Basic Information
- Official Title: Artificial Selection (Demo Version)
- Developer: KigyoDev
- Publisher: Nutaku Publishing
- Regional Launch Dates: NA/EU/ASIA 2024-06-20
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
- Genre Tags: Visual Novel, Escape Room Puzzle, Psychological Thriller, LGBTQ+ Friendly, Choice-Driven Narrative
- Social Channels: Official Discord, Patreon Supporter Program, Steam Community Hub
In-Depth Review
This mystery visual novel hybrid challenges players with cerebral escape room sequences while exploring complex themes of criminal rehabilitation. Set in a dystopian future where capital punishment meets gamified social experiments, fourteen alleged offenders must collaborate and betray to survive collective judgment.
The escape room mechanics showcase clever environmental puzzles requiring pattern recognition and logical deduction. Players alternate between first-person puzzle solving and visual novel segments featuring branching dialogue trees. Strategic relationship-building with other participants proves crucial, as character affinity levels directly impact voting outcomes during elimination debates.
KigyoDev’s signature bisexual lighting palette creates striking visual contrast between sterile facility environments and character portraits. The current demo version contains four multi-stage escape sequences tied to psychological profiling missions. Each puzzle solution reveals character backstories through environmental storytelling, gradually exposing the facility’s connection to governmental behavior modification programs.
Early access players praise the nuanced portrayal of moral ambiguity through diverse character archetypes. The social deduction elements force difficult choices between self-preservation and group cohesion, with multiple endings tracking relationship matrices. Performance optimization allows smooth operation on mid-range systems, though controller support remains experimental in Linux builds.
Ongoing development introduces monthly content updates expanding romantic subplots and puzzle complexity. Community feedback drives quality-of-life improvements like adjustable text speed and puzzle hint systems. The Steam demo’s flowchart feature enables non-linear narrative exploration, though completionists report 8-13 hours for full route mapping.
Game Link: Artificial Selection (Demo Version)
