2/5 ★ – clunkymechanics's review of Erica.

Completed: September 20 2020 Time to beat: 2 Hours Platform: PlayStation 4 Recommended by @cjfelty3396 I know "interactive movie" is thrown around a lot to refer to different types of games, but Erica is the first conventional interactive movie I have played. Not knowing much going into it I was surprised by the complexity of its systems. Erika is recommended to be played using an accompanying mobile app which allows you to interact with objects during scenes. The fluidity of the app is really great, interacting with objects felt natural and like a nice addition to the game. I did have issues a few times of my mobile app and PS4 becoming disconnected a few times which was a minor inconvenience but easy fix. Erica's story was a bit cheesy for me, the acting was fine but the story was a little bit all over the place. I think this is due in part to the fact the way the branching paths work means you will never see the full story in one playthrough. However, it felt like not using a guide hindered my ability to understand the story at all because story beats seemed to come in at random. I think if I were to recommend playing this to someone else I would recommend using a guide as it will most likely help the story come together more naturally. I only played one playthrough but the ending I got left me with A LOT of questions, so I may have to play a second playthrough (or third) to feel like I have fully completed this game. I liked Erica enough, but I don't think it is a game made for me. I had a hard time focusing on what was happening because films thematically like Erica have a hard time keeping my attention, in addition to the fact the narrative was all jumbled up. I definitely think people more interested in this sort of genre though would enjoy the story. That being said, I am interested in playing a second playthrough to see what is has to offer, so maybe I just bumped my review up a half star for maintaining my curiosity.