Among Thorns

Technology keeps making our lives better every day, especially when it comes to the way it is used in healthcare and various other fields. However, it can also be quite detrimental if people start abusing its bad parts, such as creating Hydrogen bombs. Still, we are a pretty long way from the day humans are going to fuse with technology, although we are already doing it in some ways.

Among Thorns does not claim to be a prophetic glance into the future, but the ideas it presents are quite frightening and engaging. Even if the game is a classic point & click adventure with puzzles and dialog, there’s still a very heavy sense of dread that stimulates your imagination as you explore the futuristic city. The experience may be rather short, but it truly feels like the writer is on to something interesting.

As such, the story puts you in the role of a woman trying to score some credits and make a living for herself, without having to appear on any radars. Due to this, she is off the grid and unable to enjoy most things that citizens take for granted. She also has to engage in dangerous missions and accomplish risky tasks, but it would appear that she is more than eager to do so most of the time.

As for the gameplay, the mechanics are designed to be as classic as possible, but the interface can be confusing sometimes, at least until you learn where everything is. Hence, all you need to do is click on stuff and combine objects every now and again. Dialog is an important part of the game as well, since you’ll often have to acquire information by talking to other people.

The graphics are obviously retro as well, but the level design and the general art style is incredibly immersive. Every scene is very detailed and moody, which works wonders for the general atmosphere of the game. The music does its job, so it should be easy to really imagine yourself a few hundred years in the future.

All things considered, Among Thorns truly impresses when it comes to how everything is tied together through narrative, visual design and music. The gameplay is decent as well, even if some of the puzzles can be a tad too simplistic.