Consortium (video game)

Lore & Background

The game is set in the mid-21st century, in a timeline where most world militaries have been disbanded in favor of a technologically advanced world police force called the Consortium. The player assumes control of Bishop 6, an elite Consortium soldier, aboard the aircraft Zenlil during a flight from Bulgaria to Ireland. The game's fiction acknowledges that the player and Bishop 6 are different characters, connected through the interdimensional link of the video game, and non-player characters may not be aware that Bishop 6 is being controlled from afar. The plot involves dealing with hostile mercenaries while uncovering the identity of a traitor within the crew.

Reader's Guide

Consortium is notable for its conversational mechanics that allow gameplay to remain uninterrupted during dialogues, with replies bound to function keys and an in-game device enabling semi-telepathic communication. Its branching story, similar in execution to the Mass Effect trilogy, and character alignment system allow for varied playthroughs, even permitting the player to reveal the game's meta-plot. Combat can be entirely avoided, non-lethal, or lethal, and is limited due to the size of the game world. The game received mixed reviews, with praise for its storytelling but criticism for software bugs, which Interdimensional Games sought to address with the Master Edition patch in April 2014. A retrospective at Rock, Paper, Shotgun reflected on the game's fourth-wall-breaking central conceit and how it was supported by conversation and dialogue options, concluding that 'None of this would work in another medium. Consortium offers a solid sample of what we’ve been saying games have the potential to do for a generation.' The game also spawned a sequel, Consortium: The Tower, and later remastered and VR versions released on May 21, 2024.

Did You Know?

• The game's crew has chess-themed ranks.
• The only Kickstarter campaign was the successful one in 2013; there was no failed campaign in 2012.
• Consortium VR and Consortium Remastered were both released on May 21, 2024.
• The spiritual precursor to the Consortium lore is Amen: The Awakening.
• The sequel 'Consortium: The Tower' was canceled and never fully released after entering Early Access.

Development & Funding Journey

Consortium's path to release was anything but straightforward. Interdimensional Games, the studio behind the project, first secured a $500,000 CAD grant from the Canada Media Fund in 2010, which served as the principal financial backbone for the game's creation. Despite this early backing, the studio turned to crowdfunding for additional support. Their initial Kickstarter attempt in 2012 fell short of its goal, a setback that could have ended the project entirely. However, the team regrouped and relaunched their campaign, successfully raising US$70,435 on April 18, 2013. The finished product arrived on January 8, 2014, for Microsoft Windows. The game's life cycle continued well beyond its initial launch: a sequel titled Consortium: The Tower entered Steam Early Access in September 2017, and in May 2024, both Consortium VR (available on Meta Quest and SteamVR) and Consortium Remastered hit the market, demonstrating the studio's long-term commitment to the franchise.

Gameplay & Design Philosophy

Consortium distinguishes itself within the first-person shooter genre through a set of design choices that prioritize narrative fluidity and player agency. Rather than pausing gameplay for dialogue, the game binds conversational replies to function keys and employs an in-game device for semi-telepathic communication, ensuring the action never halts. The story branches extensively, drawing a structural parallel to the Mass Effect trilogy, while a character alignment system further ensures that no two playthroughs unfold identically. In a particularly bold design decision, the branching narrative can even expose the game's meta-plot to the player. Combat, though present, is constrained by the relatively compact size of the game world and offers three distinct approaches: complete avoidance, non-lethal resolution, or lethal force, echoing the design philosophy of Deus Ex. This combination of uninterrupted conversation, deep branching, and flexible combat creates a gameplay loop that feels closer to an interactive novel than a conventional shooter.

Narrative & World-Building

Set in the mid-21st century, Consortium presents a timeline in which most national militaries have been dissolved and replaced by a single, technologically advanced world police force bearing the game's title. The player takes on the role of Bishop 6, an elite operative within this organization, aboard a futuristic aircraft named Zenlil whose crew operates under chess-themed rank designations. The central mission involves a flight from Bulgaria to Ireland during which Bishop 6 must confront hostile mercenaries while simultaneously identifying a traitor hidden among the crew. What elevates the narrative beyond standard sci-fi thriller territory is its deliberate fourth-wall breaking: the game's fiction explicitly acknowledges that the player and Bishop 6 are separate entities linked through an interdimensional video game connection, and non-player characters may or may not recognize that their companion is being piloted from another dimension. This self-aware framing transforms the player's presence into a plot element rather than an invisible observer.

Reception & Legacy

Upon its January 2014 release, Consortium received a mixed critical reception, landing at 66 out of 100 on Metacritic. Reviewers consistently highlighted the strength of the storytelling while flagging a notable volume of software bugs that marred the experience. Interdimensional Games responded by shipping the Master Edition patch in April 2014, aimed squarely at resolving those technical issues. The game's most enduring critical appreciation came in retrospective form: Rock Paper Shotgun reflected on how the fourth-wall-breaking conceit was genuinely supported by the conversation mechanics and dialogue options, ultimately declaring that the game offered a solid demonstration of what video games could achieve for a generation—something no other medium could replicate. The franchise's longevity speaks to its lasting appeal, with a spiritual precursor in the lore through Amen: The Awakening, a sequel in The Tower, and the 2024 dual release of a remastered edition and a VR adaptation across Meta Quest and SteamVR platforms.