Twin Mirror Reviews
Twin Mirror is an interesting twist It has fabulous ideas such as the metaphorical and visual representation of the character's mental problems, Without the episodic format ends up offering a very run-down story in which more restraint is needed to delve into the characters and their relationships.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Twin Mirror begins with an intriguing set-up but, disappointingly, ends up going nowhere.
The building tension and well-written characters make this small town mystery captivating, but it bites off more than it can chew in its rushed depiction of a man struggling with his mental health
Twin Mirror is a good psychological thriller that knows how to tease player's curiosity. Too bad the project is not so ambitious, with underdeveloped gameplay mechanics and too many forced choices.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Twin Mirror's concise narrative and innovative detective gameplay is heartfelt and earnest, though the small-scale, personal story is left open-ended.
As DONTNOD's first self-published game, the effort that's gone into Twin Mirror's world building should be commended. Between the added gameplay elements introduced by The Double and Sam's Mind Palace, not to mention the colourful cast of characters living in Basswood, Twin Mirror had my attention from the get-go, but its short length prevents it from delivering an emotional journey comparable with anything the studio has done before.
A dramatic, emotive and affecting interactive drama that shows Dontnod are still the masters of branching narrative and serious-minded storytelling.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Twin Mirror is the rare game where I love the world, premise, and characters, but can't actually professionally recommend it. The foundation was laid, but a good story needs more than just the building blocks. In hindsight, following Life is Strange's episodic model might've worked wonders here, as it would've bought Dontnod extra development time along the way. All throughout Twin Mirror, people complain that Higgs abandoned Basswood and won't spend any time there. As it turns out, we need to spend more time in Basswood too.
Twin Mirror is a frustratingly uneven adventure that left me with surprisingly little to reflect on.
Twin Mirror is a teaser for an exciting adventure that it never delivers. There are some good ideas here, like the interesting Mind Palace world and a helpful imaginary twin, but they needed to be expanded. Ultimately it has a short and bland story, with minimal interaction, limited player choice, and a lack of memorable characters.
Dontnod Entertainment delivers a great adventure based on the same elements we loved in Life is Strange or Tell Me Why; a good story, full of complex characters and adult themes. The main addition to the formula, The mind palace, works great for mystery solving.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Relying on great narrative ideas, Twin Mirror turns out to be less compelling on the gameplay side, especially during the investigation sequences. The main plot is not very captivating as the real focus of the game is put on the moral dilemmas of Sam, with the Double and the Mind Palace, manifestations of its mental wanderings.
Review in French | Read full review
Twin Mirror has some great ideas, including a visually and narratively appealing Mind Palace system, but the weakness of its main character and its "tell don't show" method of storytelling drag the whole endeavor down.
Awkward, riddled with plot holes and unintentionally offensive, this is Dontnod's worst offering to date.
Twin Mirror won't win any awards for creativity or interesting narrative choices, but it's strong themes that tie the entire experience together make it well worth the price of admission.
DONTNOD’s self-publishing debut is a worthwhile experience. Twin Mirror is anchored by a fascinating, unraveling mystery and its complex relationships between characters. Though our protagonist feels a bit generic, his unique abilities add a solid spice to gameplay. DONTNOD continues to be an expert at crafting unique and engaging stories.
Its brevity aside, Twin Mirror is an investigative thriller worth playing. A more grown-up story than Dontnod’s other narrative endeavours, it’ll keep you glued to your screen as you unravel its dark mysteries. Sam is an intriguing and complex protagonist, and the people he meets along the way are equally rich and realistic. It’s just hard to shake that feeling of disappointment, though, when it all gets wrapped up a bit too quickly.
Ambitious and extremely intelligent in creating a playful and narrative system that is always consistent, Twin Mirror has proved to be a fascinating title. A psychological thriller capable of telling the dark side of the American province by talking first of all about people, and what drives them to act in certain ways.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Twin Mirror is something of a mixed bag. Dontnod has introduced some great concepts and strong visuals, and there's certainly potential within its characters and mechanics. However, it's let down by its lack of depth, a problem exacerbated by its compacted run time and occasionally awkward dialogue. Fans of narrative adventures will still want to give this one a shot as reception to its story will certainly vary, but it's best avoided by those who already have reservations about this style of game.
Twin Mirror's solid character work and strong environments are shortchanged by pacing problems that undermine much of what it does well.