Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins is an interactive fiction video game available on most platforms. I purchased the game on the Google Play Store for $4.99 after playing the first chapter, which is available for free.
Maze Theory. (2021, March 19). Doctor Who: The lonely assassins – launch trailer. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtIOBWg_1h4
The game begins with the title sequence and theme music from the show, leading to a smartphone interface (Figure 1). The phone is saved seconds before self-destructing, by a scientist named ‘Petronella Osgood’. She communicates through the phone to explain that it belonged to the missing person of interest, Lawrence. The player uses the phone with Petronella’s guidance to solve his disappearance and find details about Osgood’s friend, ‘The Doctor’.
The game is intelligently metafictional; the player navigates through the phone like any other smartphone – mainly through pointing, dragging, clicking, and scrolling (Figure 2). In this way, the player becomes the character, enhancing the interactive quality of the game. These simple mechanics lend themselves to a diverse range of users, which is a plus. The progression of the narrative occurs mainly through text based ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ style conversations with Osgood through the messaging app. Whilst the player can choose from one to three replies, some options were naïve or childlike. The plot was primarily linear, and most responses did not alter the story greatly. There were no narrative branches, limiting replay value; however, with the low price point, the roughly four hours of gameplay I spent completing the game was quite fair.
The plot references characters and episodes from the series, adding an extra level of engagement to the game, although watching the series is not a prerequisite. This is a double-edged sword though; I deduced the solution almost immediately. Nevertheless, it was still enjoyable to help crack the case.
The game is available in 9 languages with optional subtitles at variable text speeds. I prefer this option as I have sensory issues and ADHD and find it difficult to comprehend auditory messages alone. Headphones are recommended for optimal gameplay however I did not use them. These options mean that the game is accessible for people who are hard of hearing. There are sound effects and music, mimicking the sounds a computer or smartphone would make. I had turned both off at one point as I found them irritating but turned them on again as I decided they added an extra immersive layer to the plot and context of the game, particularly as the plot revolves around the player ‘hacking’ the phone.
The tasks require use of multiple levels of comprehension and both traditional and digital literacy skills such as navigating webpages, reading emails in reverse chronological order and combining information from multiple sources to complete puzzles. These puzzles could be used as an engaging way to teach these skills in the classroom as they are delivered authentically and subtly within real life contexts (Extended Notes, 2017).
As the game takes place in ‘real’ game time, certain aspects were time dependent. A character rang the phone and being highly anxious, I didn’t answer the call, so I had to make do without it. Others with anxiety may face similar challenges as there are a few ‘calls’ through the game.
The game is text based and relies on a lot of reading to tell the story. I enjoy reading and chose to complete the optional clues as well. Players can choose to scroll until they find the clue or keep reading as I did, thereby becoming active participants and choosing the depth of engagement with the text, rather than a print story, where one must read from start to finish.
The official rating is PG and due to the content and volume of reading required, relatively slow pacing (primarily at the beginning) and the subject matter, I would recommend this game to teenagers and adults, although there are some jump scares and scary scenes.
At the beginning, Petronella does ‘teach’ the player how to control the game, through the apps that she has installed on the phone. A ‘tracker’ notification bar at the top of the screen displays objectives to the player if needed. Intuitive game design utilises ‘notification’ symbols to alert you to new material, subtly directing you to progress through the game, meanwhile computer error noises sound for content that can’t be unlocked yet.
I did experience one glitch in the game, forcing me to close and restart the game. Overall, the production quality was excellent, featuring a variety of voice actors and FMV narration as well as decent graphics and sound effects. Some would argue that $5 is expensive for one play; however, I would recommend the game to fans of Doctor Who and or the mystery genre, or for use in middle or senior high classrooms.
References
Dr Who: The Lonely assassins (Android version). [Video game]. (2021, March 19). Kaigan Games.
Extended Notes. (2017, September 13). How to use video games to help students learn. https://www.extendednotes.com/after-school-articles/how-to-use-video-games-to-help-students-learn
Maze Theory. (2021, March 19). Doctor Who: The lonely assassins – launch trailer. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtIOBWg_1h4
Nolan, P. [Peter Nolan] (2021, March 21). Doctor Who: The lonely assassins – game review. Blogtor Who. https://www.blogtorwho.com/doctor-who-the-lonely-assassins-reviewed/
Steam. (n.d.). Doctor Who: The lonely assassins. Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1508270/Doctor_Who_The_Lonely_Assassins/