Welcome to 2019; welcome to the future! Now is a great time to be alive, but if you want to temper your happiness with some bleakness, Twitch Prime is there for you with several free games that have a distinctly dystopian edge.
Usually, when any piece of entertainment portrays a dystopian future, the audience sees the world through the eyes of resistance fighters trying to bring back freedom and happiness. Well, forget all that noise! Twitch Prime’s first free game of 2019, Orwell, turns players into the eyes and ears of the in-game government as players rummage through NPCs’ computer files and personal information to search for potential “terrorists.” But, since Orwell is a dystopian game, not everything is at it seems, and players need to figure out who are the true heroes and villains of the story.
If you want a more classic take on a dystopian future, then Twitch Prime’s second game, Republique, is for you. Players control the in-game government’s surveillance cameras, as well as the protagonist, to sneak around areas, avoid guards, and uncover secrets. Technically, Republique is a stealth game with shades of classic Metal Gear Solid, which is fitting since the (true) voice of Solid Snake, David Hayter, plays a prominent role in both titles.
Most people associate the word “dystopian” with a totalitarian government that has as little respect for privacy and freedom as it does human life, but the genre can also apply to any fictional world where life is generally unpleasant. The third Twitch Prime game, Hyper Light Drifter, portrays a fictional land where life is a struggle, yet it is far more beautiful most other dystopian worlds. Unlike Twitch Prime’s other current offerings, Hyper Light Drifter is a pixel art hack-and-slash game that features fast gameplay and a story told without any dialogue, but the game is easily the best of the bunch.
Twitch Prime’s final game, Bomber Crew, is the odd man out since it has nothing to do with a dystopian future. Instead, Bomber Crew is a simulation game where players have to manage a World War II bomber plane and its crew. So, maybe the game is dystopian in the sense that war is horrific and dehumanizing, but that’s at odds with the game’s cutesy art style. However, if you’re a fan of games such as FTL: Faster than Light, you might want to try Bomber Crew.
As always, Twitch Prime’s games are free for everyone with a Twitch Prime/Amazon Prime subscription. Even if you cancel your subscription, these games are yours forever. However, you only have until January 31st to claim them.
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