Threshold Review

thesixthaxis.com:

In philosophy there are several thought experiments to test how you might respond to complex moral conundrums. Perhaps the most famous of these is the trolley problem – if forced to choose, would you choose to sacrifice one life to save many? This initial question seems simple at first glance, but once more information is layered in (the single person is a doctor who might find the cure for cancer, the many are convicted criminals etc.) we find that our decision can change. Threshold feels like a gaming equivalent of this kind of thought experiment, and its atmosphere and moral ambiguity has stayed with me since I finished it the first of several times.

Threshold is the brainchild of solo developer, Julien Eveillé, and is the latest in a series of fantastic indie games published by Critical Reflex, hot on the heels of the viral Mouthwashing. Threshold more than holds its own in such lauded company and is one of the most thought provoking and troubling games I’ve played this year.

The game starts with you seeming to be buried and put in the position of choosing a new name – the catch being that you only have two letters to fill. This small detail immediately prevents you from fully identifying with the character you will play as (unless you happen to have a particularly short name or nickname, I guess). To further the sense of defamiliarisation  there is not just a simple difficulty select option available here either. You can choose between focused and distracted modes which make environmental clues harder or easier to spot, but the actual difficulty is set by choosing a country’s flag. There is no indication as to the effect of this choice and I look forward to the inevitable long form video essays delving into the various effects.

Once you start the game proper you are given a very basic overview of your duties in your new job. There is a mysterious train forever moving forward across the threshold station you control, entering a tunnel through an intimidating