"Hidden Agenda" Review

Fresh off the runaway success of "Until Dawn," Supermassive Games continues to redefine the adventure game with "Hidden Agenda," a novel crime thriller that lets multiple players use their phones -- via the new PlayLink system -- to guide protagonists through grim investigations.

You connect your phone to the system and use a touch screen to move a cursor onto screen prompts to vote on decisions at key times. "Hidden Agenda" turns into a playable film, with incredibly lifelike graphics -- most notably the facial animations, which push current-gen technology the way Quantic Dream did for the PS3 with the likes of "Heavy Rain."

In between voting sessions, you also scan the screen for clues in the manner of hidden object games, boosting your opportunities as you continue along branching paths.

What could come off as a cheap, hackneyed gimmick excels because of the motion capture performances and writing. "Hidden Agenda" is an absurdly good deal for its budget price, and a gleaming pre-Holiday surprise for an otherwise lackluster PS4 first party lineup. Don't sleep on this one.
Publisher provided review code.