I honestly didn’t know much about They Suspect Nothing before I demoed it at PAX West this year. All I knew was I had become a fan of developer Coatsink the previous year after playing Shu, and I was willing to help them out with some more coverage. Given the choice between mutant dogs and robot hilarity, this old Mega Man fan stuck with the machines and tried out They Suspect Nothing: Overclocked.
When I said I didn’t know much about the game prior to the demo, that includes the fact that this was a VR game. Luckily, I have discovered that I’m not overly bothered by nausea when playing VR games, so I strapped in and buckled up. The premise of the game is that you’re a human living in a society full of murderous robots. Pretty much all the other humans are gone, so your goal is to prove you’re one of the machines. How, you ask? By doing completely non-human tasks, such as directing traffic or firing lasers at planets. Yes, it’s a silly game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but thankfully the mini games are very well made.
Though it took a bit to get the hang of the basic controls, once I did, I really enjoyed They Suspect Nothing. Every mini game came with an optional tutorial, and once I had that selected, things were as simple as monkey see, monkey do (or robot, as the case may be). I liked how intuitive the controls were, such as pointing to things, clicking to select them and then moving them elsewhere. A simple press of another button would change selections, such as alternating between a stamp and a hammer in one mini game. Perhaps my favorite was hurling meteors at a mock up of a planet, but all the games I played in my 45 minute demo were delightful.
It is also worth mentioning that the art design in the game is fantastic, a mixture of menacing and mirthful. Frankly, They Suspect Nothing is the perfect example of what a VR title is capable of. It was engrossing, intuitive and fun. Coatsink have done a great job with this one, and the Overclocked DLC adds new mini games to keep you playing, as well as new suits for your character. Best of all, They Suspect Nothing is really inexpensive. So if you can experience VR gaming on Steam or PS4, you should definitely give this one a whirl.
