Detroit: Become Human Review

“Detroit: Become Human” is a story-based and decision-heavy game developed by French developer group Quantic Dream, which created a game of similar playstyle titled “Heavy Rain,” which followed the story of a mourning, once successful father who will do anything to get the clues that lead him to the location of his kidnapped son.


In "Detroit: Become Human," the year is 2038 and human technology has skyrocketed. Multi-billion dollar company CyberLife has developed human-like androids that act as personal servants to any average American citizen. Housework, taxes, attending to a child, even sex can all be done with a CyberLife android at your disposal. However, when these androids witness and experience abuse and neglect first-hand due to their reliance in the American workforce, the question arises; who’s more human?


The game has you play as three androids; Markus, Connor, and Kara, each playing their own roles in the futuristic and industrial Detroit. Markus has been the caretaker of a famous Detroit artist for years, and is treated fairly and human-like throughout the cycle of his programming, often being told to “make his own choices,” but after tragedy hits, he is forced to take this advice.


Connor, a prototype android investigator, is dispatched to handle “Deviants.” These are androids who have gone against their programming and have acted out on their owners, often committing homicides. Connor is top of the line, and once partnered with washed up detective Hank Andersen, blurs the line between programming and human emotion.


Kara on the other hand is a basic model android who is bought by an abusive, drug-addicted father who neglects his child. Once he crosses the line with his child, Kara is forced to make a choice, or two based on how you play.Video games have peeked into the future countless times, showing the world at war against ancient alien species in Bungie’s “Halo,” or Treyarch's “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,” which predicted various tensions between countries years before they happened. While these seem like stretches or broad subjects to even make predictions on, developer Quantic Dream’s latest project titled “Detroit: Become Human” takes a peek into a future not far away, and not too outlandish.

The game’s playstyle is reminiscent of games such as “The Walking Dead,” where every choice matters and effects the story, as well as various relationships with other characters.


Quantic Dream spent eight years on this title and it’s shown through its writing. Each chapter follows one of the three androids, often alternating between them, and has multiple different endings based on your choices.



Not every chapter is filled with super cool android action, some often are simply dialogue. This works wonderfully, especially if you have a goal in mind for how you want to be perceived by not only your peers but the public as well. For example, the game starts out with you as Markus, picking up a package of paint supplies for your owner. The moment you step outside, citizens of Detroit abuse and berate you, labelling you a “job-stealing piece of plastic.” This can be taken in various ways as the player. You can attack the protesters, verbally respond, or simply continue walking. This all will affect how the city views your kind until the very end of the game.


With the year being 2038, many things have happened in the 20 years that have passed. Various social facts can be found in the forms of digital tablet-magazines (RIP print) that are found sitting on fixtures and tables across the game. I found this especially interesting, as most of the tidbits provided are events that are already shown to be in motion in today’s society. Canada is prominently android-free for the eighth consecutive year, bees officially become extinct, tensions heat up as the United States tries to vacate Russia from the unclaimed land in the Arctic, which is fertile with the last of mankind's fossil fuels, and a nanobot is able to reverse organ degradation and kill cancer cells and once done is expelled through the user’s urine. These various fun facts not only let this futuristic world breathe and have character, it shows us what we need to fix before it becomes reality.


"Detroit: Become Human" is a creative, amazing take on technological advancement and the ethics that follow in a broken, and still recovering city. Writer David Cage has you make choices that will test your values and expose your thoughts on the idea of artificial intelligence and their contribution to an ever-growing society.


Do our own creations deserve the same rights we possess? Or should we treat them like any other piece of property we own? There is no definitive answer to the question, as it all depends on your choices and your outlook on the game. The ending will reflect on your morals and growth with the androids you learn to connect with in each chapter, and can be used as a learning experience for mankind when we inevitably create the same machines ourselves.



At a glance:

What: "Detroit: Become Human"

Who: Writer David Cage, developer Quantic Dream, Valorie Curry (Kara), Bryan Dechart (Connor), Jesse Williams (Markus)

When: Released May 25

Rating: 9/10