Right now, we live in a time where we're forced to question everything we read in the news. Are those editing the newspapers, magazines and online websites from which we get our information reporting from an unbiased personal viewpoint, or are we being fed opinions disguised as fact? Is news shaping public opinion, instead of informing so that we can make up our own minds? Or are the conspiracy theorists simply doing too much to try and paint the press barons as the bad guys?
Headliner: NoviNews brings all of those questions to the forefront as players take control of the latest employee at NoviNews, who has the extremely important job of editing the news platform and deciding which stories will go out to the public, and which will be binned. With new juices and drugs available, with questionable side effects, but big money at stake, it's up to the person playing to decide where their moral compass truly stands.
There's also the government of the fictional country of Novistan front-and-centre in many of the stories; will you stand by the regime, or push against it and stoke the fires of a media vs. government narrative? Politics can be a challenging topic to discuss with friends and loved ones, so being given a fictional bunch of political events and headlines to play with is surprisingly refreshing!
Not only do you help shape public perception in Headliner: NoviNews, but you see exactly how those stories you approve for publication are shaping the world around you. There's also the chance to speak to a handful of characters who will interact with you, delivering their personal opinions and letting you know how their own lives are being affected.
You can play through the game itself from start to finish in four to five hours, but the replayability is on a high scale. There are so many opportunities to go in a different direction to the one you decided to take on your first playthrough, and you'll never be able to get all of the achievements in a single run, so there's always an urge to dip your toes in the NoviNews waters over and over again.
The fact that the characters are all completely believable and at times, relatable, also helps to add another layer of brilliance to what is undoubtedly one of our favourite narrative-driven video games in recent memory. If you need something bite-sized to pass the time this January, give this one a go!
Headliner: NoviNews comes from Chorus Worldwide and Unbound Creations, and is available now on PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store and Steam.