My favorite game ever made is LA Noire. There’s nothing quite like that glamorized detective lifestyle – lurking in the shadows, tracking down criminal masterminds, piecing together disparate shreds of evidence to create a full picture. It’s what made 2019’s Disco Elysium so special, and it’s what indie studio Longdue, composed of several former ZA/UM and The Witcher 3 devs, is hoping to recapture in its upcoming RPG, Hopetown. Dropping a brand new Kickstarter that explains more about the world and what we’ll encounter while playing, it’s absolutely earned a spot on my ‘ones to watch’ list.
Something happened five days ago. What? We’re not quite sure – Longdue’s keeping the RPG‘s narrative close to its chest. All we know is that our single goal in Hopetown is to cover it up like the good little journalist we are. Don’t stray from the path, don’t think for yourself: cover it up, and get out of there.
In a post-technology world where a ‘coronal mass ejection’ (when the sun expels magnetic fields and plasma) has left us without phones and computers, the world has returned to mining. In a small, seemingly harmless little hamlet, miners uncovered Quicksilver, an eerie new mineral that makes everything “burn brighter.” It’s brought new life to once desolate plains, but it’s also at the heart of whatever you’ve been sent to investigate.
Your journalistic style will shape your individual ‘class,’ so to speak. There’s Conspiracy, Investigative, Gossip, and Gonzo, with the image below showing the various different routes, as well as their success rates based on your stats, in action. How these play out in-game remains shrouded in shadows (it looks like there’s a Baldur’s Gate 3-style dice-roll system) but I’m sure you’re clever enough to work it out.
But as you meander your way around town asking questions and digging for clues, the world around you will begin to change. Longdue gives the example of a postbox changing location, and a pub seemingly turning into a gambling hall overnight. Your choices will shape not only how people respond to you, but the world itself – Longdue’s calling it “psychogeography,” and I’m kind of obsessed.
Inspired by the likes of Baldur’s Gate, Planescape: Torment, and, of course, Disco Elysium, Hopetown, while reminiscent of its spiritual predecessor, feels completely new. It’s exciting and it’s a bit weird, but it’s absolutely one that’s worth watching. Perhaps that’s just the biased journalist in me talking, though.
There’s a lot going on in Hopetown (both in-game and externally), so it’s worth checking out Longdue’s new Kickstarter campaign. Having achieved its £25,000 goal in just three hours, there are various different tiers on offer, from simple backing all the way up to designer-drawn portraits, invites to the game’s official launch party, and more. You can check it out here.
Longdue notes that it’s “still in the early stages of development,” meaning that the Hopetown release date isn’t likely to arrive for a while. Going on the various backer options, December 2028 is listed as a possible window, but that may also just be a placeholder.
In the meantime, then, check out our list of the best detective games if you’re looking to do some super sleuthing. Alternatively, we have a list of the best PC games ever made, if you’re looking for something that rivals Disco Elysium.
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