Whispers of a Machine

You know a game is Good™ when you finish it and get overwhelmed with feelings of anger, sadness, emptiness and frustration that there is no more game to play. But than you remember that you can play it again and make different choices and all is well in the world. 5/5 Blue Vials.

Swedish science-fiction adventure in the cozy mode, as you send Inspector Vera snoopin' round the limited confines of a mushroom-topped tower town for one eventful week. It's the post-collapse and people are crawling around the carcass of the great silicon beast like latch key lice; yes, every scrap of technology driven by AI or CPU in the robotic glory days was slapped violently from humanity's hand nearly a century ago -- now the only folk with high tech are the tip-top ruling class, who juice their enforcers and detectives with nanomachine-rich goop called Blue.
Though there are maybe several puzzles of the classic adventure type, much of the work involves realistic logic, or perhaps the judicious application of your superpowers while following logical lines: going around Nordsund and talking the hardscrabble folk into spilling their beans, or sneaking into the right places to grab evidence are the primary things -- exactly what Phillip Marlowe or Paul Pine do much of the time (but instead of applying SF superpowers, those classic detectives are always doing things like taking lead saps without permanent brain damage and shooting guns out of the hands of dangerous dames). There are three styles of approach you can use for your Vera: A-hole force, womanly empathy, and cold calculation.
There is a personality pyramid in your inventory bar with Empathy, Force, and Logic at its points and a white dot showing your orientation on it, and how you solve puzzles and talk to people in the first half determines most of how you will have to play the second half -- how you'll talk to people later on, and impressively . . . the very powers your reactive AI goop gives to Vera! It's a pretty nice set-up and it makes sense too -- because if you've been playing the game all along as a jerk who uses her nanojuice to rip doors off their hinges (instead of puzzling or nicely wheedling them open), you shouldn't just up and be able to talk like a diffident little flower with a spark of investigatory determination flickering somewhere in her petals, or be able to cast a gentle techno-spell on people that makes them temporarily forget their troubles without springing a red leak from the nose.
I dig detective tales of the classic kind and I certainly enjoy science-fiction. This overcast, slowburn adventure took me in with its world building-in-a-box and do-it-yourself approach to its heroine. It's from the maker of the estimable Kathy Rain and feels Wadjet Eye as all get-out, if that has as much cachet with you as it does with me.
(Only thing that bugs me about the game is that you don't get to see what the ultimate results of your final choice are! I know there are hard limits in a production as small as this which already shows remarkable ambition, but I think an extra screen or two with minimal animation would have got the point across.)

A serviceable 2D point and click detective game with well written dialog and solid world building. The cyber abilities are a nice touch.

This is a fine and competent game for any adventure game fan especially old school ones. Everything here is serviceable so I would wait for a sale. A few things brings the enjoyment down for me:
-lack of mouth animations and animations in general but this is more of a minor annoyance
-didn't like the parts of the husband and the antagonist but not a deal breaker
-the fact that you can't really tell which are the empathic/assertive/aggresive responses...they should be color coded like in Mass Effect and it doesn't help that some actions also change your alignment unexpectedly sometimes even 3 times in a row
-This is all exacerbated by the fact that the game autosaves constantly so there's no going back, since there's no manual save so that means yes, you have to play the game 3 times to get all the cheevos and this sucks thanks to the last point

I would give this game a horizontal thumb, it basically pales compared to the Wadjet Eyes games, because most of its good sides have their drawbacks;
- Pixel art isn't too "pixelated" so the scenes can be pretty detailed
BUT
The environment is never original or especially compelling, it's a very bland future.
- interesting detective story
BUT
in the end I never got truly invested and committed with the overall story and characters
- great idea to have different powers available at all times
BUT
You barely get to use them except on very special occasions which are dictated by the main quest.
- Game is Short
BUT
it still manages to feel incomplete, with many locations that you never get to explore
It never felt mysterious enough, I never felt a connection towards the characters, but you can't deny there is some lore behind it all, and I liked progressing through the story so....

Whispers of a Machine truly is an excellent game. It has nicely drawn visuals, great voice acting, and a compelling plot set in a universe whether A.I. has been banned, following an apocalyptic event known as The Collapse. The player character is Vera Englund, an augmented special agent investigating a series of grisly murders in the town of Nordsund.

Depending on the player's choices, through dialogue options and actions that lean towards Vera being empathetic, assertive or analytical, she will gain different augmentations that offer different ways of solving puzzles. This offers varying paths that warrant multiple playthroughs of the game.

I would really like to play another game set in this universe, perhaps one set pre-Collapse.

Whispers of a Machine is a captivating point-and-click adventure game that masterfully weaves a thought-provoking narrative around the use of artificial intelligence in a post-apocalyptic world. Set in a future Sweden where AI has been banned following a catastrophic event known as "the Collapse," the game offers a nuanced exploration of the ethical implications and societal impacts of advanced technology.

The game's protagonist, Vera Englund, is a cybernetically augmented detective investigating a series of murders in a small town. Through her, players are immersed in a world grappling with the consequences of AI development, providing a unique perspective on the ongoing discourse surrounding artificial intelligence in our own reality.

One of the game's strongest aspects is how it seamlessly integrates the AI theme into its gameplay mechanics. Vera's augmentations, which grant her abilities like enhanced strength, forensic scanning, and emotional analysis, serve as a constant reminder of the potential benefits and risks of human augmentation. The way these abilities evolve based on the player's choices adds depth to the narrative and encourages multiple playthroughs, each offering a fresh perspective on the AI debate.

The game's writing shines in its exploration of complex themes. It delves into questions of consciousness, the nature of intelligence, and the ethical boundaries of technological advancement. While it may not provide definitive answers, it succeeds in prompting players to contemplate these issues long after the game has ended.

Whispers of a Machine also excels in its presentation of a world recovering from an AI-induced catastrophe. The game's atmosphere is palpable, with a blend of futuristic elements and a sense of technological regression that effectively conveys the societal trauma left by "the Collapse".

While the game's relatively short length (4-6 hours) might leave some players wanting more, it uses this time efficiently to deliver a tightly-paced story that keeps players engaged throughout. The multiple endings and different puzzle solutions based on player choices add replay value and further emphasize the complexity of the AI debate.

In conclusion, Whispers of a Machine is a must-play for anyone interested in the ongoing discourse around AI. It offers a compelling narrative, innovative gameplay mechanics, and a nuanced exploration of AI ethics. By presenting these complex issues through the lens of an engaging mystery, the game succeeds in making the AI debate accessible and thought-provoking for a wide audience.