Mainlining

In Mainlining, you play as a government agent, investigating a drug ring connected to some... "freedom fighters"?

The gameplay is simple yet captivating. With new mechanics introduced all the time, the investigation never feels like a routine and doesn't get you tired or bored. The hacking terminal, while not too complex (you can hack into any ip with a magic command), is designed just right to make you feel like a real hacker. I also really enjoyed the split OS mechanic. Digging through people's personal files may be unethical, but who cares? It feels so good!

The visual style is amazing! The crisp pixel graphics look great: whoever designed this game is such a talented artist. Unfortunately, walls of pixel text may be hard to read for some people, and there's no accessibility options, so bear that in mind. The music and sound effects are very pleasant. I especially loved Bud's computer's theme. That entire section's music and visuals are very expressive.

The game makes you feel that you're not the good guy from the very start. The government agency you work for is a little caricature-ish, but it works well for this game. Mainlining welcomes you with a slogan "Censorship. Data. Propaganda", and you instantly know your player character is up to no good. The dialogue only confirms it: the agents care more about filling their arrest quotas than about justice.

One thing the game suffers from is its few bugs (sometimes dialogue lines get switched up) and confusing consequences of your mistakes. Be wary: if you arrest somebody using a wrong address and correct evidence, the game will say they are "wrongfully accused". Took me a while to figure out what was wrong.

Overall, Mainlining feels like a love child of The Operator, Orwell and Hypnospace Outlaw, and the mix works very well. If you're into investigation and hacking games, I'd 100% recommend this one.

See you on your PC. Or not.