Land of Screens Review
The team at Meta might be preaching far and wide about the metaverse, but Serenity Forge and Way Down Deep want players to break free with their new title Land of Screens. Should players help Holland swap out the virtual world for the real one, or is that dopamine rush just too strong?
Land of Screens Review
The main character Holland is going through a tough time – her boyfriend Brian and her just broke up, and news of said breakup is spreading like wildfire around social media. She’s got a conference and a family reunion to worry about, and to top things off, her phone’s out of juice – what’s a girl to do?
Without a screen to keep her occupied, she turns to the real world.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is far too tuned in with their phones, televisions, and game consoles. It’s up to Holland to help these people unplug any way she can and help everybody get a little more social – the old fashioned way.
Land of Screens has a decent enough premise, but it doesn’t do anything beyond that. Every single character is one note – there’s the guy who likes to take selfies, the uncle who likes to watch football, and the outdoorsman who likes to rock climb. I wish I could tell you anything else beyond those traits without describing what they look like, but I’m drawing a blank.
As a result, the game is almost instantly forgettable. Land of Screens attempts to throw some hooks in there – grandma was a lion tamer in her younger days, while a hot band is having a bad day. However, it’s simply not enough and its hour runtime makes everything blend together into one bland mess and an overgeneralized message: screens bad, real life good.
Gameplay doesn’t fare much better. Each of the five different areas has Holland venturing around an area, chatting up people and asking them if they could look away from their devices. There’s plenty to see too – parties and the great outdoors make a valid case to unplug and see what the world has to offer.
However, this too falls flat on its face. Holland comes across as a nag, and asking every single person for a business card or to put their phones down for a concert is about as exciting as it sounds.
To make matters worse, a lot of the people she comes across will only put their phone down if you do a favor for them. This can mean grabbing the right board game, getting a signed t-shirt, or getting free tickets for something cool. It turns Holland into an errand girl, like they’re using her for their own personal gain.
Land of Screens is far too one-note for its own good, repeatedly hammering the message that screens are pure evil. Its heart is in the right place, but its execution leaves something to be desired.
The post Land of Screens Review appeared first on GamersHeroes.
Leave a Reply