Unknown Number: A First Person Talker

Unknown Number: A First Person Talker is an innovative first-person adventure game where players interact with their environment and solve puzzles primarily through voice commands. Set within a mysterious and atmospheric digital escape room, the game challenges players to decipher cryptic clues and drive the narrative forward by speaking directly into their microphone. The experience is described as creepy and thought-provoking, featuring strong voice acting and an engaging story that becomes more personal as it unfolds. While relatively short with limited replay value, it offers a unique and immersive gameplay experience that blends traditional point-and-click mechanics with voice-controlled interaction.

Unknown Number: A First Person Talker: Review

In the vast, often iterative landscape of video games, true innovation is a rare and precious commodity. It is the spark that ignites new genres, challenges established conventions, and pushes the medium into uncharted territory. Released in September 2022 by the fledgling indie studio godolphin games, Unknown Number: A First Person Talker is one such spark—a bold, flawed, and utterly fascinating experiment that dares to ask a simple, revolutionary question: what if a game listened to you as much as you listened to it? This is not merely a game you play; it is a conversation you have, a high-stakes heist you verbally navigate, and a poignant commentary on modern activism, all delivered through the most intimate of interfaces: your own voice.

Development History & Context

The Birth of a “First Person Talker”

godolphin games emerged not from the hallowed halls of a major publisher, but as a self-described collective of “award-winning talent from the world of games, film, and even pop music,” united by a mission to explore “unlikely” gameplay mechanics. Led by Creative Director Thomas Keane, the studio’s inaugural project was conceived as a direct challenge to the industry’s underutilization of voice technology. As Keane himself provocatively asked in press releases, “Billions of people use voice-control around the world… but where is voice in the world of games?”

The early 2020s provided a fertile ground for this ambition. The gaming landscape was dominated by sprawling open-world epics and hyper-competitive multiplayer titles, yet a parallel resurgence of innovative, narrative-driven indie games was underway. Titles like Her Story and Return of the Obra Dinn had proven the market for experimental storytelling, while advancements in affordable microphone technology made voice interaction more accessible than ever. However, most games that used voice commands did so peripherally—shouting to reload in Skyrim, for example. No game had yet built its entire core identity around a sophisticated, nuanced voice interface.

Developed in Unity, Unknown Number was positioned from the start as the pioneer of a new genre: the “First Person Talker.” This was more than a marketing gimmick; it was a declaration of intent. The studio aimed to explore the full spectrum of vocal expression—talking, whispering, shouting, singing—as a primary mechanic. The technological constraints were significant: ensuring accurate voice recognition across diverse accents and microphone qualities, all while crafting a compelling narrative that justified its use. The result is a game that feels both of its time and ahead of it, a proof-of-concept that is as ambitious as it is intimate.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

A Heist for the Anthropocene Era

The narrative of Unknown Number begins with a premise ripped from a tense techno-thriller: a misdialed voicemail from two panicked eco-warriors, Amanda Reid and Ethan Hammer. They are stranded on a decommissioned oil rig in the North Sea, midway through an audacious plan to steal $7 billion in cryptocurrency from Lara Sligo, the world’s most notorious oil baron. Their goal is not personal enrichment but radical climate activism—to funnel the funds into fighting ecological collapse. By mistake, they’ve connected with you, the player, codenamed “Casey.”

What follows is a tightly wound, 2.5-hour narrative experienced entirely through a series of interactive phone calls on a stylized in-game smartphone interface. The plot expertly employs heist-movie tropes—cracking vaults, impersonating executives, outsmarting guards—but layers them with profound moral and philosophical questions. This is not a simple tale of good versus evil. As you help Amanda and Ethan, you are gradually drawn into the orbit of “The Garden,” a mysterious and creepy underground eco-movement run by children, forcing you to pledge allegiance to their cause. The narrative deftly explores the ambiguities of modern activism: at what point does a righteous cause become a dangerous dogma? Can violent or unethical means be justified by a noble end?

The character writing is a standout. Amanda is the idealistic, driven heart of the operation, while Ethan provides a more pragmatic, often cynical counterpoint. Their chemistry feels authentic, their desperation palpable. Supporting characters, from the suspicious oil company board members you must impersonate to the persistent DCI Maya Sewell of the Metropolitan Police, are equally well-realized through excellent voice acting. The dialogue is sharp, witty, and perfectly paced, driving the player forward with a sense of urgency and escalating stakes.

The game’s climax is its narrative zenith, transforming from a external heist into a deeply personal and emotional journey. It questions your complicity, your morality, and the very nature of your connection to the events unfolding. While some critics noted that key moral choices ultimately converge on the same结局, limiting true branching, the emotional weight of the decisions in the moment is undeniable. The story concludes on an ambiguous, thought-provoking note that blurs the line between the game world and reality, leaving a lasting impression long after the final call has ended.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

The Voice as Controller

The core gameplay loop of Unknown Number is brilliantly simple and endlessly inventive. Each “level” is a vault to be cracked, each requiring a different vocal puzzle to solve. The game is a masterclass in taking a single mechanic—voice recognition—and exploring every possible permutation of its use.

Players use their voice to:
* Navigate: Verbally input directions (“up, right, left”) to guide a character through a maze-like rig under a time limit, creating genuine tension.
* Decode: Solve cryptic puzzles by speaking passphrases discovered through environmental clues and web searches (using a real, in-game browser—a daring and somewhat controversial design choice).
* Manipulate: Trick henchmen by choosing the correct conversational responses, often requiring careful listening and quick thinking.
* Impersonate: Match the exact pitch and tone of an oil executive’s voice to bypass voiceprint security, a fiendishly clever and challenging sequence.
* Play Games: Engage in a fully voice-controlled game of tic-tac-toe against a stubborn AI, a highlight that perfectly blends traditional puzzles with the new interface.

The game’s UI is the smartphone screen, a minimalist and effective design that keeps the focus on the audio and the task at hand. A charming robot companion on the home screen offers hints through expressive animations, a welcome aid without breaking immersion.

However, the mechanics are not without their flaws—flaws that critics consistently noted. The voice recognition, while impressive, can be finicky. Background noise, microphone quality, and regional accents can lead to frustrating misinterpretations (e.g., “no” being heard as “yes”). The lack of an option to type responses or skip puzzles locks out players with speech impediments or suboptimal setups. Furthermore, the game’s insistence on real-time listening, without a consistent “stop talking” detection feature, can lead to awkward pauses waiting for a timer to run out. These are not mere bugs; they are the inherent growing pains of pioneering a new control scheme. For every moment of seamless immersion, there is a moment of friction that reminds you you’re wrestling with a machine.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Atmosphere Through Acoustics

Unknown Number’s world-building is achieved almost exclusively through sound. There are no sprawling 3D environments to explore; the entire game takes place on the screen of a phone. Yet, it conjures a remarkably vivid setting. The atmosphere is crafted through the audio landscape: the howling wind and creaking metal of the oil rig, the tense silence broken by staticky transmissions, and the increasingly layered and distorted voices as the plot descends into chaos.

The visual direction is clean, minimalist, and functional. The smartphone interface is sleek and intuitive, with a distinct color palette and design that feels modern and believable. The use of live-action footage for certain elements, like the web browser, further blurs the lines between game and reality, enhancing the immersive sim-lite feel.

The true star, however, is the sound design and voice acting. This is a game that is heard, not just seen. The voice performances are universally superb, selling the desperation, arrogance, and fear of every character. The soundscape evolves with the narrative; what begins as a clear phone connection degrades into a chaotic mix of overlapping voices and eerie music as the stakes rise and the protagonist’s sanity is tested. The ringtone itself becomes a character, evolving and intensifying to signal new twists and heighten drama. This masterful audio work doesn’t just support the game—it is the game.

Reception & Legacy

A Critical Conversation Starter

Upon its release, Unknown Number garnered a mixed-but-leaning-positive critical response, achieving a 77% aggregate critic score on MobyGames and a 74 Metascore. Reviews praised its undeniable innovation and strong narrative core. Outlets like Movies Games and Tech (85%) hailed it as a “groundbreaking game” that “sets the bar extremely high,” while Hooked Gamers (85%) found it “a lot of fun” and “easy to recommend.” The common refrain was admiration for its ambition.

The criticisms were also consistent across reviews. Publications like God is a Geek (70%), GameGrin (70%), and Metro (70%) all pointed to the occasional unreliability of the voice tech, the lack of meaningful branching from choices, and the potential accessibility issues. The user score on Metacritic was notably lower (2.5), suggesting a wider gulf between critics who appreciated the experiment and players who may have been frustrated by its execution.

Despite its flaws, Unknown Number’s legacy is secure as a trailblazer. It stands as a compelling, fully-realized argument for voice as a primary video game mechanic. It didn’t just use voice commands; it built a world around them. Its influence may not be immediately visible in blockbuster titles, but it serves as a vital proof-of-concept for the industry. It demonstrated how voice interaction can be used for more than simple commands—for puzzle-solving, atmosphere, and emotional connection. It answered Thomas Keane’s challenge: it put voice squarely in the world of games and showed everyone what it could do.

Conclusion

The Verdict: A Flawed Masterpiece of Innovation

Unknown Number: A First Person Talker is not a perfect game. It is a sometimes-frustrating, technically imperfect, and relatively short experience. Yet, it is also one of the most memorable and important games of its year. It represents a bold leap into uncharted design territory, a experiment that succeeds far more than it stumbles.

Its greatest achievement is its unwavering commitment to its core concept. Every element of its design—the narrative, the puzzles, the sound, the characters—is in service of making the player’s voice the instrument of change. It creates a level of immersion that is unique and profoundly personal. You are not just controlling Casey; you are Casey, shouting commands, whispering passwords, and pouring your own voice into the story.

In the annals of video game history, Unknown Number will be remembered not for its polish, but for its courage. It is a foundational text for a genre that may yet come to be. It is a game that demands to be talked about, and more importantly, a game that demands to be talked to. For anyone interested in the cutting edge of interactive storytelling, it is an essential, fascinating, and highly recommended conversation. Will you answer the call? You absolutely should.