Whispers of a Machine

Lore & Background

Whispers of a Machine is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Clifftop Games and Faravid Interactive, and published by Raw Fury in April 2019. The game is set in a futuristic Sweden, where the player character, Vera Englund, is an augmented government agent who arrives in a small town to investigate a murder. The gameplay involves using several different cybernetic augmentations, such as a forensic scanner to scan for DNA and fingerprints, a biometric analyser to monitor a suspect's heartrate, and a muscle boost that gives Vera super strength for a short time. Dialogue choices award points to different personality traits—empathetic, analytical, or assertive—which lead to different augmentations and puzzle solutions.

Reader's Guide

Whispers of a Machine garnered generally positive reviews, holding an average of 77/100 on aggregate web site Metacritic. John Walker of Rock Paper Shotgun gave an overall positive review, praising its methodical, forthright adventure gameplay, excellent art and animations, good music, great acting, and a story worth hearing, though he wished he had been more of a detective. The game was a nominee for Best Adventure and won the Reader's Choice award at the 2019 Aggie Awards. Its significance lies in its integration of cybernetic augmentations and personality-driven dialogue choices, offering varied puzzle solutions and replayability. The game is also noted as the follow-up to Clifftop Games' previous title, Kathy Rain, and represents a continuation of the studio's focus on narrative-driven point-and-click adventures.

Did You Know?

• The game is set in a futuristic Sweden and features a protagonist named Vera Englund, an augmented government agent.
• It holds an average score of 77/100 on Metacritic.