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The Westport Independent

The Westport Independent

We were passed a note with instructions from the editor-in-chief to review a game called The Westport Independent.

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The Westport Independent is a game about censorship, and perhaps more specifically about how totalitarian rule affects free speech and those working as journalists. There is a lot of noise made about the increased dangers of working as a journalist in countries where freedom of speech does not exist. But don't think of this as propaganda in its own right, as the game quite cleverly paints a diverse picture of the opinions and loyalties of the people under your guidance at your paper, The Westport Independent.

The basic premise of the game is that stories cross your desk that you as the editor then hand out to your journalists to type up. You pick one of two headlines (one is usually a bit more sensationalist), and you can opt to censor one or more of three-four paragraphs, or keep it as is (tends to be a balanced approach). Say there's a study that says tobacco relieves stress and causes cancer you can opt to have the headline say "Benefits of tobacco proven" and crop out the part about the negatives or go with "Smoking kills you" and perhaps cut out the part about the benefits. The way you put together the stories influences your sales and reputation in four regions, each with their own prefences and socio-economic make up, but perhaps more importantly they affect your standing with the totalitarian Loyalist government and the rebels.

The idea is that in twelve weeks your newspaper has to comply with the new cultural bill with guidelines for media that the government is imposing. Step out of line too many times and your paper will be shut down. And your journalists will also be monitored - have them write one too many anti-government stories and they may be sent away to a camp come the end game. Of course, the rebels won't sit idly by if you spread government propaganda, so it's a balancing act. The journalists themselves have their own set of opinions and they can refuse to write a story; you can in turn force them, but perhaps that will increase their discomfort. Between each week you'll get to listen in on a staff meeting where the journalists vent about what's current and on their minds. This is one of the stronger elements in the game as it really helps highlight the fact that these are real people, whose lives you're risking in order to spread certain idealistic notions.

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The Westport IndependentThe Westport Independent

While much of the work is an exercise in balancing black and white opposites, there are nuances here that are really interesting and even if video game journalism isn't as deadly serious as running a paper in a totalitarian state you can certainly see parallels between what you're tasked with doing in the game and say, typing up this review. As such we found the game thought provoking, even if it perhaps didn't explore the subject as fully as we would have liked. There's a great concept here, but perhaps it has been simplified to the point where only very general lessons can be learned.

In the credits the developers thank Lucas Pope. A fitting tribute as this game is quite clearly "inspired by the work of the indie developer that gave us Papers, Please". That's one way of looking at it, but in the spirit of the game we present you with two options. Another way would be to say that developers "plagiarised the work of the award-winning creator of Papers, Please", but that might cause a bit of unrest and unsettle the readership, the advertisers and management (well, probably not - but if it was said of a major AAA title, then perhaps the argument could be made)...

Whether you see it as loving tribute or outright plagiarism, there's no denying that the tone and much of atmosphere in The Westport Independent owes a great deal to Papers, Please and some of Lucas Pope's earlier work (namely, The Republia Times). We'd rather see it as a tribute that takes things in a slightly different direction. Then again we do like to play things a little safe and keep our staff out of prison camps for as long as possible.

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The Westport Independent is a rather brief experience, it takes about an hour or so to play through once, and after that you can probably play through the twelve weeks much faster, even if you'll lose some of the nuances by skimming over the dialogue. As such you don't feel as invested in the staff as you have done had you been caring for them for a longer period of time. There isn't enough character development there for you to truly care. And while multiple playthroughs (to toy with various scenarios and tactics) is something that is encouraged, there are only so many meaningful playthroughs you can get out of it.

The Westport IndependentThe Westport Independent

The four journalists always start with the same loyalties and while storylines may develop differently depending on your choices, there is only limited variation. Had there been more storylines to unlock and perhaps a randomised element to your journalists then The Westport Independent would have had more lasting appeal and would have made for some more challenging and strange scenarios. As it is now you play through it trying to keep your journalists safe while also giving the people the sort of stories they like, and you may toy with being extremely pro-rebel or pro-loyalist, but beyond that... there isn't much more to explore. The scope is a little too limited for this to truly grab our interest beyond the first playthrough.

The Westport Independent is a game that's notable for what it tries to do. It is fun to play and mildly thought provoking. The price tag is a bit hefty on Steam for the amount of game you're actually getting, so we'd suggest you wait for a sale or pick it up on tablet if this sort of game interests you.

The Westport IndependentThe Westport IndependentThe Westport IndependentThe Westport Independent
07 Gamereactor UK
7 / 10
+
Great concept, The personal angle as you manage the journalists is great, Wonderful jazzy soundtrack, Some truly clever stories and storylines.
-
A short experience with limited replayability, Character development could have been taken further, Not the best value you get out of £7 on Steam.
overall score
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The Westport IndependentScore

The Westport Independent

REVIEW. Written by Bengt Lemne

"While much of the work is an exercise in balancing black and white opposites, there are nuances here that are really interesting."



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