[0:00]Ready or Not is one of the most intense games that I've ever played. If there was ever a game that could riddle the common man with PTSD, it would probably be this one. Ready or Not is a tactical shooter where you take the place of a SWAT operative within the fictional city of Los Suenos, California. You and your group of friends or you and an AI respond to a variety of different emergency calls ranging from robberies to full-fledged mass shootings. Void Interactive makes sure to never pull any punches throughout this experience, and in this game, they deliver perhaps one of the most chillingly realistic commentaries that I've ever seen.
[0:47]The gameplay of Ready or Not is fantastic. It's slow and methodical, which is quite the opposite of the flashy, fast-paced action that you see in other shooters like Call of Duty. The game's developers actually wanted a change of pace so different that they opted to remove the sprint button altogether, which only adds to the intense atmosphere because once you find yourself in the line of fire, it's awfully hard to find your way back out. It's also worth noting that the guns in this game have impact. They sound massive and punchy. Gunshots will echo and reverberate throughout the hallways. And as the player, you feel like you're wielding an incredibly deadly weapon.
[1:33]Furthermore, you can't just get shot and expect it not to affect you. When you're shot at in this game, the screen gets really hectic and shaky. The adrenaline of the bullets whizzing past you is forcing your vision to blur. And if you actually manage to get hit, you're forced to make your way to cover so you can stop the bleeding. You're not some superhero who can just tank bullets or regenerate your health when you're out of combat. You're a first responder trying their best to stay alive so they can bring order to the chaos. Death is swift in this game. One lucky or well-placed shot from an enemy is all it takes for a mission failure. And your squadmates are just as susceptible to danger as well. If you fail to properly utilize them, you could wind up returning back to the station alone. Booby traps and ambushes are another thing to watch out for. If you fail to check a door before opening it, you could wind up detonating an explosive that kills your entire team. And if you do die and fail the mission, it's not as simple as clicking the restart button, either. You're forced to return all the way back to the police station. And the officers who were dispatched with you will come back haunted and stressed. Some of which may even retire or need to take time off for therapy. And if this continues unchecked, your officers will become far less effective in combat. And it can create a dangerous cycle of failure for the player. Now, some may argue that this dampens the game's playability. After all, it is a bit irritating having to return back to the police station over and over and over again. But I feel that this creates a layer of tension for the casual player because even if you don't care about what's going on in the mission, you really don't want to have to restart all the way back to the police station again. The game also dissuades you from exiting a mission early, as it'll automatically raise the stress levels of all of the other officers, essentially conveying that you better have your shit together before you leave out on these missions. And I guess what I really want to hammer home here is that the gameplay isn't glorifying. It isn't flashy or pretty. It doesn't make you feel like you're Rambo or an action hero. It makes you feel fragile. The gameplay is genuinely stressful, and it definitely isn't for gamers who are looking for casual fun. The whole experience is set up to be gritty and realistic, and I think that the game's environment further reflects that. Now, my absolute favorite part about Ready or Not are the different settings that the levels take place in. The attention to detail that has gone into each individual map is absurd, and it's to the point where you'll notice something new each time that you play it. Take the police station for example. Sure, you'll find the typical briefing room, firing range, and lockers that you'd expect to see, but the closer you look, the more that you'll begin to notice and appreciate some of the smaller details. There are several missing person posters all over the precinct, all of which have visible details and names. In addition to this, you can also find case details on some of the bulletin boards in the station. And these aren't just random people. These are suspects and victims that you actually get to see throughout your missions in the game. Most developers would just create a barely legible poster, assume that the player isn't going to look at it, and move on. But Ready or Not fills every single level with an ungodly amount of detail. For example, if you see a computer that's turned on, you can actually go up and read the emails that are on it. But the point is, you see the people that your actions are impacting, you walk through their homes and their workplaces, you get to see the way that they live. And I think that that's the perfect way for a player to get immersed. It's also worth noting that in one of their more recent updates, Void Interactive better fleshed out the mission briefing system prior to your arrival at a scene. Not only do you get to listen to the police chief explain the situation, but you also can hear the 911 calls that were sent in as the scenes unfolded. Some of which are genuinely difficult to listen to.
[5:37]911, this call is being recorded. What is your emergency? I've been shot. Okay, can you tell me your location? I'm at the Watt Community College. Three guys just came into the Science block and opened fire. Where are they now? I don't know. The LSPD are on the way, sir. I need you to stay calm. Can you tell me how badly you're hurt? They shot me in the back. I tried to run. There's blood, and I can't. Oh, Christ. I can't move my legs. It's all going to be okay. Stay calm. Don't worry. Help is coming. Do you promise? The LSPD are en route, sir. We have paramedics coming too. Just remain calm, and if you can in any way, find some cover. I never told my mom I loved her. I always tell her before I leave the house, but today I didn't. Try to remain calm. What's your name? George. Okay, George, just stay calm. Don't make any noise or draw attention to yourself. Where are they? Who, the shooters? Are they coming back? The police, where are they? The LSPD are on their way, I promise. But listen to me, George, you need to stay quiet. Oh God, I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry, I love you. George, can you hear me? George! Some of the levels themselves are packed with these sorts of morbid details, too. You can find cell phones lying next to people who have been killed. And incoming calls from family members can be seen as they worry that their child may have been one of the ones who are slain. In active shooter situations, if you don't act quickly enough, you can hear the distant screams of the remaining survivors as they're slowly discovered by the attackers. It's legitimately horrifying how realistic and how close to home this game hits. And it's to the point where some fans will argue that the maps themselves are based off of real-world events. And if you humor them, you can almost see where these people are coming from. Take the mission Neon Tomb, for example. In this mission, you're responding to a mass casualty event at the popular Neon Nightclub. Someone has gone into the club and fired upon its occupants without hesitation. And it's your job to get in there and stop them before more chaos can unfold. Now, in the lore of the game, the perpetrators of this attack are a terrorist cell who attacked the nightclub as a response to a US airstrike. Now, it's because of this detail that some players believe that this mission was based off of the real-life Pulse nightclub shooting, where the perpetrator of that attack similarly claimed that his motives were also US airstrikes. Another level called Elephant shows striking similarities to the Columbine High School shooting. In this level, there are multiple assailants attacking students at a local community college. And when you make your way towards the building, you're shot at from an elevated position. If you manage to find cover and make your way inside, you'll also quickly learn that there have been propane bombs planted all throughout the school, which are details that were also notoriously seen during the Columbine Massacre. Now, it is worth mentioning that there is a movie called Elephant, which was released in 2003, that was also based off of the Columbine shooting. And the name of the level in the game is Elephant. Not to mention the name of the college on the map is Watt Community College, and the name of the school that you see in the movie is Watt High School. So to be fair, the developers of this could have just been basing it off of the movie, but they're still sort of using Columbine by proxy. But, anyways, this leads me to ask a really important question. Is this okay? Now, I'm not going to stand here and pretend that mass shootings aren't an incredibly taboo topic. Because regardless of your beliefs, I think it's safe to assume that we all think that mass murder is bad. It's generally a very upsetting topic, but at the same time, it's something that needs to be talked about. One of my issues with the betrayal of shootings and attacks in this digital age is the widespread apathy shown towards the victims. They've become such a common occurrence anymore that most discussions revolving around them are, "Hey, did you hear about that shooting on the news?" And that's it. Ready or Not allows you to step into the shoes of an actual first responder. You get to see the repercussions of these events firsthand. News coverage and online posts don't allow for you to truly grasp the horror of these situations, or of their enormity. But interactive media such as a video game allow for you to understand these events more closely via experiencing them yourself. Now, I'm not saying that a digital experience could ever equate to living through a tragedy like this. That's not what I'm trying to say here. But it does better allow us to see the full picture and empathize with those who may have gone through something similar. Art has always acted as a sort of bridge between our emotions and the problems going on in the world around us. And what else is a video game but an interactive form of art? Ready or Not takes this title seriously and uses it to discuss a variety of issues that we would otherwise never see in a video game. Previously mentioned were the terrorist attacks and mass shootings, but the game also touches upon human trafficking, child exploitation, drug abuse, and so much more. Its narrative manages to connect these stories together with one another, and it starts to give you an idea just how deep some of these issues go. For instance, one of the underlying storylines is one where you're targeting the distributors of Child P**** and you get to see firsthand how disturbingly far the issue reaches. You initially find this by accident when arresting an online streamer, of all things. After you raid his apartment, you look around for evidence and find photographs of exploited children. These photos are eventually linked to a data server company, and once you investigate that place, you eventually find out about Brixley Talent Time. Now, this was, to me, one of the most disturbing parts of the entire game. The building is located in an incredibly impoverished area and seems to be putting up the front of being a talent agency for children. Once you start to look around a bit, though, it's easy to put together that this isn't casting for family-friendly movies. This is for something much more sinister. Oddly enough, though, once you clear out the place, you don't find any children. They all just seem to be gone. But, anyways, after all of this, you'll be sent out on the final mission following this storyline. Valley of the Dolls. This one takes place at a mansion, and what I would assume is the equivalent of the Hollywood Hills. The primary suspect is evidently this super famous producer guy. And when you arrive to his house, you can see that they've thrown a giant birthday party for his daughter. When you start to clear the house and arrest individuals, you'll find destroyed hard drives, burned files, and everything else you'd expect from a guy that's trying to avoid arrest. But nothing can prepare you for what you'll see once you make it down into the basement. There is a dark room for photo processing filled to the brim with photos of children. Adjacent to that is another room with a baby crib and lights and a camera facing it. Finally, and perhaps most disturbingly, is a room filled with barrels. Stewn across the room is children's clothing and shoes. And when you take a closer look, you can see the flies hovering above them. That's why we never saw any kids in the last missions, because they were all right here, in these barrels. I've never before seen a game even attempt to touch on an issue like this. And believe me, when I first played Valley of the Dolls, I had a legitimate visceral reaction to it. Up until that point, I haven't really consumed media that's made my stomach churn as much. I think it's important for us to see and hear things that make us uncomfortable sometimes, because it reminds us that these things are out there. These are real topics that require our attention. I mean, sure, it's a scary level in a video game, right? But it becomes infinitely more horrifying once you understand its implications. Ready or Not is a look inside a world few of us want to see, but all of us need to. As I mentioned previously, there's only so much that we can process through videos and texts, but a simulator that allows for you to experience these events firsthand is an invaluable tool for our understanding and our empathy. For anyone looking for a tactical shooter, I would definitely recommend it. It's a haunting reflection on crime in America, and I feel that after my playing of it, I may or may not need therapy. Anyways, thank you so much for watching my video. You know I love you. I'm out. So, you know, that was an intense video, a lot of adult topics and themes in that one. Uh, so if you'd like to watch any of my other videos, here are some now, and you can subscribe too if you feel like it. No big deal. Here's a decompression cat. He's chill, he's vibing. Ow, motherfucker, you bitch.
