Impostor Factory Critic Reviews

Yet another masterpiece by Kan Gao, probably the most solid and balanced overall. The story of Quincy and Lynri passes through regrets, remorse, fears and IF. Gao's writing is always impeccable and is capable of never falling into the banal, even when it touches themes already abused in the medium and in narration in general. So far my very personal best game of the year.

Writing a review for games like this feels bizarre to me, because synthesizing the work down to a number honestly feels wrong. It’s akin to going into an art gallery and scoring each painting or sculpture, and while that seems like I’m laying the praise on a bit thick, I genuinely feel this way. Whenever I’ve been in a slump or felt lost, a good book or movie with something to say has always been the best prescription. Impostor Factory can be that antidote for those who need it. Thank you, Kan, and thank you, Freebird Games. You’ve created an outstanding trilogy, and I absolutely, unequivocally, cannot wait to see what you do next. You have a supporter for life.

It’s really unfair assign a mark to this game. It’s unfair not because it’s a bad game, but because it’s complex and almost disrespectful to crush this work into a sterile number. A videogame that is also a “non-videogame”, and it knowingly turns this flaw into strength, telling us a love story that turns into a reflection upon reality and the nature of choosing, surrounding it with a beautiful painting done with pixels.

Impostor Factory teases and deceives, involves and strangles. It doesn't have the destabilizing power of To The Moon, nor the brain balance of Finding Paradise, but that's okay.

Impostor Factory offers yet another tear-jerking, emotional roller coaster with murder mystery flair. The very definition of bittersweet, Impostor Factory’s emotional climax will only make sense to those familiar with the series, so if this is your first foray into the franchise, please grab To The Moon and Finding Paradise first before diving into this sentimental adventure. Where To the Moon sought fantasy from reality and Finding Paradise sought reality from fantasy, Impostor Factory blends them together in a beautifully unexpected way, reminding us to live life while we have it. If you want a wonderfully well-written story with fully fleshed out characters and thoughtfully choreographed scenes that feel charmingly cinematic, please play Impostor Factory (after To The Moon and Finding Paradise, of course!).

Impostor Factory doesn't punch emotionally like To The Moon and Finding Paradise, but Kan Gao's and Freebird Games' skills are still intact.

Impostor Factory clearly shows the growth of its author. The topics dealt with may not fit everyone's tastes, just as we definitely feel the void left by the sparkling interactions between the two protagonists of the previous chapters; however, Kan Gao seems to have clear ideas about the direction his saga is taking, as well as an increasingly refined talent for causing emotional devastation to the players.

Freebird games have always been funny in a gentle way that doesn’t clash with the games’ tender yet challenging emotional core. In Impostor Factory, the team has taken a big swing by including full-on horror, as well as a complex meta-story involving the nature of science and time itself. And the humor is both slapstick and risky, letting players release tension as they explore the gore and mind-bending moral conundrums posed by the game’s story. The boxing cat and the sentient rice cooker are a welcome bonus.

Impostor Factory is a surprisingly beautiful game that questions what it means to have a meaningful life. It tells a cyclical narrative that still manages to feel honest and emotionally raw. It works best if you go into it with as little information as possible, so I won’t say much more than that on how the story unfolds. It is a bit predictable and slow moving. Still it tells incredibly competent story that surprised me with how evocative it was. In the end, the bits of sc-fi and the explanation of an AI-driven time loop were the perfect additions to a game so deeply entrenched in human emotion. Impostor Factory knows what it’s about and delivers on that point.

Impostor Factory is another incredibly written and deeply emotional story from Freebird Games. The game is in some ways a victim of diminishing returns, but still delivers laughs and tears aplenty.

This is Freebird's best work, a narrative driven game emotionally packed, but also full of humor and great characters.

Looking better than ever but reducing the gameplay elements even further, Impostor Factory manages to weave a supernatural time travel murder mystery starring a whole new character into the series’ existing tapestry, giving the game a unique-yet-familiar flavor.

On its own, Impostor Factory is a decent adventure with occasionally interesting story elements and mostly enjoyable dialogue. But as part of the otherwise great series, it's a disappointing misstep.

With few exceptions (the Black Mirror episode San Junipero comes to mind), stories about imaginary worlds tend to be self-critical about the fantasy they want to conjure. Fleeing into a fantasy world is a form of escapism that needs to be condemned, even when the challenges of the fantasy world are no easier than reality. The Lost Boys of Peter Pan return to their home. The kids in Narnia go back into the wardrobe. The annoying hero of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance destroys the game's setting to return to the real world. The fantasy can be tolerated only when it dares admit its self-indulgent nature, like in the isekai genre...Impostor Factory is another of those rare exceptions: a game that cheerfully posits that a fake, imaginary life can be as fulfilling, precious and valid as a real one. And isn't this why we all play videogames, after all?