Betrayal at Club Low Critic Reviews

A bespoke table top adventure brought to digital life, Betrayal At Club Low is incredibly well designed and a lot of quirky fun. Like a battle of whits against a dungeon master that’s determined to make you smile as much as they are to defeat you, Betrayal At Club Low is a dark horse for sleeper hit of the year.

It feels like an experiment, but beyond merely proving that its innovations work, Betrayal at Club Low also manages to be an entertaining experience. This, along with games like Citizen Sleeper, is raising my expectations for RPG dialogue. That it manages to present itself as a complete narrative and aesthetic package is mind-blowing. This is a game I won’t soon forget and one you shouldn’t pass up.

Betrayal at Club Low is another rush of creativity from Cosmo D, an original blend of various genres that you love.

Betrayal at Club Low is a masterclass in artful innovation. It gives the player a lot more interactivity and agency than its predecessor, Tales From Off Peak City, and in the process totally re-invents the entire point n’ click adventure genre. Trying out such a bold new gameplay style was a big gamble, but it’s a roll of the dice that’s won big.

This game took my expectations and flipped them all upside down with ease. From the music to the characters, the gameplay, the design of the world, and its wonderfully weird aesthetic. I really did not expect to enjoy the game as much as I did, and I can easily recommend it.

Betrayal at Club Low might not the best-looking game and its gameplay might sometimes feel limited or unfair. But the game has plenty of weirdness, a clear goal, great moments, and the ability to get players to explore, take risks, and deal with failure. A small universe and well-defined mechanics make this one of the first titles I have played through three times (with another run planned) in quite some time. The title could benefit from a decrease in the difficulty of the first sequence before gamers actually get into the club, but its other limitations are clear and well-communicated. I encourage players who like a good narrative and dice-focused gameplay to get past the limited graphics and potential initial failures to see as much as possible of what Betrayal at Club Low has to offer.

Betrayal at Club Low may seem odd initially, but it works its magic on you. The dice mechanics can seem daunting, and the luck-based play might not be for everyone, but the game does more than enough to ease you into it, with some generous hint systems and a grace period before death. The freedom to do whatever hair-brained scheme you can think of and a cast of strange-looking but relatable characters are more than enough motivation to keep going. The 11 endings and the generally short playtime means that going for another run isn't too difficult. Unless you don't like adventure games, Betrayal at Club Low is well worth playing.

Throughout, going through the same motions hardly dulls the sheen of Cosmo D’s latest clever and wholly invigorating gaming experiment.

The game looks like crap, is absurd at times and essentially shitty. And yet, we had a great time with indie game Betrayal at Club Low. Don't expect flashy action, but pointed dialogue and a whole lot of absurdity. Or how about characters who rise to the sky like a rocket with both middle fingers in the air when you've convinced them to give up their seats? After about two hours of this nonsense, you reach the end, but there are multiple possible outcomes that invite you to play again and again. With the funky beats of the soundtrack, this is by no means a punishment.

A spy story full of demented humor and surreal situations.

A hybrid role-playing adventure game with high replayability and stunning 3D environments. In Betrayal At Club Low, players can customize their character and approach missions differently, using a dice mechanic that adds (not always welcome) randomness.

Betrayal At Club Low does a great job at providing a new take in the point-and-click adventure genre. Being able to choose your own methods of resolving the situation is fun and gives the player a sense of control. Failure is rarely permanent, and you can always keep trying until you succeed. There isn’t much in terms of replay value unless you are someone who aims for 100% completion. It’s a nice game for 2-3 hours, but you are likely not revisiting the game for anything remarkable later.

This narrative-driven dice game from Cosmo D is packed full of his signature visual and musical motifs, and loosely picks up your pizzaiolo/secret agent journey from 2020's Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1.

I already knew that Cosmo D could make games which tell fascinating and fun stories in a world I want to explore. I'm thrilled to now learn that Cosmo D can also make a game which makes me consider moves carefully as I enjoy mastering a system. I have no idea where he might go after this, and will be delighted to see.