Annapurna started the year brightly with the release of Mixtape – one of the highest scoring games of the year. Renowned for an indie approach and A-grade storytelling, all eyes soon shifted to future releases. D-Topia by Marumittu Games is that next title, a puzzle game mixed with a life sim that thrusts AI into the spotlight as the backdrop to a setting full of intrigue. Working as a facilitator known only by number (046) sees you arrive in the futuristic hub with a home and a job. Where Mixtape focused on the power of music and nostalgia (looking back) D-topia very much looks forward, posing many questions of morality along the way.
The structure of the game operates in daily cycles. Once you’ve found your home, you’ll be able to eat, sleep, clean and decorate. Venturing outside will see a range of other characters going about their day. Your role is to head to work as a facilitator and complete a range of puzzle tasks before moving on to the more ‘life sim’ aspects. The puzzles start fairly easy and work their way up in difficulty. This usually involves moving a number from one side of the screen to the next, needing to follow a certain path for success. Most of these puzzles can be finished fairly quickly once the rules of the game are clear to you, and it does feel like the role intended for this type of character. Options are available to complete more than your quota, which I always did, for bonuses. Once done, it’s time to explore.
The narrative moves in places I did not expect when I booted up the game. You’ll see your affinity increase with NPCs based on dialogue selections. Morality becomes key. One of the first missions sees you fix something in a shop and it becomes clear that a certain character caused the issue. You can choose to have them punished or give them another shot. Your choices impact these characters greatly and will feed into the type of playthrough intended, though there are many points that can be a challenge to know what really is best. It’s that intrigue that really remains for the opening few hours before confidence overrides the unknown.
The graphics (I played on Switch 2) are very unique, splashed in either a white tone or a dark tone (much like that of the Smartphone) depending on which system you are navigating through. I couldn’t help but take dozens of screenshots when finding new areas, always impressed by the originality despite being so focused on telling an AI story in an AI world. The sounds are fairly minimal, set to relaxing, and I found my favourite moments of play were on the handheld in bed.
The game is gently paced. Nothing is ever stressful and the puzzles can be completed without worry of a time limit. The purpose of AI here is to maximise happiness, and I genuinely felt that this was clear in approach despite the many character challenges. It was not a game I could play for long periods due to such a chilled out vibe, pace and process – though it is not a long game overall.
D-Topia was a great palette cleanser following some expansive open-world reviews, providing a good balance of life simulation (eat, sleep, decorate, make friends) and puzzles that can be quite addictive. Its slow pace may put some people off, especially fans of Mixtape that had constant new mini-games and story beats. But on the Switch 2 it was an enjoyable experience that delves into the role of AI very well, showing clear maturity in its approach.
Pros
- Puzzles are enjoyable
- Relaxing vibe
- Minimalist colour palette works
Cons
- Can be a bit too slow at times
- Repetition creeps in
