Knee Deep

Knee Deep, the debut effort from fledgling indie studio Prologue Games, is an episodic noir-esque mini-adventure that plays out like a live theatrical production. Released on Steam back in 2015, the title has finally rolled out on consoles in its entirety, allowing those who have yet to explore the curious world of Cypress Knee the perfect opportunity to dive right in.

Word is soon to circulate that former Hollywood big shot Tag Kern has met his end under mysterious circumstances in the remote swamp town of Cypress Knee, Florida. On the case are three news-hungry investigators Jack Bellet, Romona Teague and K.C. Gaddis, who you'll command over the course of Knee Deep's three main acts. Jack is a washed-up reporter with a troubled home life and a relentless drive to return to the top, Roma is an angst-ridden 20-something who heads one of the web's most promising new blogs, and K.C. Gaddis is a ruthless cop turned private investigator who can't be found without his trusted canine companion. It may have initially appeared to be an open-shut case, but after snooping around and questioning the local residents, conflicting accounts and strange behaviour only works to conjure up an air of suspicion.

Where Knee Deep excels is through its individualistic approach to storytelling, which unfolds upon a theatre stage in front of a live audience. Every aspect of the environment transitions as character's move between them, allowing multiple locales to be explored from the confines of the stage. Watching the stage shift backwards and rotate from a congested freeway to a shabby interrogation room, for example, felt awfully entertaining to watch. The bellows and gasps from the crowd further help to convey the illusion that you're in command of a theatrical production and other subtle but appreciated nuances, such as using background screens to display text conversations to the audience only worked to enhance the experience.

Humour is at times a little hit and miss, with a few misplaced pop culture references that feel completely alien within the context of the game's universe. Repeated jokes also wear out fast, with the town's mayor frequently using phrases in the wrong context and the park manager Remy uttering everything in the third-person. Another noticeable flaw is that conversations lead to some awkward pauses and there's a lack of flow that you find in Telltale titles, as you're forced respond in real-time with conversation. This isn't a major qualm, but the illusion of witnessing an unfolding theatrical performance is somewhat damaged after watching cast members stood around in silence.

You'll write reports throughout the story where you can choose which of the key facts that you've gathered you want to post, and what tone your message is conveyed in. Writing a post that is too scathing may anger residents and lead them to be less willing to disclose revealing information to you, whilst writing posts that completely ignore their advice may also lead to their disapproval. Besides assembling reports and selecting dialogue options, gameplay is awfully shallow, requiring you to complete jigsaw-like puzzles during crime scenes and partake in meaningless distractions such as whack-a-mole. A chance to interact more deeply with the game's world would have certainly made the experience more engaging and would have provided a much-needed sense of variation.

Despite straying to wacky extremes in the final act, the writing is mostly solid and it was a joy to experience the story from three different character's perspectives and see how their paths intertwined with one another's. The conclusion felt awfully far-fetched and a little disconnected from the typical murder mystery setup that we were initially introduced to. Where Knee Deep's writing does shine, however, is through its solid pacing and continual sense of intrigue and mystery that it creates as you claw deeper for information.

Knee Deep's simplistic aesthetic, whilst noticeably outdated, is likely a nod to classic 90s point-and-click adventure titles such as The Longest Journey, Grim Fandango, and Sam & Max Hit the Road, but under its glossy coat of nostalgia lies flaws such as poor lip-syncing and wooden character animations. Its film noir-esque soundtrack is appropriate from a tonal perspective, but feels lacking in content, with the same reverberating twang of the guitar frequently repeated during sections. Granted, this may have been an intentional choice to reinforce the echo of voices and ambience of the theatre, but often things are left feeling a little hollow.

Knee Deep may lack a degree of polish with regards to its score and presentation, and its gameplay may be bare-bones at best, but it's still a worthwhile experience for any point-and-click adventure fans who are seeking a revitalising twist on the genre. After the final curtain call we may have been left scratching our heads at the completely out of left field finale, but we still felt it was an experience certainty worth the cost of admission. Prologue Games are clearly a very capable team with some bold ideas, and while Knee Deep may not be perfect, you've got to admire the effort to merge a daring new concept with a much-beloved genre.