Family is a puzzle game about following the history of the London Pop scene between 1985 and 1995, using music and clues to figure out who was in what band (and more).
After opening up Family, I really wondered what I would be doing. None of this is music I am particularly into, but the detective aspect of the game is pretty interesting. You start out with just two documents with very limited information to decide who goes where. Once you have five names figured out, the screen will change, confirming those characters on your sheet and leaving them there. This was very appreciated, as so many names can get so confusing without these locked in, confirmed names.
You will then get more information to work through as the names are confirmed, which will continue to help your detective skills. A lot of these documents are quite interesting, some telling you about the dynamic of a band, others thanking some bands not on the list for helping them while subtly making fun of other people within their own band. Some documents rely on you knowing what position a musician played in their previous band to understand that they’ve switched positions in the next band. Other documents tell stories of where current people they worked with were previously, giving you a hint of how they followed through to the current band you are hearing about.
Family is a really interesting concept and the music, if you are into it, is a driving force. It’s a game that does have to be played in full screen, though, despite being able to make windows big and small, as you’ll want to see all of your information on one screen without covering up aspects with documents or family trees. It’s a different kind of detective game and definitely one worth giving a look if you have any interest in the pop scene of that era.
Family is available now on itch.io.
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