The Complex

A polished but disappointingly by-the-numbers FMV adventure that won't linger in your mind for long.

It's your job to help two doctors – who are also ex-lovers – save an infected woman in this zeitgeist-y drama with eight possible endings

There's a place for FMV games like The Complex, but this effort is both poorly written and performed. You'll tire of the cast long before you reach the release's credits, and while the title does include various branches in its story, it generally feels like you're on autopilot for the most part. If you're desperate for a live action experience, the PS4 already has much better alternatives to this.

While you can't fault the visuals and the effort put in to try and mask the evident budget limitations, that cutting of corners vibe is sadly something that plays into The Complex one too few many times.

The Complex is a failure of an FMV game, with meaningless choices and boring characters that would make you wish for your time back.

The combination of the shallow story, the predicted plot twists and the weak acting abilities of the cast, contribute to an experience that starts in a promising way, but falls flat a few moments later.

The Complex is a high-production-value FMV (Full Motion Video) game that offers an interactive movie experience centered around a bioterrorism outbreak in London. Players guide scientist Amy Tennant through a tense narrative by making key decisions that affect relationships and lead to one of nine endings. The game's professional acting and polished visuals elevate it above many earlier FMV titles, though its B-movie plot with occasional logical leaps and clichéd characters (notably an irritating ex-boyfriend) hold it back. While replayability exists, the shallow narrative and limited gameplay innovations make it more of a curiosity than a must-play. For FMV fans, it's decent; for others, the €13 price tag may feel steep.

The Complex fails at being an engaging interactive experience, video game and story.

Is The Complex worth it? It's really hard to say. It's not exactly an expensive buy at £9.99, and the addition of choices make it more engaging than a television episode or movie. At the end of the day, it's basically a £10 movie rental with some button prompts added in. The best way to play it would be with a group of friends watching together, so you can argue over the choices and go for the path that feels best for you. Otherwise, there are better games and better movies available for the same cost.

The Complex is an interactive movie with a fairly interesting plot, a rather good performance from its cast and a decent amount of player involvement that goes beyond simple plot choices. While the genre may not be the most engaging when it comes to gameplay experiences, The Complex could have used some additional help with a flowchart for the plot choices and improving on some cliché elements. Overall, fans of interactive movies with sci-fi plots will have something to look forward here.