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Twin Mirror

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Twin Mirror
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Dontnod Entertainment[a]
Director(s)Florian Desforges
Producer(s)Jérèmie Poidevin
Designer(s)Ludovic Rouvière
Programmer(s)Francois Karr
Artist(s)Pierre-Etienne Travers[1]
Writer(s)
  • Hélène Henry
  • Matthew Ritter[2]
Composer(s)David Wingo
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
Release1 December 2020
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Twin Mirror is a 2020 adventure game by Dontnod Entertainment. Co-produced with Shibuya Productions, the game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 1 December 2020. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Gameplay

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Twin Mirror's use of the Mind Palace mechanic. Sam investigate a MP version of Coal Miner's Haven Bar to find out who he was with last night.

Twin Mirror is an adventure game played from a third-person view.[3][4] Players control the investigative journalist Sam, who has returned to his hometown of Basswood, West Virginia.[5] The environment is interactive and its objects are obtainable.[6] Whom Sam speaks to is optional and, based on the state of his investigation, there are multiple endings to unlock.[4]

Players navigate between the real world and Sam's "Mind Palace" to discover clues.[7] Sam's inner voice, the Double, may aid or harm the investigation.[8][9]

Plot

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Samuel "Sam" Higgs, a former investigative journalist, returns to Basswood, West Virginia in light of his close friend Nick's death. He originally left Basswood following publication of his article about safety violations at the town's coal mines. The mines closed in the aftermath, ultimately he is leaving hundreds without jobs and angered townsfolk who despised Sam. During his stay in the town, Nick's daughter, Joan, asks him to check on the events leading up to Nick's death as she finds his activity before he died suspicious.[10] Sam teams up with Anna, his ex-girlfriend who knew Nick well as they worked together at the newspaper Basswood Jungle, in hope that by following leads and investigating clues may lead to finding the source of Nick's death.

Development and Release

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Partnering with publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, Dontnod Entertainment began developing Twin Mirror in 2016 with a separate team of senior developers.[11] About forty people were working on it as of September 2018.[12] Lead writer Matthew Ritter was influenced by adventure games like Beneath a Steel Sky and Space Quest.[13]

Twin Mirror was announced in June 2018 during E3 2018, and was scheduled to release for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One the following year.[14] In August at Gamescom, it was revealed to be an episodic title releasing in 2019, with Lost on Arrival as the first of three episodes.[15]

Contrary to previous titles, Dontnod desired to have Twin Mirror be void of any supernatural elements.[12] According to art director Pierre-Etienne Travers, the game's primary concept is duality.[16] The decision to set it in a fictional American town, based on southern West Virginia, was to broaden its appeal.[11][16]

In June 2019, Dontnod announced they would self-publish the game, with Bandai Namco Entertainment acting as the distributor for the console versions.[17] Shibuya Productions would also handle production duties for the game. Bandai Namco decided to cancel the Japanese console versions of Twin Mirror[18] shortly after Dontnod acquired the IP rights from Bandai.[19]

The game was originally designed as an episodic game when it was first revealed.[20] Following the delay, the game was reworked[21] and the episodic format was abandoned so it can be played without any interruptions.[22]

At the PC Gaming Show 2020 in June, a teaser trailer was shown.[17] In September 2020, it was announced that it would release on 1 December 2020.[23] The PC version was exclusive to the Epic Games Store for one year.[24][23]

Reception

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Twin Mirror received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[25][26][27]

Some reviewers criticised the game's gameplay mechanics and felt that the protagonist lacked personality.[38][9] They noted it was too short.[10][9] GameReactor praised the visuals.[39]

References

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  1. ^ Romano, Sal (7 September 2018). "Twin Mirror developer diary #1: 'A Place for a Thriller'". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  2. ^ Dontnod Entertainment (23 August 2018). "Twin Mirror Producer Fabrice Cambounet and Writer Matthew Ritter answering questions from the community at gamescom! Check out Twin Mirror Facebook page tomorrow to watch the answers!". Facebook. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018.
  3. ^ Oloman, Jordan (8 June 2018). "E3 2018: Twin Mirror, New Game From Life is Strange Dev, Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Twin Mirror's First Production Vlog Stars Dontnod's Oskar Guilbert". Siliconera. 11 July 2018. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Help Sam find the truth and unveil Basswood's secrets in upcoming psychological thriller game, TWIN MIRROR". Bandai Namco Entertainment. 8 June 2018. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018.
  6. ^ "10 Minutes of New Twin Mirror Gameplay - Gamescom 2018". IGN. 22 August 2018. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Twin Mirror gameplay reveals "mind palace" – and mystery figure, "The Double"". PCGamesN. 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  8. ^ Romano, Sal (21 August 2018). "Twin Mirror is episodic, first episode launches early 2019". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018.
  9. ^ a b c Makedonski, Brett (6 December 2020). "Review: Twin Mirror". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  10. ^ a b Erskine, Donovan (December 2020). "Twin Mirror review: Sides of a coin". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  11. ^ a b Byrne, Katharine (22 August 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Bandai Namco partners with Life is Strange studio Dontnod on new narrative adventure IP". MCV. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Twin Mirror hands-on preview and interview – 'We wanted the game to be plot first'". Metro. 24 September 2018. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018.
  13. ^ Dontnod Entertainment (28 August 2018). "Twin Mirror - Q&A with the community - Gamescom 2018". Facebook. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  14. ^ McWhertor, Michael (8 June 2018). "Life is Strange studio reveals mystery thriller Twin Mirror". Polygon. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
  15. ^ Barker, Sammy (21 August 2018). "Gamescom 2018: Psychological Thriller Twin Mirror Is Episodic". Push Square. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018.
  16. ^ a b Smith, Rebecca (18 October 2018). "Twin Mirror Interview Discusses the Darker Side of Dontnod". TrueAchievements. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018.
  17. ^ a b "Twin Mirror, First Game Self-Published By Dontnod, Unveils Its New Teaser Trailer During PC Gaming Show". Dontnod Entertainment. 15 June 2016. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  18. ^ "お客様各位". Bandai Namco Entertainment (in Japanese). 17 June 2019. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019.
  19. ^ Ivan, Tom (14 June 2019). "Dontnod's Twin Mirror delayed, is Epic Games store exclusive on PC". VGC. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  20. ^ Phillips, Tom (13 June 2020). "Life is Strange developer's Twin Mirror is no longer episodic". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  21. ^ Webster, Andrew (30 June 2020). "Life is Strange creators aim for something more grounded with psychological thriller Twin Mirror". The Verge. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  22. ^ Sinha, Ravi (15 June 2020). "Twin Mirror is No Longer Episodic, Releasing as Full Experience". GamingBolt. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  23. ^ a b Nunneley, Stephanny (15 September 2020). "Dontnod's Twin Mirror releases in December, check out the new trailer". Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  24. ^ Chalk, Andy (13 June 2019). "Dontnod's Twin Mirror delayed, will launch next year as an Epic Store exclusive". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019.
  25. ^ a b "Twin Mirror for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  26. ^ a b "Twin Mirror for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  27. ^ a b "Twin Mirror for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  28. ^ Krosta, Michael (December 2020). "Twin Mirror - Test, Adventure". 4Players (in German). Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  29. ^ Lees, Gina (December 2020). "Twin Mirror review – too many loose threads". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  30. ^ Bloodworth, Daniel (11 December 2020). "Easy Allies". easyallies.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  31. ^ Hetfeld, Malindy (1 December 2020). "Twin Mirror review - a pale imitation of better detective adventures". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  32. ^ King, Andrew. "Twin Mirror Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  33. ^ Ogilvie, Tristan (November 2021). "Twin Mirror Review - IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  34. ^ Watts, Rachel (1 December 2020). "Twin Mirror review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  35. ^ "Test du jeu Twin Mirror". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). December 2020. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  36. ^ Henley, Stacey (3 December 2020). "Twin Mirror review – bold narrative adventure with no real heroes". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 October 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  37. ^ Gandhi, Nirav (1 December 2020). "Twin Mirror Review". TechRaptor. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  38. ^ Aickman, Will (29 December 2020). "Twin Mirror review". Adventure Gamers. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  39. ^ Malgieri, Fabrizia (1 December 2020). "Twin Mirror - Review". Gamereactor UK. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.

Notes

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  1. ^ Bandai Namco Entertainment digitally distributed the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions.

Further reading

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