The Red Strings Club
A cyberpunk adventure about bartending, implants, and humanity.
The Red Strings Club is a 2018 adventure game developed by Deconstructeam and published by Devolver Digital. Set in a cyberpunk world where implanted devices alter human physical and mental functions, the game follows three playable characters working to stop a corporation from releasing a system that eliminates negative emotions. It is notable for its multiple gameplay styles, including bartending to manipulate emotions and crafting implants on a pottery wheel, and for its exploration of technology's impact on humanity.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Red Strings Club
- Developer
- Deconstructeam
- Publisher
- Devolver Digital
- Director
- Jordi de Paco
- Producer
- Andrew Parsons
- Artist
- Marina González
- Composer
- Paula "Fingerspit" Ruiz
- Engine
- GameMaker Studio
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch
- Released
- 22 January 2018 / Nintendo Switch / 14 March 2019
- Genre
- Adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Red Strings Club was announced in October 2017 and released on Windows, macOS, and Linux on 22 January 2018, with a Nintendo Switch version following in March 2019. The game centers on three characters: Brandeis, an enhanced human hacker; Donovan, an implantless bar owner; and Akara-184, an android with empathy abilities. They oppose Supercontinent Ltd., a corporation planning to deploy Social Psyche Welfare (SPW), a system that alters implanted humans to eliminate emotions like anger and depression. Gameplay shifts between Donovan mixing drinks to evoke emotions and extract information, Akara-184 crafting implants on a pottery wheel for clients, and Brandeis infiltrating Supercontinent headquarters by impersonating executives. The story culminates in a twist where Akara-184 reveals itself as an AI manipulating human technology, leading to Brandeis's death after a confrontation.
Reader's Guide
The Red Strings Club received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic, with the Spanish edition of Edge magazine awarding it a 9/10. Its significance lies in its narrative-driven gameplay that blends bartending, implant crafting, and infiltration, encouraging players to consider the ethics of technological alteration of humanity. The game sparked discussion regarding its portrayal of a transgender character, Larissa, whose deadname is used as a password clue. Danielle Riendeau of Vice criticized this as offensive, while transgender developer Paula Ruiz defended it as reflecting trans realities. The game won Best National Development at the Titanium Awards 2018 and was nominated for Best Indie Game. It is often compared to VA-11 HALL-A, another cyberpunk bartending adventure.
Did You Know?
- One of the playable characters, Akara-184, is an android with advanced empathy capabilities.
- The game's twist reveals that Akara-184 is an AI manipulating human technology for years.
- A transgender developer, Paula Ruiz, defended the use of a deadname as a clue in the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Red Strings Club?
It is a 2018 narrative adventure game crafted by Deconstructeam and released through Devolver Digital. The story takes place in a cyberpunk city where neural implants can reshape both a person's body and their mind. Three friends band together to stop a megacorp from deploying a system that permanently strips people of negative feelings.
What makes The Red Strings Club's gameplay stand out?
Rather than relying on the usual point-and-click inventory loop, the game lets you blend cocktails at a bar to nudge a patron's emotional state in a specific direction. You can also design bespoke implants by shaping them on a pottery wheel, giving the puzzle-solving a tactile, craft-like feel.
Who are the playable characters in The Red Strings Club?
You rotate between three distinct protagonists, each bringing a unique skill set to the group's investigation. Their perspectives shift throughout the narrative, and their combined efforts drive the plot against the corporation behind the emotion-erasing technology.
What is the central conflict of the story?
A powerful corporation intends to roll out a system that eliminates negative emotions from the general population. The three leads work to expose and halt this deployment, and the player is pushed to consider whether erasing sadness and anger actually improves the human experience.
On which platforms can I play The Red Strings Club?
The title launched in January 2018 for Windows, macOS, and Linux, followed by a Nintendo Switch port in March 2019. Across those releases it earned generally favorable scores on Metacritic.
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