Divide

Release Date: January 31, 2017

Adventure, science fiction, isometric view, action adventure, singleplayer

4.6

OpenCritic

33%

Steam

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An isometric action-adventure game taking place in a science-fiction universe inspired by Blade Runner. The plot of Divide tells a story of an ordinary man named David, who has to leave his daughter and enter a new realm, controlled by Vestige, a powerful corporation. His objective is to search for various clues and hack into computer systems to discover the reasons behind his current situation, and to find a way back to his world.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical Aspects

Divide is an isometric action-adventure game taking place in a science fiction universe clearly inspired by Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. The game was developed exclusively for PC and PS4 by Exploding Tuba Studios, a debuting team spearheaded by Chris Tilton, a composer known from creating soundtracks for SimCity or Assassin’s Creed: Unity, as well as Fringe – a popular TV series.

Plot

The plot of Divide focuses on an ordinary man named David, who as a result of an unexplained series of events finds himself in a strange and completely alien research complex owned by Vestige, a sprawling corporation governing a futuristic metropolis. Our task is to search for clues, and hack various computer systems to discover the reasons for his alleged abduction, and find a way back home. However, in this strange, unfamiliar land, some things may not be what they seem, while David has to constantly decide which of these details can be useful, and which of them are lies or propaganda.

Mechanics

The game is a variation of a science-fiction dungeon crawler, but is more story- and character-oriented that most games of the genre. During our playthroughs, the hero takes care of exploring, solving puzzles, finding various tips and documents, drawing conclusions and making decisions that influence the further course of the story. We are dealing with an action-adventure game – the game contains combat sequences, but they are not the flesh of the game, as our protagonist is weak and poorly armed, making him unable to face groups of guards in an open encounter – we’ll do much better if we’d sneaked behind their backs and took over the security systems in the area.

Technical Aspects

When it comes to mechanics, Divide is an attempt to create a modern revival of isometric action adventure games, connecting characteristic elements of the genre with modern graphics and gameplay style. In order to achieve that, the developers introduced a control scheme inspired by so called twin-stick shooters, resulting in a console-styled controls based on two analog sticks. The game contains an original soundtrack created by a seasoned composer, Chris Tilton.

Last updated on January 9, 2017

Videos and Screens

[1:54] Divide trailer #1

4.6

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 3% of Critics. There are 16 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

Digitally Downloaded: 4 / 5 by Matthew Codd

Divide is a really good game when it's playing to its strengths. It takes a familiar, played-out sci-fi story and uses mechanics and interactivity to give it a fresh, insightful spin. It's not as nuanced a take as this sort of story needs, but you can't argue with how well Divide's approach works at its best.

Full Review

EGM: 2 / 10 by Ray Carsillo

I can't remember the last time I've seen such a mess of a game. There's a decent story here, but it's buried under so much technical and design shortcomings that it's not worth your time digging to try to find it.

Full Review

Gaming Nexus: 6.5 / 10 by Randy Kalista

Divide doesn’t excite, doesn’t surprise, doesn’t reach out, and doesn’t look in. It tests my patience, wastes your time, and can’t keep its eyes on the prize. The cool architecture is basically copy-pasted to death. And the gameplay, which is thankfully short on bullets, is still rehashed ad infinitum. It's a twin-stick shooter that removed the gunplay but replaced it with little more than checkpoints and crate scrounging. It often feels like there’s no end in sight.

Full Review

33%