Detroit: Become Human review round-up

Strap yourselves in; this one could be bumpy. Quantic Dream's latest masterpiece has landed, and opinions are divided over the android-themed grow-to-true-sentience-'em-up. We've rounded up some opinions so that the only site you need to click on is, handily, this one.

VideoGamer – 4/10

The most important opinion, of course, is Colm Ahern's. An admitted David Cage liker, Colm wasn't wowed by this one, judging it Poor Enough. His verdict is that 'Detroit: Become Human wants to move you. It wants to elicit an emotional response through its story. The thing is, it really doesn't. The flowchart is a nice inclusion and adds some variance, but when the narrative is as cringey and ham-fisted as it is you won't want to play through it multiple times.'

GamesRadar+ – 4.5/5

Conversely, Andy Hartup for GamesRadar+, bloody loved it, saying 'Immerse yourself in Detroit’s wonderfully realised world, engage with its characters and stories, and you’ll love this game.'

Eurogamer – N/A

Eurogamer's Oli Welsh didn't give it a recommended, but it's not an avoid either. Welsh calls it the most successful of QD's 'ambitious experiments in interactive cinematic storytelling', but that David Cage may be trying to 'borrow the seriousness, the intensity, the emotional and moral weight of a very real and very painful struggle without engaging with all of its very real issues and without having to pick a side in the present, fraught cultural moment.'

Gamespot – 7/10

Slightly less effusive, but still positive overall, was Peter Brown for GameSpot. His review praised the 'excellent presentation' and the 'fascinating ways' that the game’s three storylines complement one another, but wasn't hot on how the 'Blatant and shallow appropriation of real-life events stick out like a sore thumb'.

'These unavoidable flowcharts, like the blatant and cheap appropriation of American history, drag down Detroit's otherwise gripping tale. It has the makings of a truly memorable game, and in many ways, pieces of it will stick with me for a long time. It is too beautiful, too haunting, and too impressive to forget.' Sounds alright, then.

Twinfinite – 4.5/5

Back up to the highs of a near perfect score with Twinfinite's Yamilia Avendano, who loved the graphics, story and variety of choices and endings: 'I do know that I couldn’t put Detroit: Become Human down, and after I beat it, I immediately replayed all the chapters to get the different outcomes.'

VG247 – N/A

Sam Greer for VG247 was less hot on the game, describing it as 'a pretty but hollow interactive movie', and that Detroit is so caught up in being a movie that it forgets how to be a game: 'Not once does it tell its story through play.'

'The biggest crime a piece of media can make is to be boring,' she concludes, 'And Detroit is as guilty as can be.'

PlayStation Trophies – 80/100

Over on our sister site PlayStation Trophies, Dan Webb was yet another fan, describing the voice acting and music as 'a pleasure on the ears' and the visuals as 'stunning'. Overall, Dan the man has decided that, 'Quantic Dream’s foray into the world of the future is a provocative affair, one that poses more questions than answers and puts you at the forefront of the narrative. With an excellent trio of characters, some incredible production values and some gripping story beats from start to finish, Detroit: Become Human is some of Quantic Dream’s best work. With a bit more actual choice and consequence, and some better controls in their next game, Quantic Dream could make that jump from excellent developer to legendary studio.'

IGN – 8/10

Yet another 8 from IGN's review by Lucy O'Brien, who was guiltily pleased that on a second playthrough, 'Detroit obliged [her] wickedness to a surprising degree', and found all three of the central characters to be 'dramatically interesting.' Her review concludes that 'Detroit: Become Human is a wonderfully silly interactive drama that meaningfully bends to your will.'

GodIsAGeek – 5/10

GodIsAGeek's reviewer Adam Cook was less impressed, rating it only an average kind of game. While the illusion of choice and the game's look were rated as positives, they were balanced by cliches and a heavy handed story, and poor controls:

'A cliche-ridden written story that has some decent ideas throughout, but is so bleak it's hard to grow attached to.'