Headliner: NoviNews Reviews
A few niggles aside, Headliner: NoviNews is a smart and impactful game with a tonne of replayability. While it’s set in a fictional land featuring fictional characters and fictional news, it’s easy to draw parallels with the news agencies of our own countries, holding up a mirror to the way news is reported and the spin that is applied to facts. Exploring the ramifications of your decisions and what information you disseminate to the public, whether that’s becoming a state sponsored outlet or sticking to your responsibilities to provide impartial news, is fascinating. Headliner: NoviNews is an easy recommendation to anyone who fancies something a little bit different.
It's evident that the team at Unbound Creations is refining the idea of taking tough political issues and making them interesting, digestible, and thought provoking, creating something special and potentially significant.
Headliner: NoviNews’ take on news outlets and the influence they have on the world is both intriguing and frightening, with the many outcomes of the actions you take in the game proving that the world is ultimately shaped by the things that people see in the news. It makes for a unique and enjoyable gameplay experience too, though it is one that’s hampered by a lack of depth over repeated playthroughs. There’s no denying that I enjoyed my time with the game though and seeing the many different outcomes of the actions I made was pretty eye-opening. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself tiring of the repeated gameplay formula by the time you get to your third or fourth playthrough.
Headliner: NoviNews has some good intentions and can be very good during some sections of gameplay, but an oversimplified political system and lacklustre art and sound directions prevent the game from fulfilling its full potential. Having said that, it can still be a good entry point for people who want to get into the world of politics in a more meaningful way.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Headliner is a nice change up from the conventional visual novel style game. It has a deep and immersive story, decisions that matter, and a nice level of replay value. The game will most likely only take 1-2 hours, per playthrough, but as long as you enjoy replaying the story then that shouldn’t be an issue. I would definitely recommend checking Headliner out.
Headliner: NoviNews is a great achievement that could be considered a genuine jewel among independent games today. It doesn't only have unique gameplay, but also an engaging story and the ability to significantly influence the story with many different decisions.
Review in Slovak | Read full review