The Complex Reviews
The Complex is a decent little sci-fi flick, but its interactive elements only encourage you to dig deeper into a story and a gimmick that can’t withstand any real scrutiny.
The Complex is a decently serviceable FMV game that has an ambitious relationship mechanic that drives choices forward. However, with some odd presentation choices and limited freedoms, this feels more like a midday movie matinee than a crowd-pleasing blockbuster.
There's a place for FMV games like The Complex, but this effort is both poorly written and performed. You'll tire of the cast long before you reach the release's credits, and while the title does include various branches in its story, it generally feels like you're on autopilot for the most part. If you're desperate for a live action experience, the PS4 already has much better alternatives to this.
Bridging film and video game, interactive movies are a niche format. However, with most of us having a lot more time on our hands during lockdown, now may be the time to give this hybrid genre more attention. Removing many of the annoyances FMV adventures are associated with, and featuring strong production values, The Complex is a solid entry point, even if it's far more enjoyable as a choose-your-own adventure experience than film entertainment.
Performances are mostly solid aside from the main protagonist, but the lacklustre script with a severe lack of character development aside from large amounts of exposition make it difficult to really care about any of them. Some of the endings are quite abrupt, leaving an unsatisfying finish. I find it unlikely that The Complex will win fans over to the genre, but those who do have a dedication may find something to enjoy.
A sharp, smartly written interactive thriller, with not a single one-dimensional character in sight, The Complex is (despite its theme) a joy to experience.
The Complex feels like a moderately entertaining super-low budget science fiction film – the first time. After that, it becomes apparent that the "interactive" part of this interactive film is just fluff, until the very end. At that point, the game slams you into an ending that feels a bit unearned. The Complex is a fun enough way to spend an evening with family or friends, but don't expect any longevity out of it.
The Complex attempts to fuse Bandersnatch and Until Dawn and fails abysmally. Meaningless decision-making about characters that are impossible to care about makes what could have been a boring movie actively bad.
The Complex on Xbox One is a good sci-fi experience that delivers a decent tale about pharma-terrorism with many complex and interesting themes running throughout. The production values, acting and the script are all very good and it’s a very enjoyable yarn, with all this helped by the fact that there are several different – and hugely interesting – outcomes in place. But the actual choice-driven gameplay has not been able to make me feel connected to the story enough
The Complex is a well crafted interactive movie with a story that will initially hook you. As you lead Amy's decision making through the story, some moments can feel a bit out there or character motivations unclear, but it's a satisfying experience overall and it will scratch that sci-fi thriller itch.
The Complex offers a fun and engaging personalised movie experience, and demands the attention and immersion of the player in its decision-making interactive elements. Its budget is small, so set your expectations accordingly, but if you’re in withdrawal after Bandersnatch and need another hit of choose-your-own-adventure, you can’t go too wrong with this, while we wait for the film and games industries to catch up.
The Complex is desperately lacking the narrative meat necessary to support its promising presentation, so only the most ardent FMV game fans need apply.
The story and acting are superb and with so many endings it's almost impossible to predict how each decision will play out and affect the overall conclusion. A must play for fans of live-action games.
A lot of visual polish is not enough to cover for a product where the minimum of effort has been placed in every other component. There are far better interactive movies more deserving of your time and money. Even Night Trap was more interesting.
The Complex is yet another chapter in the long contamination story between cinema and video games. Wales Interactive gave birth to an interesting interactive experience, yet the writing could have been a little deeper.
Review in Italian | Read full review
An interactive movie that tries to tell a relevant tale of near-future Britain but is marred by characters that lack credibility and a story free from dramatic tension.
There are some components that seem unnecessary, and some settings that could be improved upon, but The Complex is absolutely a game I will recommend again and again.
As far as FMV games go, The Complex sits among one of the best I’ve played this generation. With almost 200 scenes to discover, nine endings, multiple branches and pathways, and a tracker keeping tabs on your Relationship status with all the other characters, this game was aptly named as it’s rather ‘complex’. The entire experience felt like I was simply watching a film on TV, only I was the director, telling the actors what to do and how to proceed. I’d highly recommend this game to all fans of FMV titles and those looking for something they can casually play through on their own or with their family.
The Complex can be enjoyed as a decent B movie, with its poorly written plot and cheap visual effects. The actors do their job though and there is a real replay value, since the choices made thourough the game have real consequences on the conclusion, with nine different endings to get.
Review in French | Read full review
While you can't fault the visuals and the effort put in to try and mask the evident budget limitations, that cutting of corners vibe is sadly something that plays into The Complex one too few many times.