Twin Mirror

Twin Mirror’s inconsistent presentation and short length contaminate its otherwise excellent story-telling and solid detective gameplay to a degree, but thankfully, it still manages to land on its feet as a respectable narrative-focused adventure.

Dontnod knows how to tell stories to the people. Especially blurred and complicated ones. Twin Mirror is a good experience.

If you can live with a weak protagonist, some questionable design decisions and pixel hunting segments, then expect Twin Mirror to be a rather good detective game. What we can say is that spending time with Twin Miror is much more interesting than with Life is Strange 2, that suffred greatly from snail-like pacing.

Twin Mirror has one of Dontnod's most engrossing stories with a conclusion that reflects the moral ambiguity of living in a small community. However, this narrative and its characters are hurt by a frustrating Mind Palace gameplay mechanic that isn't utilised to its full potential until the end of the game. Twin Mirror has its strengths but the game staring back at you through the reflection of the screen isn't always reaching its full potential.

Although not as strong as some of DONTNOD’s previous efforts, Twin Mirror is still a solid Interactive Drama which includes some interesting mechanics. The introduction of the Mind Palace is great but is unfortunately underutilized. However, even with pacing issues, the intriguing story and characters will keep you hooked.

Dontnod is known for its engaging storytelling and interesting gameplay mechanics. Twin Mirror succeeds in the former, though we could’ve done with a less predictable ending. The gameplay, however, isn’t exactly as good as we’ve come to expect from this developer. Somehow, everything feels rather limited, due to your choices not having much influence. Shame, cause in the end the story remains worth experiencing.

Without being unpleasant to follow, the escapade in the psychological thriller of Twin Mirror does not manage to engage the player enough in its stakes to be completely unforgettable, even if the amateurs of the genre should still find what they are looking for.

Twin Mirror is a disappointing title, with a mediocre story and uninspiring characters, and some gameplay features aside, there isn't much to talk about there either. It's not necessarily a bad game but it's far below the standards set by Dontnod in their previous titles such as Life is Strange and Vampyr.

Twin Mirror is a beautiful-looking game but doesn't have the same narrative punch that made previous games from Dontnod so memorable.

It’s a shame that Twin Mirror manages to create such a compelling and interesting opening but just doesn’t manage to stick the landing. It definitely didn’t take me on the same kind of emotional journey as some of DONTNOD’s previous games, and unfortunately I found myself not really caring too much about Sam or the residents of Basswood.

Twin Mirror’s foundation of returning home to a tragedy after leaving because of a tragedy doesn’t work. The characters are as forgettable as the story, and the mystery is handed to you on a silver platter as you make your way through the narrative. Nothing makes you want to finish the game, which is sad because I did enjoy the more mature tone of the characters that deviated from what we are used to seeing from the developer.

Is Dontnod Entertainment a one-hit wonder? It seems so, judging by those past few years. Twin Mirror is a bang average adventure game you’ll finish in one forgettable afternoon.

Sam is implied to be neurodivergent, and is forced to pick between masking his differences for a happy ‘normal’ life or living authentically but miserably in a forced existence. Twin Mirror is bleak, often flawed and far from Dontnod’s best work – case closed. [Issue#184, p.91]