Hill Agency: PURITYdecay

Hill Agency: PURITYdecay is a 3D third-person point-and-click detective adventure set in the year 2762 in a cyberpunk North American Indigenous metropolis, where players control Meeygen Hill, a Néhinaw (Cree) private investigator tasked with solving the murder of two sisters by interviewing suspects, collecting evidence in a notebook, and piecing together clues through logic without punishment for mistakes.

Hill Agency: PURITYdecay: Review

Introduction

In a gaming landscape dominated by recycled cyberpunk tropes and colonial narratives, Hill Agency: PURITYdecay bursts onto the scene like a neon-lit Cree phrase flickering in the rain-soaked streets of a futuristic Indigenous metropolis—a bold, unapologetic vision of “Land Back” in the year 2762. Developed by the trailblazing Indigenous studio Achimostawinan Games, this cybernoir detective adventure isn’t just a game; it’s a manifesto for Indigenous Futurism, blending pulpy noir mysteries with Blade Runner-esque dystopia and Ghost in the Shell‘s philosophical undertones. As a professional game journalist and historian, I’ve chronicled the evolution of adventure games from Grim Fandango‘s jazzy skeletons to modern narrative-driven indies like Disco Elysium. Hill Agency carves its niche as the first major release from an Indigenous-led team, reimagining a post-post-apocalyptic North America where colonizers have fled, leaving thriving Néhinaw (Cree) communities under the shadow of elite sky-cities. Yet, for all its cultural audacity and stylistic splendor, the game stumbles under technical bugs, oversimplified mechanics, and traversal tedium. My thesis: Hill Agency: PURITYdecay is a landmark in diverse storytelling and Indigenous representation, deserving a place in gaming history for its visionary world-building, but its flawed execution as an interactive detective experience tempers it to a promising but unfinished gem.

Development History & Context

Achimostawinan Games—whose name translates to “Tell us a story” in Cree—was founded by Meagan Byrne, a Canadian Âpihtawikosisân/Métis narrative designer, who wore multiple hats as director, designer, and writer. Joined by artist Sa’dekaronhes Esquivel and composers Colin R. Lloyd and Honor.beatz, the majority-Indigenous team from Turtle Island (North America) crafted this debut title using Unreal Engine 4, a choice that allowed stylized 3D visuals but exposed the studio’s indie constraints. Development traces back to at least 2017, with CBC News highlighting Byrne’s “Indigenous cybernoir” ambitions, evolving through a successful Kickstarter in 2019 and pre-release accolades like the 2022 Ubisoft Indie Series Ontario Grand Prize.

Released on March 31, 2023, for Windows via Steam and itch.io (priced at $13.49–$14.99), Hill Agency emerged amid a post-Cyberpunk 2077 indie boom, where games like Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol revitalized logic-based detective adventures. The 2020s gaming landscape was ripe for diversification: movements like #OwnVoices amplified marginalized creators, and Indigenous-led projects (e.g., Never Alone) gained traction. Technological limits—no voice acting, tank controls evoking 1990s adventures—stemmed from a small team’s budget, prioritizing narrative and art over polish. Patches (up to 1.04 by May 2023) addressed launch bugs, reflecting responsive post-release support. In context, this was no AAA behemoth but a defiant indie statement against homogenized sci-fi, echoing Oxenfree‘s atmospheric mysteries while pioneering Indigenous futurism in a genre historically whitewashed.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Hill Agency: PURITYdecay is a taut cybernoir yarn unfolding in a Néhinaw metropolis, one of North America’s last bastions after colonial exodus. Protagonist Meeygen Hill, a hardboiled private investigator, kicks off with a tutorial case: recovering her niece’s ElectroDog 2.0 toy from neighborhood ne’er-do-wells, establishing familial bonds in a community where “there are no strangers—everyone is family.” The plot ignites when Mary Patentia, an elite from the airborne Risen City (perched atop the NeXt Corps space elevator), hires Hill to probe her sister’s “overdose”—revealed as murder amid a conspiracy of mind-altering drugs (PURITYdecay), human trafficking, corruption, and corporate shadows.

Plot Structure and Pacing: The narrative escalates from street-level sleuthing to high-stakes intrigue, with reveals peeling back layers of elite exploitation. Key beats include morgue visits, rebel bar interrogations, and a horrifying “BirthingLab,” culminating in a passive confrontation that underscores themes of systemic rot. However, rushed twists—like unguarded labs post-locked fridges—and logical gaps (e.g., informants’ deaths underplayed) dilute tension. Dead time between clues drags, with typos and repetitive dialogue (re-asking solved queries) undermining immersion.

Characters: Hill is a standout: cynical yet community-rooted, her internal monologues blend noir grit (“tough as nails P.I.”) with Cree phrases in neon signage. Mary Patentia embodies class friction, always lurking implausibly. Supporting cast—Hill’s razzing aunt, endearing informants, suspects with misaligned motives—shine through distinct personalities, fostering a “bubble of safety” rare for Indigenous stories. Dialogue, text-only, weaves Cree seamlessly, rewarding cultural research without gating progress.

Themes: This is Indigenous Futurism incarnate: a decolonized future where handmade clothes, multigenerational homes, and nature-integrated urbanism thrive against Risen City’s vanity and ads. Themes probe freedom from oppression, corruption’s persistence, racism/drug abuse/trafficking as mature specters. No redemptive colonial arc; instead, it’s an “unidealized” cyberpunk where Indigenous agency prevails. Echoing The Shivah meets Oxenfree, it humanizes protagonists as flawed thinkers, not saviors.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Hill Agency aspires to make players “the thinking machine,” but delivers a streamlined point-and-click with detective-lite systems. Core loop: traverse blocks (tediously), interview via exhaustive trees, collect prompted clues into a persistent notebook, link on an evidence board, accuse via drag-and-drop.

Investigation Pillars:
– Interviews: Branching but linear; no mistakes alter paths, reducing tension. Repeat dialogues plague progression.
– Evidence Collection: Hotspot-driven, no red herrings—only relevant items inventory. Clues persist post-pickup, enabling loops.
– Board and Accusations: Sandbox drag/drop for suspects/evidence; drawing tool buggy. Accuse Mary for validation—no punishment, but hand-holding saps agency.

Progression and UI: Notebook tracks clues sans guidance; “Grow Your Connections” via terminals unlocks lore. No combat/RPG depth despite tags; character “growth” is narrative. UI is intuitive but glitchy (e.g., stuck characters, non-starting new games).

Controls and Traversal: Tank controls (WASD/gamepad) suit cinematic cuts but feel archaic sans run/quick-travel. Blocks take ~50s to cross, bloating 3–few-hour runtime with slog. Innovations like player-driven logic shine conceptually; flaws—bugs, simplicity—render it passive.

Mechanic	Strength	Flaw
Notebook	Always accessible, logical hub	No synthesis hints
Evidence Board	Visual storytelling tool	Buggy drawing, optional
Accusations	Low-pressure learning	Undermines detective fantasy
Traversal	Atmospheric wandering	Tedious, no shortcuts

World-Building, Art & Sound

The setting—a thriving ground-level metropolis dwarfed by Risen City’s opulence—is a masterclass in contrast. Nature reclaims sidewalks with parks/balconies overflowing greenery; adapted colonial relics (e.g., repurposed apartments) embody resilience. Risen City drips excess: ads, carbon excess. Cyberpunk neon bathes Cree in vibrant scripts, evoking Blade Runner rain but with cultural warmth.

Visuals: Stylized 3D (Unreal 4) wows: B&W noir palette pierced by neons, detailed scenes (interactable or not). Cinematic camera enhances mood, merging Indigenous philosophy (harmony with land) and pulp aesthetics.

Sound Design: Noir jazz soundtrack (Lloyd/Honor.beatz) sets sultry tone but loops repetitively with low variety. Text dialogue—no VO—immerses via unvoiced Cree, fostering authenticity. Subtle effects (heartbeat vibration implied) amplify tension, though bugs disrupt flow. Collectively, these forge an atmospheric escape, where world-building carries the experience.

Reception & Legacy

Launch reception split: Steam’s 100% positive (14 reviews, small sample) lauds style/representation; MobyGames/Adventure Game Hotspot’s 45% (Beau’s review) slams bugs/simplification. Metacritic unranked (1 critic); Backloggd sparse. Patches fixed crashes/stucks, but core issues linger.

Commercially modest (collected by 2 MobyGames players), awards cement legacy: Ubisoft 2022 Grand Prize, imagineNative Digital + Interactive, Steam “Certified Cosmic Banger” (“Doing Crime Without The Time”), GDC 2024 “Best in Play,” Maoriland Festival selection. Influences nascent Indigenous gaming wave, inspiring futurism beyond Never Alone. Evolving rep: cultural touchstone despite gameplay critiques, signaling demand for authentic voices in cybernoir.

Conclusion

Hill Agency: PURITYdecay is a poetic triumph of vision over execution—a cybernoir fever dream where Indigenous futures pulse with neon Cree and reclaimed land, yet hobbled by buggy mechanics, simplistic detection, and traversal woes. Achimostawinan Games’ debut heralds a new era, blending noir heritage with decolonial themes in unprecedented ways. For its stylistic beauty, cultural depth, and awards pedigree, it earns a spot in indie history as a pioneer. Verdict: Recommended for cultural explorers and noir aficionados (7/10)—play for the world, forgive the rough edges, and anticipate sequels polishing this raw diamond. In gaming’s vast archive, it whispers: the future is Indigenous, cyberpunk, and unapologetic.