We get a guided day of the life tour of gym instructor Ronnie at Gamescom
Image credit:Paradox Interactive
Image credit:Paradox Interactive
Ronnie’s home artwork is just… chefkiss.gif. Get me a print of that cow, stat. |Image credit:Paradox Interactive
A mild argument ensued, including checks notes use of the word “Vexplanation”, but instead of potentially damaging Ronnie’s relationship with this person, they were actually just thrilled Ronnie was paying attention to them. You see, unbeknownst to Culver, this person had already been observing Ronnie from afar and had built up a romantic interest in her, so they were just pleased as punch that words were being spoken at them at all, rather than Ronnie’s continued stony silence. Oh good, I thought at the time. There are stalkers here, too, brilliant.
I jest, of course (slightly). It wasn’t clear from our demo just what form this process of ‘observation’ takes - nor were our handlers prepared to expand on the subject - so I hope it won’t be quite as overt as these weirdos following you down the street and sitting outside your house from weeks on end (although given the conga line ofotherfolks who followed Ronnie home during our demo session, standing ominously around her in a circle while Culver was desperately trying to show us how to garden and pick flowers to later arrange in a vase once we got inside, maybe they will, in fact, dog your every footstep). It’s hard to say at this point.
I suspect it will be more subtle than that. Just as our demo was coming to a close, Ronnie received an email from her boss asking her why she’d left work in the middle of the day. Culver had wanted to demonstrate how to cook a meal from one of the many individual recipes the game will have at launch, deciding to give Ronnie a half day in the process, but one of Ronnie’s coworkers had clocked her skipping out early and posted about it on their in-game social media feed. This feed will occasionally ping with updates from other humans you’ve met in the top right corner of the screen, and when I asked Paradox Tectonic’s studio director of marketing King Choi about the role it would play in the game, he explained that this is their way of letting you know what else is happening outside the world of Ronnie’s immediate vicinity. Technically, she could march straight back to work and confront that coworker about why they dobbed her into their boss, he tells me, but I think it’s more emblematic of how this ‘observing’ process will be done silently in the background - much like how our stalker chap had built up that one-sided relationship with Ronnie without her knowing.
A list of events will appear onscreen, giving you prompts about what tasks you might want to complete, but you’re also free to ignore them completely. |Image credit:Paradox Interactive
For more of the latest news and previews from Gamescom 2023, head to ourGamescom 2023 hub. You can also findeverything announced at Opening Night Liveright here.
