Anarchy in the UK

In today’s contest, UK residents can win a Twin Mirror custom Xbox controller, along with a free copy of the game!

Are all you chaps in the UK sad that you can never win physical prizes because most of the contests are US-based? Well, let&r???????????????????????????squo;s change that up a little bit!

We’ve ??got this r??eally awesome custom-made Twin Mirror ;Xbox controller to give away to one lucky UK resident. In addition to the gamepad, you’ll also get a digital copy of the game to tes?t out that new bad boy!

Check out our review of the game for more detailed impressions, but good news — it’s pretty good! Dontnod’s formula is pushed to beyond its normal scope as this?? time they employ straight-up psychological thriller motif. Expect lots of drama, interpersonal relationships in turmoil, and out-there concepts in their newest narrative drama.

Sure, we could just give away the game, but let’s make things more ?interesting. Get your hands on this awesome custom controller and play it in style!

This custom controller of course works on your family of Xbox consoles, but also your PC. And from what I hear, the Xbox controller is the best way to play on PC with a gamepad! Also, just look at it! Since you can’t buy it, you’re gonna have to win it here 🙂

To enter to win, use the widg??et b?elow to leave your name and email address. You can enter daily. Be sure to follow through and earn your bonus entries!

??We have one controller and one digital copy of the game to give out; we’ll draw our winner January 5. Our contest is split between Dtoid and our sister site, PC Invasion. This is a UK contest, and a?s such, you must live on the UK mainland in order to qualify. Better luck next time, USA.

Twin Mirror is available now for consoles and PC.

UK Contest: Win a custom Twin Mirror Xbox controller and a cop?y of the gam?e

The post UK Contest: Win a custom Twin Mirror?? Xbox controller and a copy of the game appeared first on Destructoid.

Not enough time for reflection

Things have gone from bad to worse, from unfortunate?? to bizarre, and from Kinda Suspect to Super Murdery. That's Dontnod's MO, and everyone should know it by now. The French developer loves examining personal relationships, amplifying them through the lens of a much larger conflict, and then heaping an avalanche of emotion on top of it all.

Twin Mirror is Dontnod's first attempt at explicitly leaning into the psychological thriller label, something it toyed with in previous games but never outright committed to. In a lot of ways, it feels like Alan Wake by way of Life is Strange. However, Twin Mirror is also Dontnod's first self-published game and that might be the reason it falls short of its promise. Everything isn't quite alright in the end??.

Twin Mirror (PC [reviewed], PS4, Xbox One)
Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
Publisher: Dontnod Entertainment
Released: December 1, 2020
MSRP: $29.99

Sam Higgs is an investigative journalist who returns to his hometown of Basswood, West Virginia following the death of one of his cl?osest friends. Higgs had a good excuse for running away in the first place. He's a social pariah after the town's coal mine was closed down after he ran an exposé in the local newspaper. Popularity isn't priority number one for a good journalist.

The opening hours of Twin Mirror set a very strong foundation with all the interpersonal ??relationships it introduces. Former bosses, former lovers, goddaughters, people who straight-up hate Higgs' guts -- everyone has an opinion and there's a lot of conversation driving the first act. As someone who tries drawing the best out of all these situations, it almost felt ??????????????????????????insurmountable realizing the odds weren't great that we could get to a place where Higgs restored his reputation with even a fraction of these people.

That dissipated quickly because Dontnod isn't able to build on that foundation. Only a few of those relationships matter by the end, and the rest are never really spoken of again. Once we're whisked off to solve the murder of Higgs' buddy, Twin Mirror barrels toward a conclusion without a whole lot of breathing room given to all the stuff on the periphery. The pacing is very disjointed i??n this sense. Th?e opening act takes its sweet time introducing everyone and their stories; the latter half is mostly only interested in major plot beats happening at a breakneck pace.

Even though it's kneecapped by a short runtime (my playthrough was five or six hours, but felt set up to be much longer), Twin Mirror experiments with some slick evolutions of the Dontnod ??formula. Higgs has the ability to analytically imagine crime scenes in a place that's called his Mind Palace. Here, we get to live out scenarios step by step, lik?e what progression of events would cause a truck to careen off the road and into a tree. Through a hologram-type filter, we piece together the correct sequence of events to recreate a handful of crucial scenarios. It adds a new layer to puzzle-solving that's missing in Dontnod's other narrative-driven games.

The Mind Palace is neat, but the other side to Higgs' introspection ends up stealing the show. There's a character called The Double who lives in Higgs' head and helps analyze social situations. It's a wonderful touch for a protagonist who has great difficulty navigating conversati?on and emotions. The Double offers advice for how to best interact with others, and Higgs is given the choice of whether he wants to listen to his intuition. Interestingly enough, the less you lean on The Double, the less he'll want to help.

The Mind Palace and The Double start to collide in interesting ways, tearing apart Higgs' psyche. The conflict isn't given enough space to meaningfully take hold, though. It's just another example of how Twin Mirror isn't quite able to flesh out its most important ideas. Higgs' inner turmoil, solving the murder of his best friend, and repairing all ?the damaged relationships around Basswood -- it's all stuff that wraps up before Dontnod can sufficiently do them justice.

It feels like a game that was meant to be significantly larger, but production or budget constraints forced a truncated product. Even after the final showdown, I was convinced there had to be a third, more sinister act upcoming. The story had to unfold into even more drama, because all the concl??usions had been reached too hastily to be a proper ending.

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 ti?me there. As it turns out, we need to spend more time in Basswood too.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Lost on Arrival

Things are about to get weird. Dontnod's Twin Mirror launches in two weeks (?it'??s somehow nearly December already), and that means there's a murder mystery to solve. First, we'll have to figure out how to unlock this dang cell phone. Baby steps.

Dontnod's running an ARG-type thing to promote Twin Mirror. Called "Lost on Arrival," it's a browser-based puzzle game where you have to return a phone to its rightful owner. Sifting through all the apps should give you a decent foundation of information about Twin Mirror's world. Sifting through my preview will do that too.

It's a neat little thing, an experience that took me five-or-so minutes to solve. There's incentive to play it beyond simple background details. Everyone who completes Lost on Arrival will be entered into a drawing to win a Twin Mirror PC made by Gigabyte. There are also 20 copies of the game being gi?ven away as second-place prizes. There were no stock photos or specs of this custom PC, but I guess this is kind of what it looks like:

Worst-case scenario is you get a little more geared up for Twin Mirror. Best-case scenario is you walk away with an ostentatious and thematically-fitting gaming PC. Either way, unlocking this phone will serve as a ment?al warmup for all the mind-bending that's about to occur on December 1.

Lost on Arrival [Twin Mirror]

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Time to reflect

Twin Mirror is nearly ready to show us what it has up its Twin Peaks-inspired sleeve. Dontnod's ??most bizarre game yet (probably, hopefully) is officially ??slated to launch before the end of the year.

Revealed via this new gameplay trailer, we learn that Twin Mirror has a release date of December 1, 2020.?? We also see more of protagonist Sam Higgs' Mind Palace, a place where this journalist goes for crime scene recreation. This sort of thriller-style storytelling seems like it might be right up Dontnod's a??lley.

Although Twin Mirror is launching in December, it's not getting PS5 and Xbox Series X versions that come with any sort of enhancements. Instead, Twin Mirror&?nbsp;is releasing on PC (via the Epic G?ames Store), PS4, and Xbox One. However, it'll still be playable on next-gen consoles via the backward compatibility that both systems feature.

The post Dontnod’s Twin Mirror gets real weird with it in December appeared first on Destructoid.

Man in the Mirror

DontNod is still beavering away at its split-personality murder mystery Twin Mirror. The developer released an intriguing new sto??ry trailer dur??ing today's PC Gaming Show.

As a quick refresher, Twin Mirror follow the adventures of an investigative journalist, Sam, who returns to his woody home town for some R 'n' R, but unfortunately finds himself waking up in bloodied clothes, and with the cops on his case. Yep, it's that chestnut again and in a "Twin Peaks" setting to boot!

Det?ermined to get to the bottom of this amnesiac mystery, Sam explores his old hometown, meeting with the locals, asking questions, and collecting clues. Not alone on his adventure, Sam will be helped - ?or is that hindered? - by The Double, essentially a far more prickish version of himself, who awaits within a dimension buried deep within Sam's psyche: The Mind Palace.

You can check out the new trailer below. Twin Mirror is coming to PS4, PC, and Xbox One "soon". Originally planned to be an episodic ??title, it now app??ears it will be a singular release.

The post Twin Mirror apparently still in the works and is coming ‘soon’ appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm asking him to change his ways

Dontnod Entertainment has announced that their episodic psychological thriller Twin Mirror has been delayed until year, adding that, when it does finally arrive, it will be an Epic Gam??es Store exclusive for its fi??rst year of release.

Twin Mirror, which was first revealed back in 2018, tells the story of a reporter who visits his old hometown in West Virginia, only to find himself embroiled in a vicious murder investigation. Hoping to clear his name and learn the truth behind the killi??ng, protagonist Sam must call upon the help on his internal voice, The Double, a somewhat arrogant alter-ego who will help guide Sam through crime scenes, gathering clues and piecing together the mystery.

Episode one of Twin Mirror was originally penciled in for launch earlier this year, but will now not be surfacing until 2020. Additionally, Dontnod announced that Twin Mirror will be an Ep??ic ?Games Store exclusive on PC for its first year of release.

"The financial terms of this partnership ensure a more advantageous distribution of revenues for Dontnod." stated a press release, with CEO Oskar Guilbert ad??ding "This strategic operation demonstrates our ability to leverage new market trends in our favor. The video game industry is currently undergoing major transformation and now offers a major competitive advantage to con??tent creators such as Dontnod."

Twin Mirror is scheduled to launch in 2020 on PS4, PC? and Xbox One.

The post Twin Mirror delayed to 2020, s?igns timed Epic Games Store deal appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm asking him to change his ways

Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for Dontnod Entertainment's bizarre-looking otherworldy adventure title Twin Mirror. The lengthy four-minute video was released as part of Paris? Games We??ek 2018.

To bring you up to speed, Twin Mirror is a cinematic adventure telling the story of an investigative reporter who travels back to his sleepy rural hometown, only to find himse?lf embroiled in a dark mystery. Now up to his neck in trouble, Sam can only be helped by his acerbic ??alternate-personality "The Double" and his mastery of the head-spinning "Mind Palace."

The new video features a commentated walkthrough of the game's first puzzle, giving you a glimpse of the mechanics that go to make Twin Mirror an enthralling and unique mystery. Twin Mirror, which will be delivered episodically, drops its first episode early 2019, for PS4, PC and Xb?ox One.

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Reflect upon your actions

Today at Gamescom, Bandai Namco revealed more details about its upcoming mystery title, Twin Mirror. Developed by Dontnod, Twin Mirror is a psychological thriller about a young man? plunged int?o a deep mystery when visiting his old hometown.

When investigative journalist Sam wakes up with a bloodied shirt and little memory of the night before, it's up to the player to guide him to th?e truth. Fortunately, Sam is aided by a very strange and very powerful skill, his "Mind Palace". This ability allows Sam to recreate memories from the past, using them to aid his investigation. Players will travel between the real world and the Mind Palace to discover clues and piece together prior events.

If that wasn't enough, Sam is also aided by ultimate frenemy "The Double". Essentially Sam's alter-ego, The Double is basically a slightly more arsehole version of himself, who will hang around to offer advice, co-operate, or maybe just be a bit of dick. So, Al in Quantum Leap.

Twin Mirror will be an episodic title, with the first episode dropping in early 2019. A new trailer has been released for the game, which you can check out below. Twin Mirror is currently i??n development for P?S4, PC and Xbox One.

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Take a look at yourself, and make a change

Bandai Namco, publishers of the next title from Dontnod Entertainment, Twin Mirror, has announced that gameplay foota?ge from the new mystery adventure will be showcased on August 21. This date also happens to be the first day of Gamescom, which takes place in Cologne next week.

Twin Mirror was first announced at E3, where its tease??r trailer features a young ?man who awakens with a bloodied shirt and a misplaced memory. In the video, Twin Mirror gives off an unavoidable urban gothic comparison to games such as Remedy's Alan Wake, as well as story-driven Quantic Dream titles like Farenheit and Heavy Rain.

Whatever narrative Twin Mirror ultimately offers, it's clear that weird, dimension-splitting happenings are afoot. Dontnod recently received praise from critics and fans for their olde tyme thriller, Vampyr, so hopefully this new project will be similarly? engagin??g.

Twin Mirror is currently in development for PS4, PC and Xbox One ahead o?f its 2019 release.

The post Dontnod’s Twin Mirror will reveal gameplay next week at Gamescom appeared first on Destructoid.

Life is...?

Dontnod Entertainment, developer behind Life is Strange and Vampyr, has announced that its next game will be the story-driven mystery thriller Twin Mirror. Published by Bandai Namco Entertainment and releasing on PC, PS4, and Xbox One next year, the game has a cliched setup that sees its protagonist (named Sam) return home after some tragic event strikes his hometown. That is where the generic plotting ends, as Twin Mirror looks to be channeling a lot of Alan Wake and Fahrenheit from the setting.

Sam wakes up the next day to find that his shirt is covered in blood and he has apparently murdered someone. As the trailer reads, "Your mind is the one place to find the truth," possibly insinuating that this game will be a psychological journey for the players and Sam. The setup is ripe for the episodic nature that Life is Strange employed?, but it seems this will be a full game with a single r?elease date.

In any case, this isn't replacing the Life is Strange sequel that the developer has been working on. We'll probably see more from Twin Mirror at E3, so this quic?k trailer will have to tide us over until then.

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