Software:Twin Mirror

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Short description: 2020 adventure video game
Twin Mirror
Twin Mirror.jpg
Developer(s)Dontnod Entertainment[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Dontnod Entertainment
Bandai Namco Entertainment[lower-alpha 2]
Director(s)Florian Desforges
Producer(s)Jérèmie Poidevin
Designer(s)
  • Hélène Henry
  • Kati Bumbera
  • Ludovic Rouvière
Programmer(s)Francois Karr
Artist(s)Pierre-Etienne Travers[1]
Writer(s)Matthew Ritter[2]
Composer(s)David Wingo
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
Release1 December 2020
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Twin Mirror is a narrative adventure game by Dontnod Entertainment. It was co-produced by Shibuya Productions and released on 1 December 2020 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Gameplay

Twin Mirror's use of the Mind Palace mechanic. Sam investigate a MP version of Coal Miner's Haven Bar to find out who he was with last night.

Twin Mirror is an adventure game played from a third-person view.[3][4] Players control the investigative journalist Sam, who has returned to his hometown of Basswood, West Virginia.[5] The environment is interactive and its objects are obtainable.[6] Whom Sam speaks to is optional and, based on the state of his investigation, there are multiple endings to unlock.[4]

Players navigate between the real world and Sam's "Mind Palace" to discover clues.[7] Sam's inner voice, the Double, may aid or harm the investigation.[8][9]

Plot

Samuel "Sam" Higgs, a former investigative journalist, returns to Basswood, West Virginia in light of his close friend Nick's death. He originally left Basswood following publication of his article about safety violations at the town's coal mines. The mines closed in the aftermath, ultimately he is leaving hundreds without jobs and angered townsfolk who despised Sam. During his stay in the town, Nick's daughter, Joan, asks him to check on the events leading up to Nick's death as she finds his activity before he died suspicious.[10] Sam teams up with Anna, his ex-girlfriend who knew Nick well as they worked together at the newspaper Basswood Jungle, in hope that by following leads and investigating clues may lead to finding the source of Nick's death.

Development

Partnering with publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, Dontnod Entertainment began developing Twin Mirror in 2016 with a separate team of senior developers.[11] About forty people were working on it as of September 2018.[12] Lead writer Matthew Ritter was influenced by adventure games like Beneath a Steel Sky and Space Quest.[13]

Contrary to previous titles, Dontnod desired to have Twin Mirror be void of any supernatural elements.[12] According to art director Pierre-Etienne Travers, the game's primary concept is duality.[14] The decision to set it in a fictional American town, based on southern West Virginia, was to broaden its appeal.[11][14]

In June 2019, Dontnod announced to self-publish the game, with Bandai Namco Entertainment acting as the distributor for the console versions.[15] As well as Shibuya Productions becoming a co-producer of the game. Bandai Namco decided to cancel the Japanese console versions of Twin Mirror[16] shortly after Dontnod acquired the IP rights from Bandai.[17]

The game was originally designed as an episodic game when it was first revealed.[18] Following the delay, the game was reworked[19] and the episodic format was abandoned so it can be played without any interruptions.[20]

Release

Twin Mirror was announced in June 2018 during E3 2018, set to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One the following year.[21] In August at Gamescom, it was revealed to be an episodic title releasing in 2019, with Lost on Arrival as the first of three episodes.[22] At the PC Gaming Show 2020 in June, a teaser trailer was shown.[15] In September 2020, it was set for release on 1 December 2020.[23] The Microsoft Windows version was exclusive to the Epic Games Store for one year.[24][23]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic(PC) 65/100[25]
(PS4) 60/100[26]
(XONE) 62/100[27]
Review scores
PublicationScore
4Players75%[28]
Easy Allies6.0/10[30]
EurogamerAvoid[31]
GameSpot7/10[32]
IGN5/10[33]
Jeuxvideo.com13/20[35]
PC Gamer (US)52/100[34]
PCGamesN7/10[29]
The Guardian4/5[36]

Twin Mirror received "mixed or average" reviews, according to Metacritic.[25][26][27]

Some reviewers criticised the game's gameplay mechanics and felt that the protagonist lacked personality.[38][9] They noted it was too short.[10][9] GameReactor praised the visuals.[39]

References

  1. ↑ Romano, Sal (7 September 2018). "Twin Mirror developer diary #1: 'A Place for a Thriller'". https://gematsu.com/2018/09/twin-mirror-developer-diary-1-a-place-for-a-thriller. 
  2. ↑ Dontnod Entertainment (23 August 2018). "Twin Mirror Producer Fabrice Cambounet and Writer Matthew Ritter answering questions from the community at gamescom! Check out Twin Mirror Facebook page tomorrow to watch the answers!". https://www.facebook.com/DONTNOD.Entertainment/photos/a.814516321932966/1980941411957112/?type=3&theater. 
  3. ↑ Oloman, Jordan (8 June 2018). "E3 2018: Twin Mirror, New Game From Life is Strange Dev, Announced". http://nordic.ign.com/news/15747/e3-2018-twin-mirror-new-game-from-life-is-strange-dev-announ. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Twin Mirror's First Production Vlog Stars Dontnod's Oskar Guilbert". 11 July 2018. https://www.siliconera.com/2018/07/11/twin-mirrors-first-production-vlog-stars-dontnods-oskar-guilbert/. 
  5. ↑ "Help Sam find the truth and unveil Basswood's secrets in upcoming psychological thriller game, TWIN MIRROR". 8 June 2018. https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/twin-mirror/news/help-sam-find-the-truth-and-unveil-basswood%E2%80%99s-secrets-upcoming-psychological. 
  6. ↑ "10 Minutes of New Twin Mirror Gameplay - Gamescom 2018". 22 August 2018. http://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/22/10-minutes-of-new-twin-mirror-gameplay-gamescom-2018. 
  7. ↑ "Twin Mirror gameplay reveals "mind palace" – and mystery figure, "The Double"". 10 July 2020. https://www.pcgamesn.com/twin-mirror/mind-palace. 
  8. ↑ Romano, Sal (21 August 2018). "Twin Mirror is episodic, first episode launches early 2019". https://gematsu.com/2018/08/twin-mirror-is-episodic-first-episode-launches-early-2019. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Makedonski, Brett (6 December 2020). "Review: Twin Mirror" (in english). https://www.destructoid.com/stories/review-twin-mirror-611720.phtml. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Erskine, Donovan (December 2020). "Twin Mirror review: Sides of a coin" (in en). https://www.shacknews.com/article/121761/twin-mirror-review-sides-of-a-coin. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Byrne, Katharine (22 August 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Bandai Namco partners with Life is Strange studio Dontnod on new narrative adventure IP". https://www.mcvuk.com/business/exclusive-bandai-namco-partners-with-life-is-strange-studio-dontnod-on-new-. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Twin Mirror hands-on preview and interview – 'We wanted the game to be plot first'". 24 September 2018. https://metro.co.uk/2018/09/24/twin-mirror-hands-on-preview-and-interview-we-wanted-the-game-to-be-plot-first-7975061/. 
  13. ↑ Dontnod Entertainment (28 August 2018). "Twin Mirror - Q&A with the community - Gamescom 2018". https://www.facebook.com/DONTNOD.Entertainment/videos/236730020371673/. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Smith, Rebecca (18 October 2018). "Twin Mirror Interview Discusses the Darker Side of Dontnod". https://www.trueachievements.com/n34847/twin-mirror-interview-discusses-the-darker-side-of-dontnod. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Twin Mirror, First Game Self-Published By Dontnod, Unveils Its New Teaser Trailer During PC Gaming Show". Dontnod Entertainment. 15 June 2016. https://www.dontnod-bourse.com/en/financial-information/press-releases.html?ID=ACTUS-0-63871. 
  16. ↑ "お客様各位" (in Japanese). 17 June 2019. https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/cs/notice/?q=TWIN_MIRROR. 
  17. ↑ Ivan, Tom (14 June 2019). "Dontnod's Twin Mirror delayed, is Epic Games store exclusive on PC". https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/dontnods-twin-mirror-delayed-is-epic-games-store-exclusive-on-pc/. 
  18. ↑ Phillips, Tom (13 June 2020). "Life is Strange developer's Twin Mirror is no longer episodic" (in en). https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-06-13-life-is-strange-developers-twin-mirror-is-no-longer-episodic. 
  19. ↑ Webster, Andrew (30 June 2020). "Life is Strange creators aim for something more grounded with psychological thriller Twin Mirror" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/30/21308067/twin-mirror-dontnod-game-interview-ps4-xbox-pc. 
  20. ↑ Sinha, Ravi (15 June 2020). "Twin Mirror is No Longer Episodic, Releasing as Full Experience". GamingBolt. https://gamingbolt.com/twin-mirror-is-no-longer-episodic-releasing-as-full-experience. 
  21. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (8 June 2018). "Life is Strange studio reveals mystery thriller Twin Mirror". https://www.polygon.com/2018/6/8/17441854/twin-mirror-trailer-release-date-dontnod. 
  22. ↑ Barker, Sammy (21 August 2018). "Gamescom 2018: Psychological Thriller Twin Mirror Is Episodic". http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/08/gamescom_2018_psychological_thriller_twin_mirror_is_episodic. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Nunneley, Stephanny (15 September 2020). "Dontnod's Twin Mirror releases in December, check out the new trailer". https://www.vg247.com/2020/09/15/twin-mirror-out-in-december-new-trailer/. 
  24. ↑ Chalk, Andy (13 June 2019). "Dontnod's Twin Mirror delayed, will launch next year as an Epic Store exclusive". https://www.pcgamer.com/dontnods-twin-mirror-delayed-will-launch-next-year-as-an-epic-store-exclusive/. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Twin Mirror for PC Reviews" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/twin-mirror/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Twin Mirror for PlayStation 4 Reviews" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/twin-mirror/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Twin Mirror for Xbox One Reviews" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/twin-mirror/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one. 
  28. ↑ Krosta, Michael (December 2020). "Twin Mirror - Test, Adventure" (in de). https://www.4players.de/4players.php/dispbericht/PC-CDROM/Test/39764/84678/0/Twin_Mirror.html. 
  29. ↑ Lees, Gina (December 2020). "Twin Mirror review – too many loose threads". https://www.pcgamesn.com/twin-mirror/review. 
  30. ↑ Bloodworth, Daniel (11 December 2020). "Easy Allies". https://easyallies.com/#!/review/twin-mirror. 
  31. ↑ Hetfeld, Malindy (1 December 2020). "Twin Mirror review - a pale imitation of better detective adventures" (in en). https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-12-01-twin-mirror-review-a-pale-imitation-of-better-detective-adventures. 
  32. ↑ King, Andrew. "Twin Mirror Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/twin-mirror-review/1900-6417620/. 
  33. ↑ Ogilvie, Tristan (November 2021). "Twin Mirror Review - IGN" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/twin-mirror-review. 
  34. ↑ Watts, Rachel (1 December 2020). "Twin Mirror review". https://www.pcgamer.com/twin-mirror-review/. 
  35. ↑ "Test du jeu Twin Mirror" (in fr). December 2020. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/test/1332172/twin-mirror-une-escapade-convenue-dans-le-thriller-psychologique.htm. 
  36. ↑ Henley, Stacey (3 December 2020). "Twin Mirror review – bold narrative adventure with no real heroes" (in en). https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/dec/03/twin-mirror-review-adventure-game-dontnod-ps4-ps5-xbox-one-series-x-s. 
  37. ↑ Gandhi, Nirav (1 December 2020). "Twin Mirror Review" (in en). https://techraptor.net/gaming/reviews/twin-mirror-review. 
  38. ↑ Aickman, Will (29 December 2020). "Twin Mirror review" (in en). https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/twin-mirror. 
  39. ↑ Malgieri, Fabrizia (1 December 2020). "Twin Mirror - Review" (in en). https://www.gamereactor.eu/twin-mirror-review/. 

Notes

  1. ↑ Shibuya Productions co-produced the game.
  2. ↑ Bandai digitally distributed the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions.

External links



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