Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story

Lore & Background

Set in August 2084 in Neo Hong Kong, the game follows heroine Mei-Lin Mak as she explores the ruins of Chong Sing Apartments. She must uncover the history of its 14 lost souls, as well as her own family's past. The world is navigated via point-and-click mechanics to reveal elements and solve puzzles. The protagonist's cybernetic ocular implants allow zooming in on important areas for closer inspection.

Following the game's release on Nintendo Switch, publisher Top Hat Studios released a statement indicating they would not censor the game, despite receiving calls on social media to censor it and death threats relating to the game's art style. TheGamer questioned whether the statement was instead a manufactured controversy, noting the game received an influx of reviews after the statement, most of which they said were from people who barely played the game and contained statements in opposition to 'social justice warriors.' TheGamer also argued that the art style present in the game is outdated and that criticism of it is justified. Top Hat Studios responded by providing screenshots of the threats in a Twitter post.

Reader's Guide

Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story holds a Metacritic rating of 55 on Nintendo Switch based on 7 reviews, indicating 'mixed or average reviews.' Finger Guns said in a review of the Switch version that 'For a game about spirits, Sense: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story is pretty soulless. A by-the-numbers backtracking horror game in the vein of Clock Tower its structure and content feel lackluster and a little disappointing if you went in expecting cyberpunk themes.' The game was temporarily pulled from Steam the day after its initial release for bug fixes and difficulty tweaks. Its legacy is tied to the controversy surrounding its art style and the publisher's refusal to censor it, as well as questions about whether that controversy was manufactured. The game's sequel, SENSEs: Midnight, was released in 2023.

Did You Know?

• The protagonist Mei-Lin Mak has cybernetic ocular implants that allow zooming in on areas.
• The game's publisher, Top Hat Studios, stated they would not censor the game despite receiving death threats over its art style.