No, I'm not a Human
No, I'm not a Human is the newest game published by Critical Reflex. I've played two of their games before, Mouthwashing and Buckshot Roulette, and the fantastic Lunacid. They're grimy, violent, and overall unhappy games, but there's something about them that appeals to me in small doses. (For example, Mouthwashing is under 3 hours long and it took me two weeks to get through)
No, I'm not a Human plays a lot like Papers, Please. The sun is about to go supernova (I think?) and it's getting too hot to go out during the day, so everyone holes up until nightfall. Also, the heat has brought out Visitors from underground. These Visitors look enough like a human to fool most people. Each night, people come to your door and ask to be let in for protection from the daytime heat. Your job is to determine who is a human and who is a Visitor.
You must let at least one person in each night, and it's not automatically a game over if one is a Visitor. However, once a Visitor gets in, people start dying until you find out who to blame. You only have a finite amount of energy each day, so making good deductions is key to surviving.
The game only takes place in your house. You can visit the various rooms, look through windows, and talk to people through the peephole before letting them in. The TV gives you clues through nightly broadcasts that can help you find Visitors, but there will always be an element of guessing involved. The sticking point is that you can't use any of those clues until the person is in your house, raising the tension quite a bit.
The game doesn't last long, about an hour and half per run, but there are 10 endings to uncover so it rewards multiple playthroughs. I didn't include any screenshots because the art really nails the uncanny valley look. Everything is slightly off, even the real humans, and that can be unsettling for some people.
Again, it's not a happy game, but it oozes atmosphere and the deduction mechanic is fun. I'm glad I spent some time with this one.