To those acquainted with Supermassive’s previous title, Until Dawn, some elements of Hidden Agenda are instantly familiar. It’s a choice driven game, with a strong emphasis on the story, and rather impressive motion capture. However, Hidden Agenda is also a game that you can play with friends, and the primary way of controlling it is through your smartphone.
As part of the PlayLink suite of games, Hidden Agenda requires you to install a companion app, which controls and navigates the game. You can play the game solo if you want to, or you can play it with friends, with everyone making choices via their phones. The app is really easy to install and the overall setup is fairly simple. This makes this a compelling party game, where players can easily join in, and player choices shape the game’s narrative significantly enough to get invested in.
Choices appear on screen in the form of square boxes, and each layer needs to drag their respective dots into the choice they want to make. You also get power-ups along the way that can override other players’ decisions and so on.
The plot revolves around a serial killer on the loose. A District Attorney and a Police officer are investigating the case, with both having different convictions about the killer’s motives. It’s an interesting story, told exceptionally well via great visual and acting. The power of Unreal Engine 4 really shines through in how great Hidden Agenda looks.
It’s not a very long game though, and you’ll be able to get through the story in a couple hours. It’s meant to be enjoyed the same way you would enjoy a movie with friends, and it’s a great experience for that.
Depending on the choices you make, there are multiple outcomes and different revelations. To see everything you’ll need to replay the whole game multiple times. I would have like a chapter select to go through quickly and clean up trophies, but given how short the game is, it’s not much of a complaint.
I really enjoyed Hidden Agenda, and so did my friends who played along with me. It’s a really interesting experience, and the story focus makes everyone playing even more invested in seeing the outcome they are interested in. PlayLink works really well, and is easy to set up, and I would love to see what other developers can do with it.
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