But the first three levels we’ve had access to ensure that you are always in last place. At points this becomes so pettily enforced that you start to feel like the hated kid in class, the one who gets pushed and barged out of the way, even by the nicer kids. If there’s a trapdoor to jump down, a passage to explore, or even doorway to walk through, your two NPC buddies will literally shove you aside to make sure they get through first. If there’s something cool to do, like throw a filing cabinet out of the way, then you just stand there and watch. Want to open a door? Learn your station, scumbag. And tragically, the same counts for cover.
The game has no cover system – it’s the old fashioned “hiding behind stuff”. But inevitably anywhere useful to crouch will be occupied by one of your companions. And unlike most other games of its ilk, they don’t find somewhere else if you try to take the same position. Instead they get territorial and push you back into the line of fire. Not that they’re taking advantage of their stolen tactical advantage. In this preview version at least, they will happily stand with their gun barrel touching an enemy’s head and not fire. The enemies are compliant, because they’re only interested in killing you and not your immortal chums.
This is about following a narrative with a fundamentalist fervour. Deviating from expectations leads to encountering invisible barriers, complete suspension of action, or rudely shouted instructions to hurry up. The screen inevitably is instructing you to “follow” someone, and never lead. Want to climb over a fence lower than the last thing you jumped? No can do – jumping such objects is scripted. Just follow the man, do what he tells you, clear up after their having fun. Manage to get ahead at any point and the others will visibly teleport in front of you, such is their determination that you’ll not have a moment of inspiration or imagination.
At one point toward the end of the third level this became completely farcical. We’d reached the top of some stairs to a door blocked by furniture. Only the other guy can move those, because of your character’s brittle bone disorder I think. But he won’t. Instead we’re all just stood up there, staring around. The woman (I’m sure they had names) then turns to face a wall, kneels down, and announces, “I can’t go any further.” Nor can I, because we’re all waiting for the script to finally catch up and radio us a message that gives us permission to open a door. So we wait.