Fucking Prime! In a futuristic Los Angeles that is far beyond “Hotel California’, corruption is everywhere. Corporations exercise extreme prejudice and power struggles between entities are imminent. While working as a merc for corps, you figure out your life is just another liability. Until one job sets off events that change the face of the city forever. Be cautious of everyone. This world is out to get you.


STORY
City of Broken Dreamers’ story is straightforward. Don’t expect an unusual story angle or big plot twist. With those expectations limited, CoBD goes above and beyond to build a world complementing the Cyberpunk-ish Noir story. Memorable locations, in depth dialog based on what happens in the story and characters who interact with each other. This is a rollercoaster ride from Phillygames, going deeper than 2018’s Depraved Awakening.

The game completes in about 15 hours. From chase sequences to stealth missions, sultry dialog to heartfelt emotions - this game truly runs the distance. You start out questioning what your role in Neo-Los Angeles will be. The Japanese have done a number on Americans and since, life is different. Citizens are living with a disease - and because of it, they’re outlawed to different parts of the city. Corporations prey on the poor as the elite bask in power. It all seems plausible in the wake of corporatism. This is a cyberpunk story that feels like a book or comic.


Along the way you will meet a questionable cast of agents and outlaws, either harming or helping your cause. The game is mostly a set story, but you do get choices that impact the ending of the game. Not every choice is labelled in a sensible way, which can be frustrating - but rerolling saves you time. So the advice is - save often. You are able to lose or lose out on characters along the way, so be wary of the danger you put those around you in.

The worldbuilding of this game is extensive. Whether civvies are scolding 'Milchers', youngsters are yelling how ‘Omega prime!’ things are or how conflict between Augmented and the Red Moon plays a part in your quest. Developer Phillygames spent years building multiple layers that help ground and enhance the main story. By the time you hit the middle part of the game, you instantly recognize locations and characters because of their consistency. There’s even a special word dialect for one subset of inhabitants. It all helps to build a cohesive, vast world full of different people.


Jake Murphy (MC) is quite a passive tool in the regular path, but there is character development throughout chapters. People get scarred and those scars will show. It does feels off spending chapters protecting someone who is ultimately stronger than everyone, until you realize this game is about building bridges over becoming stronger. Along the way people can get a change of heart and it definitely creates conflict for your mission. Sacrifices are powerful and if played well, sacrifices must be made. It will make Jake quite a bit darker than the regular path, which might feel unnatural but is interesting to say the least.

Information is everywhere. You want to know about Ghosts? Why are Milchers frowned upon? Why are news channels in this city corrupt? Why AI and VR sextoys change the face of pleasure forever? How drugs are getting flooded into the city? All this narrative is secondary to the main story, but helps sell the world and it's characters. Side characters are somewhat hit and miss. Some are charismatic and unique, others feel like a jukebox on repeat. Dig deep enough and you’ll find something to explore for each character - even in Glenn. Luckily, the game also provides a glossary to read and keep up on backstories.


Jake the MC, however, might be the blandest part of the writing. He’s never really allowed to develop, often sacrificing his own growth to further others - unless it’s about sexual encounters. By the end he sounds tired, but a far more responsible human than the merc he was at the start. The main antagonist is fairly one-dimensional as well, but luckily there are more than enough distractions to make this story interesting. The antagonist might be the weakest part of this story, as you never really understand what happened while you were saving the world and what the looming danger meant in the end.

Even so, the world in CoBD is set so strongly that you can’t help but fall in love with it. By the time you reach the end credits, the game favours intimate moments over storybuilding and I would warn you to enjoy the ride rather than expect a great ending. Ultimately, the MC just wants to fuck all these women. But you can figure out what living in Neo-Los Angeles is like.




PRESENTATION
This game looks stylistic and impressive. Characters have a somehwat doll-like look and the presentation might seem cartoon-ish at times. It fits the theme, but whether you like that is a matter of preference. The scenery looks as realistic as it could. Bright neon lights, sunny skylines, rain showers over characters, big explosions, futuristic cars - it looks larger than life. It might be the most impressive thing about this game. This is a cyberpunk game through and through, and every render reminds you of the noir story it is set in.

You can often tell GDS-infected by their looks. Robots and augments usually lack human facial details. Apartments and clubs are styled appropriately and the supporting cast has so many wardrobe changes, it borders a fashion show. Meanwhile we never really see the MC, who has one mysterious look and keeps it throughout the game mostly. But this game really is not about him. City of Broken Dreamers is about the world around Jake Murphy.


Sex scenes are often average in variety, but there are so many - especially near the end chapters. There’s about ten sex scenes that are really memorable, due to the story that builds over probably 60 scenes. Animations are good enough for me and often look amazing together with the many high-quality renderings these scenes bring. There are definitely a bunch of filler sex scenes, but some kinkier ones if you’re daring to step out of the beaten path. Near the end, the game becomes a fuckfest - so hold out hope if you’re a fan of that.

Music! Sound is usally an afterthought in these game, but Phillygames dedicated specific soundtracks for CoBD. It might be a bit repetitive after 15 hours, but it understands the ambiance of the city very well. Small sound design helps sell the action scenes without making it corny or too action-focused.


GAMEPLAY
Story choices let you collect points which in turn lock or unlock small story paths for people. It’s a visual novel and you’re in for the ride, but the way you approach the set pieces does give you a sense of individuality. You will get locked out of content with just one playthrough and because a playthrough is around 15+hrs, it might become a chore replaying to see all scenes. It is worth it though, because some key moments changing will give you new insight to the story.

For completionists, there’s a scene and picture gallery - along with a picture puzzle game in some of the scenes. You look at certain scenes where the game tells you about a clue, you find it and you get a picture reward. It’s simple, but adds a layer to the investigative nature of the story. There's a lot of bonus content to be discovered, sometimes even alternate content or throwbacks to Depraved Awakening, Phillygames' earlier work.


OVERALL
City of Broken Dreamers is an outstanding, exceptional visual novel and a feat in Noir Cyberpunk storytelling. It looks great, sounds the part and makes you feel a lot of things. If you can invest time and energy to understand the world the story is set in, you will get a rich, full experience from this novel. A world that is begging for more stories because there’s just so much happening it is easy to get overloaded. Take your time, expect standard endings and you will enjoy this giant of a game like the omega prime it is.

Rating: 9/10
Developer: PhillyGames

This game made it onto the Top Picks! list.