Marxism lives on in The Tomorrow Children

Gamescom 2014 saw the introduction of one of the most… unique games coming exclusively to PlayStation, but it might just work. Seemingly inspired by the cold war, Q-Games has taken the soviet ideology of the time and escaped into an alternative future with it. But in no way are you bound to fall in line with the status quo of the game, in fact whether you follow the masses or venture off on your own is entirely your decision. The Tomorrow Children will be exclusively available on PS4, along with its Black Market and Ministry of Labour. If the concept doesn’t boggle your brain just yet, wait until you read about the intricacy and depth of this sandbox title. What initially seems abstract and experimental suddenly becomes brilliant and worth waiting for.

Before delving into your life as a clone, it is essential to understand where the story grew from and don’t worry, this is no dusty history lesson. Back in the fictional 1960s of The Tomorrow Children a team of soviet scientists conducted an experiment with the aim of combining the world’s human consciousness. The attempt backfired terribly however. Instead of just merging the consciousness, the scientists physically combined humanity too, forming a white material that coats Earth. The white matter is simply known as the ‘Void’ in The Tomorrow Children. So how do you come into a world covered in white substance?

The few scientists who survived the human consciousness disaster decided to create artificial life in the form of clones. You, and the other clones, are set the task of venturing across the Void to rescue humans, who now take the shape of Russian dolls. In turn the clones will be expected to rebuild society and return the world to civilization. Despite it being 100 years since the downfall of human life, the society you build will be on the foundation of the Marxist logic in place when disaster struck.

The soviet influence is seen in the Russian dolls that you’ll have to collect, but Marxism also sets the systems you’ll have to work with to progress in The Tomorrow Children. Every action you perform will see you rewarded by the Ministry of Labour, from saving people to digging a small hole alone in the outskirts of town. While this seems simple enough, the Black Market in place counteracts the Ministry of Labour and sets the scales to be unbalanced. It’s up to you whether you want to abuse the Black Market facility for your own benefit, but it can be rewarding if you choose to.

By using the Black Market, a task like digging could transform from being laborious to swift and efficient. Purchasing goods from the Black Market will make instant differences in your game, boosting you up the ranks if you have the necessary money. The financial system in The Tomorrow Children is dealt with in tokens and fake American dollars with a new, but strange, name. The latter are used in the Black Market, while the Minister of Labour awards you with coupons for perks. These can be used to get new abilities, which will help you carry out tasks like digging for resources, building weaponry and retrieving people. Your contributions to the world are both essential and pointless. Sorry.

Although you will help society progress by doing your bit, all of the clones’ efforts could be destroyed in a matter of minutes. There are large monsters that roam the Void, which will come to your town and attempt to destroy everything. What’s particularly interesting about the monsters, which are known as the Izverg, is that they’re formed from the nightmares of the Void. Izverg are the fears of human consciousness! But while the other clones may try to take down the Izverg with weapons and save their buildings, you could just as easily stay away from the action and let them get on with it. In The Tomorrow Children it is really your choice.

The extent of flexibility in The Tomorrow Children is, perhaps, the most intriguing factor in the game. There is clearly a system in place and a path to the ‘objective’, however you have freedom to stray from that entirely. It may sound counterproductive to avoid, what appears to be, the game’s objective, there is some logic in it. By continuing along the path that the game creates, you and the other clones will eventually become humanity’s slaves, heating their homes and collecting food for them. Who really wants to race towards a future of slavery? I didn’t think so.

The Tomorrow Children is a sandbox adventure game that plays on your personal motives to see the rise of humanity, or you and the clones, in a Marxist system. I think……it’s a tad complicated.

 
What do you think of The Tomorrow Children? Are there many PS4 titles you’re looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!

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