[ID: The post "so bored with work I'm playing w the damn rocks" edited with Impostor Factory characters. Quincy shows the smooth rock with a cheerful expression and Lynri smiles with a thoughtful hand on her chin for the "ur so fascinating" reply. Quincy, hands on the sides of his head with tears flowing down his face asks "what did she mean by this". Ricebot and Longcat cheerfully - "you an interesting critter bro". End ID.]
(Original post here. Images are official art from the AU Playbook by Del (eastxide)!)
I wrote a post about Kan Gao’s new game Imposter Factory. I had some feelings about it. But not all of them could be conveyed in a spoiler-free post so I am here now to give a spoilerrific review of the game.
AGAIN FOR EMPHASIS, SPOILERS. LIKE A LOT. UNDER THE CUT. FOR ALL THREE OF THE SIGMUND CORP GAMES (TO THE MOON, FINDING PARADISE, AND IMPOSTER FACTORY)
Here we go!
When Imposter Factory was announced back in 2019, I thought I remembered Kan saying that unlike the previous two games in the series, Imposter Factory (IF) was not originally supposed to be a part of the Sigmund Corp series. It was supposed to be a standalone game, but somewhere along the way, it became a part of the series. I can’t find the source where he said that, and just like our pal Quincy, I thought that tidbit may have been a figment of my imagination. But after playing Imposter Factory and letting the game sink in for a few hours, I don’t think I am mistaken on my beliefs. Because...well...
Alright I’m not sugar-coating it: IF’s ending is bad.
It’s not the worst video game ending of all time (there are definitely worse endings out there) but it does feel like the most tacked-on ending I’ve seen in a long time. This most certainly feels like the ending was made just to connect it to the Sigmund Corps series, and the result is not all that graceful. Which is surprising, because To The Moon (TTM) and Finding Paradise (FP) both had wonderful endings that perfectly tied back to the game’s themes, and were heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. But IF’s ending, while superficially heartwarming and sad, is also lacking in a lot of ways, and asks more questions than answers.
So surprise, Quincy and Lyndi are Neil Watts’ parents this whole time, and the whole simulation we’re in is Neil’s created world where his parents don’t have to suffer anymore and he can fantasize about marrying his partner Dr. Eva Rosaline. Uh, okay...how???
Now don’t get me wrong, I was riding the emotion wave like everyone else when I was playing the ending. When Faye (the imaginary friend girl from FP) shows up, I was like “oh, Neil and Eva are a part of this game after all!” They hadn’t showed up in the game yet, and so I thought they were here to save the day. Up until that point, I had thought that maybe Lyndi was a rogue Sigmund Corp scientist that took her own memory machine to dream up a scenario where her former husband and her met at a murder mystery party and stayed together forever. It would kind of tie into Lyndi’s frequent bouts with imposter syndrome, feeling like she doesn’t deserve the life she has or what she accomplished in the field of science because her personal life got screwed up so bad. It would also explain why the old couple kept getting killed in the simulation, perhaps implying how Lyndi resents this couple for taking her research and using it for “altruistic” reasons, and wishing she never got involved with the foundation in the first place. That was what the game was hinting at, right?
But, no. Instead, it turns out the memories we spent a third of the game learning about and emphasizing with were incorrect, and Lyndi’s baby didn’t die; he instead was delivered safely and he was renamed from Tobias to Neil and took his mother’s surname for...reasons. Lyndi was the one who died when Neil was a kid. She was the one who went back and recorded her memories to be used for research, and Neil went to a different company (Sigmund Corps) in order to continue his mother’s work.
So then...why were Lyndi’s memories so different when we actually see them in the game? Why did they change when they did? They weren’t the focal point beforehand. Where did Lyndi go when she went “offline” to get help from the outside, if this was all a simulation? How did the simulation know what Lyndi would look like as an old lady if she never made it to old age? Why did the world get destroyed for? What did that do for the simulation anyway? That part was probably explained but the technobabble was so interpretable this time that I could not figure out why.
See all the potholes? This ending felt so contrived. And hey, I wanted to enjoy the ending! Neil and Eva are a great team that really felt like they could be more than just friends, and I want Quincy and Lyndi to be happy, even in death. But all these details add up, piece by piece, until I get to the point where the final moments don’t even resemble the first two-thirds of the game.
And this doesn’t even cover the tone whiplash the last third throws at us. Ricebot and the cat boxer were cute companions, but they felt so out of place after the more serious tone the rest of the game conveyed. They probably should have come with Quincy during the second third of the game, so Quincy had someone to talk and react to.
It’s just that I thought there would be more to this game than what we got. TTM and FP are amazing games with a lot of depth to them, and I still remember all the good things that happened in them even after long stretches of time not thinking about them. When I think of IF however, all I remember are the plot holes and Ricebot. This is why I said in my previous post that IF is the weakest game in the series thus far. The theme for this game gets left behind so bad, and it doesn't even feel like the game we started playing.
Kan said in the comic DLC that came with this game that his team is taking a break from the series for a while after IF, and I think it’s needed. The Sigmund Corps series still is a great series, but IF is probably not going to be a notable piece of its history. I dunno, for a game about imposters, its ending is very sus.
So I finished Imposter Factory, the sequel to Kan Gao’s To The Moon and Finding Paradise games. I have been in love with To The Moon since I played it all the way back in 2012, and I have never stopped loving it, no matter how many times I have replayed it. However, I only played Finding Paradise once, and while I thought it was just as good as its predecessor, I had a harder time connecting with it as I did with To The Moon, even though its themes were more relatable to me as a person. Still, I was excited for Imposter Factory; Kan Gao never fails to make me laugh, think, and cry in the span of a few moments, and the few images we’ve gotten over the last two and a half years since its announcement have only made the hype grow. So of course I forgot about it until release day, and in a panic I bought it and played it right away. Naturally.
The only two things I knew going into Imposter Factory were twofold: 1) the basic synopsis (which even that I doubted) on the Steam page, and 2) the concept that IF’s main themes were “in-between” TTM and FP. Other than that, I was going in blind, and I think that’s for the best. The game is at its best when you are surrounded by the mystery of everything going on. What is this mansion you found yourself invited to? Who is this mysterious woman who is lurking around the place? And whose is murdering this lovely old couple with very wealthy connections? It hits the Agatha Christie vibes just right. You never know what is going to hit our intrepid hero, Quincey, next.
But like the Steam page says, that is only the first third of the game. I won’t go into too much detail about the other two-thirds of the game, but I will say that the second half is more or less what you would come to expect from a Kan Gap game: exploring memories, collecting orbs, and moving on to the next memory. Except this time, there are no bickering scientists one-lining their way through a person’s life- instead, Quincy is the one in control, and this alone is an interesting concept. Quincy has no clue as to where he is and what these orbs do, and that makes for an interesting twist on the formula. We aren’t following indifferent but sympathetic workers, but a person with a kind heart, and so his reactions to the memories he witnesses are much more raw and emotional...when he reacts. There are times where he just seems emotionless, even when he really shouldn’t be. That’s a shame, because Quincy is a fun guy to hang out with otherwise. He actually cracked me up more than Dr. Neil Watts has, and Neil is a comedic king in these games. Just it feels like he probably should’ve had a companion with him to bounce off of during the second third of the game, to add some levity to the proceedings. While a little cheesy and unnecessary during the serious parts, Rosaline and Neil were fun characters to hang out with, and its a shame they’re not controllable this time around.
That isn’t the only issue plaguing IF. For one thing, there isn’t as much interactivity with the environment as there is in the previous games. You barely talk to NPCs and there are barely any items to click on and read funny descriptions on. Also, the “memento” system is done away with: the orbs break open a barrier and you move on to the next section, no puzzles to solve to progress. I will admit that I didn’t miss the puzzles as much, but I did miss trying to find the next memento and seeing where the memento leads to; they gave a break from all the story we’re constantly surrounded by. These, along with Quincy’s relative silence during the second third, means IF has a more serious tone to it than the previous game before it, and while it does make it stand out from TTM and FP, the game also feels less memorable than those other two. TTM and FP were meme machines and had a lot of quirky moments to break up all the sad. Oh, except for Ricebot. Ricebot and the weird long cat were good.
My final problem with IF, however, is much grander than the other problems I’ve mentioned, but it is unfortunately a spoiler. I will do a spoiler post about IF later, but suffice it to say, it majorly affects everything about the game, and it did affect my overall enjoyment of the game. I know people are going to disagree with me on this, but I have to say what I feel.
Overall, IF was definitely a fresh new twist on the series. The art was spectacular, there was actual animation this time that looked wonderful, I (mostly) enjoyed the new characters and the music is beautiful as always (though sadly Laura Shigihara did not sing anything this time :( though Leafpie did, so check that out). I do think, however, it’s the weakest of the three Sigmund Corps. games. The script isn’t as tight as before and the darker tone means we’re missing some of the series’ iconic humor, but there is still some good stuff to chew on here. I still almost cried again, so that is a good sign, at least.
(Also one note I want to make: Kan said that, like before, IP can be played without having played the other games in the series. I agreed with him when it came to FP, but this time I am going to have to disagree with him on IF: You should at least play Finding Paradise before playing Imposter Factory. I will not spoil why here: let’s just say that there are some things in FP that pop up again in IF.)
EDIT: I HAVE SAID THE SPOILERS. HERE ARE THE SPOILERS. Don’t kill me please lol
