Reconstruction Zero: I Miss the Sunrise is the prequel to The Reconstruction, a game you may remember as the subject of my first foray into a multi-part review series. Due to the game’s extreme pacing issues and my own inexperience, that review was a messy affair I don’t wish to repeat, so I plan to do something a little different this time. Like The Reconstruction, IMTS is split into five distinct sections plus a prologue, so I figure I’ll do what I should have done with The Reconstruction and review each arc individually instead of going into the amount of depth usually reserved for books. I will, however, be covering episode 0 – the prologue – in detail, both because it’s pretty dense and because I think it’s helpful to get you established before we take off. There are some episodes I might have to split into several parts, but we’ll see how it goes.
IMTS is very different from its predecessor. The plot is totally unrelated aside from one minor subplot and, of course, thematic similarities. The setting is science fiction rather than fantasy, and I think that’s something that works in its favor, as the author only has to explain relevant divergences from the normal laws of physics instead of trying and failing to explain an entire magic system. It is overall a lot more polished and coherent, and I hope I will have more positive and enriching things to say this time.
The game is freeware, and can be downloaded here if you’d like to follow along. (more…)