Consortium

Consortium is a first-person sci-fi role-playing game set in the futuristic year 2046 aboard the massive aircraft carrier C-3800-D named Zenlil, where players take on the role of Bishop Six, a peacekeeper thrust into a murder mystery amid tense negotiations with hostile mercenaries. Through dialogue-driven interactions and player choices, you investigate the crime, manage alliances or conflicts, and shape the narrative’s outcome in a story emphasizing agency, mystery, and moral decisions in a confined, high-stakes environment.

Consortium: Review

Introduction

Imagine logging into a game not as a fictional hero, but as yourself—a real-world player beamed into the body of a futuristic peacekeeper via a digital rift, your every word and action rippling through an alternate reality. This is the audacious hook of Consortium, released in 2014 by indie studio Interdimensional Games, a title that blurs the line between player and protagonist in ways that feel both exhilarating and eerily meta. As a game historian, I’ve seen countless experiments in narrative immersion, from The Stanley Parable‘s ironic self-awareness to Undertale‘s player accountability, but Consortium stands out for its chess-themed sci-fi intrigue aboard a massive aircraft, where a murder mystery unfolds amid interdimensional stakes. Its legacy is one of unfulfilled promise: a cult curiosity that inspired sequels and remasters but was plagued by launch woes, ultimately influencing how indies approach fourth-wall-breaking RPGs. My thesis: Consortium is a visionary but flawed artifact of early 2010s indie ambition, proving that bold storytelling can transcend technical limitations, though its incomplete trilogy leaves it as more provocative prototype than polished masterpiece.

Development History & Context

Interdimensional Games, a small Canadian outfit founded by key figures like Gregory MacMartin (designer), Ben Bernard, Thrie Desertch, Vidal Desertch, and Bob Edwards, emerged from the indie boom of the late 2000s. Their vision for Consortium stemmed from a desire to create an “iDGi-1 Trilogy,” where players aren’t just observers but interdimensional interveners in a richly lore-heavy world. This concept traces back to spiritual precursors like MacMartin’s earlier text-based project Amen: The Awakening, evolving into a full game that weaponizes the medium’s interactivity. Principal funding came from a $500,000 CAD grant from the Canada Media Fund in 2010, highlighting government support for innovative digital media amid Canada’s growing game dev scene. A failed Kickstarter in 2012 taught lessons in community engagement, leading to a successful 2013 campaign that raised $70,435 USD—enough to bootstrap production but not lavish AAA resources.

Technological constraints were defining: Built on Valve’s Source engine (famous for Half-Life 2 and Portal), Consortium leveraged its physics and facial animation tools but struggled with optimization, resulting in the bugs that marred launch. Lua scripting handled dynamic dialogues, while middleware like Bink Video and Miles Sound System enabled cinematic cutscenes and immersive audio. The era’s gaming landscape was ripe for this: 2013-2014 saw indies like Papers, Please and The Stanley Parable champion narrative over spectacle, post-Mass Effect RPGs emphasizing choice, and crowdfunding democratizing development. Yet, Consortium arrived amid a shooter-saturated market (BioShock Infinite, Titanfall), positioning it as a niche “Die Hard on a plane” hybrid—part detective sim, part meta-RPG. Released January 8, 2014, for Windows via Steam, it was the first of a planned trilogy, with patches like the April 2014 “Master Edition” addressing issues, but sequels (The Tower in 2017 Early Access) languished in development hell. By 2024, the original was delisted for a Unreal Engine 5 Remastered and VR versions, underscoring how tech evolution both enabled and outdated its Source-era charm.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Consortium‘s plot is a taut murder mystery set in 2042, an alternate timeline where global militaries have dissolved into the Consortium—a utopian peacekeeping force policing from airborne behemoths like the C-3800-D Zenlil. Players embody Bishop Six, an elite enforcer (but really, you via the iDGi-1 satellite’s “digital rift”), awakening mid-flight from Bulgaria to Ireland. A passenger’s murder sparks chaos: mercenaries board, a traitor lurks among the 60+ crew (ranked like chess pieces—Pawns as grunts, Bishops as security, Rooks as officers, Knights as commanders), and your choices dictate alliances, revelations, and endings. The narrative branches wildly, akin to Mass Effect‘s paragon/renegade system but amplified by meta-elements: Characters like Knight-15 (stoic captain Taryn) or Rook-25 (fiery Alannah) react to your “out-of-character” slips, piecing together that Bishop Six is puppeteered from “another dimension.” This fourth-wall breakage peaks in encounters with “The King,” a benevolent AI who orchestrated your arrival to avert a catastrophe at London’s Churchill Tower, blending Deus Ex-style intrigue with Undertale-esque self-reflection.

Characters are the narrative’s lifeblood, fully voiced by a 20+ actor ensemble (e.g., Michelle Livingstone as Knight-15 and the traitorous Pawn-32). Dialogue is exhaustive—function-key bound for seamless interruption—exploring backstories via the Zenlil Information Console’s 160,000+ words of lore. Pawn-4 (whiny Jens) contrasts Pawn-44 (ebullient Charlie), while siblings Rook-13 (reserved Keiran) and Rook-25 embody yin-yang dynamics. Themes delve deep: Identity fractures as NPCs question your “amnesia” (your real-world ignorance); free will vs. determinism via branching paths that punish dumb questions (lowering competence scores); and religious fanaticism through the Guardian Church subplot, culminating in Pawn-32 (Patricia Thornthwaite)’s well-intentioned extremism. Meta-themes critique gaming itself—your agency as “temporal breakdown” risk, watched by 600 million in-universe viewers—echoing TV Tropes’ “Foe Romance Subtext” in mercenary leader Kiril’s banter. The plot’s brevity (4-6 hours) teases a larger arc, ending on a cliffhanger to The Tower, but replays reveal “Developer’s Foresight” like accusing the traitor early for alternate spying scenes. Flaws emerge in pacing: Telepathic chit-chat overwhelms, and unresolved lore (e.g., Bishop Six’s hidden past) frustrates, yet the emotional payoff—earning crew trust or sparking mutiny—feels profoundly personal, making Consortium a thematic triumph in player-avatar fusion.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Consortium‘s core loop is investigative immersion: Explore the Zenlil‘s multi-deck layout (crawling vents, accessing cabins), converse to build relationships (via alignment meters tracking affinity), and resolve crises through diplomacy or violence. No traditional progression tree exists—your “level” is narrative competence, influenced by choices like non-lethal takedowns (injecting nanites post-stun) that earn Consortium praise. Combat, a Deus Ex-lite FPS element, is optional and limited: Dual-wield energy weapons (lethal plasma vs. non-lethal tasers) in claustrophobic corridors, but ammo scarcity and simulator sequences (wireframe VR training) emphasize avoidance. Innovative mechanics shine in dialogue: F-keys enable real-time responses without pausing, simulating telepathy via in-universe devices; interruptions create overlapping convos, heightening tension (e.g., Rook-25 spying on accusations).

UI is a mixed bag—Source engine’s inventory recycles resources (e.g., converting debris to energy cells) via a convoluted menu, often blurred by “rift static” effects that obscure items mid-fight. Relationship tracking via a subtle meter encourages replays: Befriend Pawn-12 for coffee runs (thrilling him, irking Knight-15), or antagonize Pawn-4 for brig drama. Pacifist runs allow brig interrogations of Kiril or the traitor, unlocking lore; aggressive paths trigger global repercussions (crew revolts, viewer backlash). Flaws abound: Clunky strafing in fights, slow reloads, and bugs (e.g., untriggered events post-looting) break flow, as noted in PCGamesN’s scathing 40% review. Yet innovations like meta-knowledge callbacks—using prior playthrough intel to bluff Rook-25—elevate it beyond linear adventures, fostering a loop of experimentation that’s replayable (10+ hours with lore dives) but demanding patience in its unpolished state.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The Zenlil is Consortium‘s self-contained universe: A sprawling, armored Airbus A380 analog—part luxury liner, part starship—with decks evoking System Shock‘s claustrophobic dread. World-building thrives on 2040s details: Disbanded militaries yield Consortium hegemony, but tensions simmer via the Guardian Church’s critiques and mercenary incursions. Lore via the Console details tech like semi-telepathic comms and the iDGi-1 rift, grounding the utopia in gritty realism (Alzheimer’s discussions, “murder simulator” debates). Atmosphere builds paranoia—mercenaries’ boarding evokes Die Hard, while meta-rifts flicker screens, symbolizing unstable possession.

Art direction favors stylized Source assets: Cartoony models avoid uncanny valley but clip awkwardly (eyes misalign, animations stutter), with dated textures suiting the indie vibe yet clashing against Jeremy Soule’s orchestral score—epic swells underscoring intrigue, though muted by default. Sound design excels: Fully voiced cast (234 credits, including pros like Brian Dobson as Rook-9) delivers nuanced performances, from Alannah’s temper to Charlie’s motormouth energy. Spatial audio in vents or overlapping telepathy immerses, while Miles Sound System handles ambient hums and gunfire pops. These elements coalesce into a tense, intimate experience—static blurs heighten disorientation, Soule’s motifs evoke isolation—but bugs (garbled audio overlaps) and subpar visuals (shadow glitches) undermine the cohesion, making the world feel like a promising sketch rather than a fully realized canvas.

Reception & Legacy

Launch reception was mixed, earning a 66/100 Metacritic score from 14 critics and 7.1/10 user average on 62 ratings. Praised for storytelling—Hardcore Gamer (80%) lauded its “notable achievement” in agency and world-building, IGN (72%) its “valiant attempt” at evolution—critics hammered bugs and brevity: GameSpot (60%) called it “glitchy” with 4-5 hour runtime, PCGamesN (40%) a “mess” of repeats and crashes. Players echoed this (2.8/5 on MobyGames), with Backloggd’s 3.1/5 noting “fascinating prologue” but “awful execution.” Commercially modest (53 MobyGames collectors), it sold via Steam but faced delisting in 2023 for Remastered (Unreal Engine 5, May 2024) and VR ports, sparking backlash over erasing the “janky Source oddity.”

Reputation evolved positively in retrospectives: Rock, Paper, Shotgun (2017) hailed its fourth-wall mastery as “what games have the potential to do for a generation.” Influence ripples in meta-narratives (The Beginner’s Guide, Doki Doki Literature Club) and choice-driven indies (The Forgotten City, echoing its time-loop-like replays). Sequels Master Edition (2014 patch), The Tower (2017, action-focused but stalled), and 2024 releases extend lore, but the trilogy’s incompletion cements Consortium as influential yet tragic—crowdfunding pioneer (post-Double Fine Adventure), it inspired immersive sim lites but highlighted indie pitfalls like scope creep.

Conclusion

Consortium weaves a meta-tapestry of identity, choice, and interdimensional ethics, its chess-ranked crew and rift-possessed protagonist delivering a narrative depth rare in 4-hour indies, bolstered by stellar voice acting and Soule’s score. Yet technical jank—bugs, clunky combat, dated UI—tempers its brilliance, turning potential into a bittersweet “what if.” As a historian, I verdict it a pivotal 2010s artifact: Not a flawless classic like Deus Ex, but a bold proof-of-concept for player-protagonist fusion, influencing meta-RPGs and underscoring indie’s power to provoke thought over polish. Essential for narrative enthusiasts, it’s a 7/10 curiosity—play the original if you can torrent it, but its legacy endures as a rift worth crossing.