Ready to explore morality with a new choice-based action adventure? Hindsight 20/20 has been revealed by BioWare, ArenaNet and Sucker Punch veterans with a release on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC in 2020.
In creation by the team of videogame vets at Triple-I Games, Hindsight 20/20 will drop us into the town of Champaner where life is thought to be more sacred than anything else.
However, a calamitous virus capable of turning people into blood-thirsty beasts called Raakshasas threatens Champaner’s harmonious ways, and so, in response, King Marcos orders the kidnapping and execution of all Raakshasas including Seth, the leader of the beasts. Seth flees and forms a rival town called Gibsonia, a safe haven for anyone who has or could turn into a Raakshasa. He then opens a powerful rift over Champaner, capable of destroying the kingdom at any time.
At the center of this developing war is a fated one-armed man – Jehan – a resident of Champaner until his father was killed. Jehan’s malleability and freedom of choice form the crux of Hindsight 20/20. Will he uphold the values of his hometown by avoiding bloodshed? Or will the murder of his father fuel him with a rage that can only be quelled with the death of those responsible? Perhaps there is a middle ground, where violence justifies a peaceful end.
This will see you attempting to survive in a world of grey, progressing by deciding who Jehan really is and what motivates him. Before every battle you will choose whether Jehan will be merciful or relentless, by wielding either a baton to stun enemies or a blade to cut them down. Conflict is unavoidable in tumultuous times, but using the stun baton convinces residents of Champaner that Jehan respects their beliefs, even if he still resorts to combat.
And with each action, the enemy behaviour will be found to change based on weapon choice. Soldiers fight desperately when they believe their lives might be in danger. Earn fearsome, violent abilities by killing, or resourceful skills based on pacifism by choosing the high road.
Decisions have long-lasting repercussions in Hindsight 20/20. When a best friend considers suicide due to Raakshasa infection, talking him down may seem like the “right” thing to do. But if he turns and kills, who is at fault? Sparing Jehan’s father’s killer preserves Champaner’s values, but he may return, stronger and more ruthless than before.
Hindsight 20/20 is a game that will be found exploring themes of morality at times of crisis, segregation, regret, peace, and self-criticism. Sometimes the smallest actions have the largest consequences, and each and every one of those actions will cause a drastically different ending, which in turn should inspire multiple playthroughs.
Hindsight 20/20 on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC will see you resolving conflict through ruthless or merciful means, solving environmental puzzles, completing side quests and forging Jehan’s personal path in a fantastical world that merges technology and magic. Due to release in 2020, the stylized aesthetic that brings it all together has been inspired by classic Zelda games, punctuated with a wide-ranging musical sweep of tragedy, majesty, and primal forces.
“Hindsight 20/20 was born when I really came to terms with what that phrase means as a philosophy,” said Hemanshu Chhabra, creative director at Triple-I Games. “So many of us look back on decisions they regret, so I wanted to make a game that encapsulates this feeling and allows players to go back and really see what differences they could have made.”
You could do a whole load worse than check out the trailer for Hindsight 20/20 below. We will of course keep you fully up-to-date with the development progress.
