Subject 13: Modern-Look Retro Feel

Franklin Fargo isn’t your ideal choice for a superhero or main character in a game, but by the end of Paul Cuisset’s “Subject 13,” you’ll find that like classic games the likes of “Deus Ex” and even “Pitfall,” the adventure lies within the journey and not the character on it. In spite of a lack of overall charisma, Fargo’s mission is an intriguing one that unfolds beautifully for veterans of Cusset’s work and anyone else looking for a real challenge.

“Subject 13” essentially combines elements of wonderful point-and-click games with a look and feel of a sci-fi shooter. At times the game almost looks like your stuck in a vault from the “Fallout” series and that could turn those off who think Cuisett’s adventure is an ominous one, with little in terms of music and eye-popping visuals. Just give it time. With various levels of setting and beautiful cut-scenes, there’s definitely a level of visual allure in “Subject 13.” That helps considering that you’re essentially thrown into this world with virtually no idea what is going on. Because of that, “Subject 13” is a puzzle/adventure game in the vein of “The Talos Principle” and one that allows you to get attached more to the journey and not so much the character. In a way, you kind of become him.

However, unlike the aforementioned game, there are no gimmicks. There are no switches that need to be activated at the same time. Unlike similar games, “Subject 13” is a thinker. Every puzzle, regardless of how big or small requires, you guessed it, thought. Matching tiles and colors is one thing early on, but later on, from every item picked up to the voice guiding you along, you’re going to have to think. So much so, that you’re going to have to look up a walkthrough online as even a few of the early puzzles are mind-bindingly difficult. For casual gamers, this will get old fast. But for fans of Cuisset’s work, it’s an adventure that’ll take them back to the times when the puzzles in puzzle games mattered.

That being said, even if you’re a puzzle purist, it’s hard to see “Subject 13” as a game that’s tailor-made for the PlayStation 4. Although a solid port of the PC game released about two years ago, little has been done in terms of updated the visuals to constitute a second purchase. If you haven’t played the game yet, though, it’s a great change of pace title that requires mental energy and focus. And without giving any of the story away, the payoff is worth it and like the rest of the game, will require you to think even more.

If you go into “Subject 13” with the mentality that it’s going to challenge you, there’s an opportunity to have a great time. However, if you’re idea of puzzle games is “Bubble Bobble” and “Pokemon Puzzle League,” you’ve simply come to the wrong place.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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