1000xResist Is A Surreal Adventure Through The Past And Moving Forward

1000xResist is a strange narrative adventure. It starts off quickly while still leaving pieces for the player to put together. While the story stays firmly grounded around experiencing regrets and fear, the abstract storytelling keeps things interesting. Without much gameplay in between the story is carrying a lot of weight. Though players can move around a 3D space. And the world is incredibly stylized while also floating in a void of memory.

A large chunk of the game will involve timeline jumping. Players will need to “fly” between points to get to the next conversation when viewing the Allmother’s memories; referred to as communion. To get around people/objects players will seamlessly transition between points of time. This nonlinear gameplay could be confusing if the game didn’t start with an event so startling that it demands players’ attention. Though this society is literally built in the Allmother’s image, Watcher is shown stabbing her while her back is turned. This name tells us her role in this world but it also describes how we can only observe as the past comes back to haunt all of the sisters. 

While the story is engaging, players will spend a lot of time running around. And the fixed camera angles can make the experience feel disorienting. Each area is maze-like which can drain the tension from those moments between another reveal. Even while running around the Watcher comes off as incredibly passive until that decisive moment. Other characters have similarly flat progression. It makes Watcher a protagonist that’s hard to connect with because the player’s choices have a minimal effect. 

1000xResist manages to handle dark topics with the seriousness they deserve. With some much-needed humor in between, though it’s still tinged with grimness. Humanity has been mostly wiped out by a “sad” disease that appeared as crying before the infected person passed away. It also touches on the distrust that fosters and how it affects the lives of the teenagers at the time; including Iris, the Allmother, who has immunity. Though it’s definitely not for everyone, this is a great example of how to tie multiple storylines together without any overtaking the other. Pick this up if you like narratives that explore rebellion and assimilation while not letting itself be held back from dream-like storytelling.