certainly giving off this dystopian lack of individual importance (i.e., humans are merely workers, mere numbers). In the game’s setting, the cost of human labor is extremely cheap in comparison to A.I., furthering the feel of humans being a simple commodity more than anything. Characters are also emphasized by their movement and breathing, in which this exaggerated breathing visual is an excellent antithesis to the lifeless world of automation.
Being that this game is Barebone Studio’s first published title, Minds Beneath Us is a mind-blowing entry to the narrative genre that deserves more spotlight. For the most part, the game operates like a visual novel, so a majority of the game will be reading through dialogue and clicking objects to learn more about them. The story is captivating almost immediately, and I personally could not stop playing. Despite being a narrative, the gameplay does include several quick time events scattered through the game, and most importantly, players will need to make big decisions that could alter Jason Dai’s relationships and his ultimate fate.
The choice is yours . . . or is it?
Minds Beneath Us is considered a decision-based narrative . . . but honestly, most of the choices that the players makes are not heavily consequential. Oftentimes, Jason Dai’s dialogue options (or, rather, the player’s choices as an “M.B.U” in Dai’s body) are trivial, only warranting slightly different responses from other characters. On the other hand, some choices will unlock new “side quests” or new pathways towards different relationship dynamics, which can help or hinder the player in a lot of instances.
Even though most choices will not affect the ending per se, there is certainly an emotional element added to the gameplay. Being rude to coworkers would make me feel horrible, and I may garner a sense of “missing out” if my choices prevented me from hearing side conversations, which usually provided deeper world-building. As a player, it is certainly worth your while to make sure to unlock all possible dialogue options, and side conversations and quests. There will indeed be heftier choices that affect the overall game experience, for example, when Jason Dai must decide whether to join the ops sector or the screening sector.
The biggest decision that matters happens towards the end of Minds Beneath Us, which will result in one of the four possible endings. I do wish that there were even more endings to get, or at least I had hoped that some of my earlier decisions would drastically affect the end of the game. But, regardless, every decision altered something, whether it be an interpersonal relationship or the types of information the players receives.
Fast and furious
Another gameplay feature is the QTEs, or “quick time events.” These events are sparse and brief, but nonetheless thrilling. For the most part, players only need to focus on the spacebar and the “E” key. Most of the QTEs are combat, which it is cool to watch the fluidity of Dai’s dodges and punches. This is particularly amazing since Barebone Studios states that the game is hand-drawn. The stakes are low, however, in that if players fail to complete the QTEs, the scene will simply start over. Other events include small actions, like quickly catching an object or device.
This may not excite people who enjoy a fair share of player-input. The gameplay is not too abundant aside from walking around, but I think that Minds Beneath Us is excellent at conveying its story and roping in players enough to which the constant decision-making is ample.
Silencio bruno
There is a lovely surplus of fleshed-out characters as well. Some you will love, and some you will hate, but regardless each character is well-thought out and amusing to interact with. Jason Dai can make nice with people or make enemies out of his coworkers, and choose the degree of his involvement with workplace drama.
To my fascination, all the employees are incredibly sweet. Originally, I thought the friendliness and “righteousness” of the characters was excessive, but that may be the point. Minds Beneath Us is showing that at an individual level, most people want what’s good for their loved ones, or even for society as a whole. But, oftentimes we may not be aware the degree of which we are feeding into the machine. The characters in Minds Beneath Us want to benefit the world in anyway they can, with some believing that closing the farm will save lives, while others thinking that flops farming tremendously helps put food on the table for the unemployed. However, Vision employees are unintentionally participating in “evil”, juxtaposing the detachment and intentionality of CEOS and a higher up stratum.
Final thoughts
Minds Beneath Us is encapsulating, anxiety-inducing, thrilling, and philosophical. Only taking place in the near-future, it is hard to say that this dystopia is not relevant to our current reality. Perhaps it is this blend of morbid curiosity and high-key awareness of modern, persistent struggles, but I just cannot peel my eyes away from this gem of a game.
Minds Beneath Us does feature several translation errors, and some of its UI can be worked upon. Particularly the “tab” button could have been cooler than just operating as a player objective display. Also, the auto-saving feature is kind of annoying. Players are unable to save their game freely, and must wait for an autosave before or after important events.
Otherwise, this game came as a brilliant surprise full of interesting twists, engaging dialogue, and a dark plot. I cannot recommend this title enough.
