This Is the Zodiac Speaking
A stealth mystery game about the Zodiac Killer.
A journalist named Robert Hartnell, who survived an encounter with the Zodiac Killer, undergoes dream therapy in this 2020 stealth mystery puzzle game. During his sessions, he visits crime locations to reconstruct a timeline. The game was created by Punch Punk Games and published by Klabater.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Punch Punk Games
- Publisher
- Klabater
- Director
- Krzysztof Grudzinski
- Writer
- Krzysztof Grudzinski, Łukasz Orbitowski
- Platforms
- PC
- XBox One
- PlayStation 4
- Nintendo Switch
- Released
- 15 October 2020
- Genre
- Stealth
- Mystery
- Puzzle
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
This Is the Zodiac Speaking is a first-person game where the player controls protagonist Robert Hartnell. Gameplay involves finding clues by exploring settings and interacting with objects. The game is set mainly in Robert's house and Dr. Landau's office, where dream therapy transports him to locations related to the Zodiac's victims. During investigations, the Zodiac Killer stalks the player, requiring stealth to avoid his line of sight. If caught, the player returns to the starting location. An option to remove the Zodiac from investigation sequences exists in the settings. After investigating, the player finds a cipher to return to Landau's office.
Synopsis
Robert Hartnell, an investigative journalist fascinated by the Zodiac case, receives a letter from the killer and travels to Mount Diablo, where he confronts the Zodiac and is left mentally scarred. He then visits psychiatrist Dr. Landau for experimental dream therapy to recover from trauma. In his dreams, he pieces together events around the killings of Cheri Jo Bates and Cecelia Shepard, and uncovers a repressed childhood memory.
Development and release
This Is the Zodiac Speaking was developed by Polish studio Punch Punk Games and published by Klabater. The game was conceived by director Krzysztof Grudzinski, who had a long fascination with the Zodiac case. A low poly aesthetic was chosen to be modern and in noir style while distinguishing the game from typical thriller stories. The story was written by Grudzinski alongside author Łukasz Orbitowski. Grudzinski cited David Fincher's Zodiac and the television series Mindhunter as influences. The game was released on 15 October 2020 on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
Reception
This Is the Zodiac Speaking received mixed or average reviews on Metacritic, with only 8% of critics recommending it on OpenCritic. Push Square's Graham Banas described the narrative as indecipherable and criticized the mechanics as repetitive, though he praised the dream sequence environments while noting frequent glitches. Cameron Corliss of Game Rant panned the clunky dialogue, visuals, performance issues, and gameplay, stating the game wanted to be like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter but did not invest enough in its dialogue, gameplay, or environments. Corliss also noted the Zodiac's AI was inconsistent, making stealth unpredictable. Ollie Reynolds from Nintendo Life disliked the art style and visuals, pointing out glitches where environment parts popped in and out constantly, and found the stealth too easy. James McMahon of NME criticized the game for using the Zodiac Killer, arguing it was disrespectful to surviving victims and emboldened the killer's celebrity status.
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