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Review
You've been informed about a photography contest.
A contest where participants explore abandoned buildings to photograph "something never meant to be seen." Sounds like your idea of fun. Following a map found on Reddit, you sneak into an abandoned underground train station in hopes of finding the perfect shot.
Gameplay
Gameplay involves exploring the station, including a non-moving train. The player is armed with a camera that can take 10 photos, all of which will be submitted to the contest and determine your score at the end of the game. You meet characters along the way and open doors that you’re not meant to open.
Implementation needs work, especially with guess-the-verb challenges that stand in the way of solving otherwise easy puzzles. This occurs primarily with using the key cards to unlock doors and combining the carabiner with the rope.
Overall, there are rough areas that could be smoothed out. For instance, the game never acknowledges the backpack it claims you have:
>take carabiner
Carabiners have many uses besides rock climbing. You toss it in your backpack.
>x backpack
You can't see any such thing.
It's also possible to pick up the vending machine.
You are carrying:
a vending machine (closed)
Nonetheless, I did enjoy the puzzles and the colour-coded tunnels. There are several get-past-the-locked-door puzzles, but they are fairly self-explanatory. I also like how there are two ways of (Spoiler - click to show)bypassing the door that leads to the green tunnel.
Story/Characters
I was initially frustrated by the characters because the game seems to shoehorn the player's actions with them. There's a lot of "maybe you should do such and such first before [your desired action]" which can strip the gameplay of its dimension.
>x key card
A small dark blue card, about the size of a credit card. It appears to be significantly worn from years of riding around in the officer's uniform.
>take it
You feel like you'd better ask about the card first. It's the polite thing to do.
Only for us to lull the officer to sleep so we can steal it. Not so polite, after all.
Plus, characters’ behavior did not seem entirely rational- suspiciously tailored to the player’s task. In fact, you can skip the Lily puzzle if you already know about (Spoiler - click to show)Barry. She has no other stake in the game.
(Spoiler - click to show)Then it's revealed that they are actors. The entire contest is a social experiment, one that you couldn’t resist. In other words, you took the bait!
You shake your head in disbelief as they all smile at you, breaking character and laughing and joking amongst themselves.
This was a cool moment.
Suddenly, the odd, scripted behavior of these NPCs made sense, as did the conveniently placed items found throughout the train station. On the surface, their placement is contrived... but the reveal provides needed clarity. This was brilliant twist that puts things into context.
Oh, and the “contest” organizers intend to erase your memory of the entire ordeal. Maybe we should have read the fine print on that consent form we signed…
(Also: Rat Man was fun. 'RATTY' Ralph from Gerbil Riot of '67 came to mind when I saw him.)
Final thoughts
Clickbait has a strong overarching premise and builds on the appeal of sneaking into places we’re not supposed to be. The protagonist is clearly psyched to win the competition, and this enthusiasm is conveyed in the gameplay. That said, the quality is hindered by rough implementation, largely with guess-the-verb.
It’s not a seamless game, but the author seems to have put a lot of thought and care into its creation. It doesn’t take long play, and the twist at the end gives it greater depth than what appears on the surface.
