Centum - Unqiue Narrative-Driven Game

• DEVELOPER: Hack The Publisher
• PUBLISHER: Serenity Forge
• PLATFORMS: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
• GENRE: Narrative / Point & Click
• RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2025
• STARTING PRICE: 14,99 €
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

Centum drops you into a disorienting world framed as a “long-lost game never released,” blending retro aesthetics with a modern twist on artificial intelligence and existential dread. You begin as a prisoner in a cell, tasked with escaping, but the game quickly subverts expectations: is escape the goal, or a distraction from a deeper truth? Developed by the Tallinn, Estonia-based indie studio Hack The Publisher, known for Dwarven Skykeep (2022) and Vengeance of Mr. Peppermint (2023), and published by Serenity Forge, Centum offers a 3-5 hour experience, with replayability driven by its five distinct endings.

Story and Atmosphere: Tapestry of Doubt

Centum’s narrative is its beating heart and its most divisive element. You awaken in a sparse cell with a bed, a window, a table, and a rat trap, guided by cryptic instructions from an unseen narrator. Early interactions, like cutting your finger in the trap or growing a tree with your blood, hint at a surreal, possibly allegorical tale. As the game unfolds, you’re thrust into a computer desktop interface, clicking through programs, reading unsettling emails, and playing minigames that shift the perspective: are you a prisoner, a developer, or something else entirely?

The story revolves around an AI whose behavior you shape through choices, influencing its “ego states” and leading to outcomes like “Artist,” “Warrior,” “Prophet,” “Murderer,” or an undefined result. Themes of reality, identity, and the ethics of AI emerge, critiquing generative technology’s unreliability. The narrator’s hints are deliberately misleading, and characters like a snot-dripping rat with a human head or a morphing cat amplify the unease. There’s no singular protagonist; you’re a collaborator in a story that resists clarity.

Visually, Centum leans on pixel art that evolves from basic cell walls to richly detailed backdrops – claustrophobic labs, decaying cities, or grotesque fleshscapes. The art direction, paired with a haunting soundtrack of eerie drones and subtle melodies, crafts a nightmarish vibe, though less violent. Sound effects, dripping blood, creaking doors, heighten immersion, though the music can feel repetitive over time. It’s an atmosphere that lingers, worming into your subconscious, but its refusal to explain itself may alienate some of you craving resolution.

Clicking Through the Unknown

Mechanically, Centum is a point-and-click adventure with light puzzle-solving and dialogue choices. You interact with highlighted objects, rubbing a cloth on a window, poisoning a rat, or decoding a cipher, while navigating a dynamic dialogue system that shifts the AI’s personality. The game tracks every click and decision across a three-day cycle, resetting progress unless you uncover “lasting change”, a mechanic that ties into its time-loop premise. Minigames, like a Duck Hunt-style shooter or a 16-bit driving sim, break up the pace but feel more novel than essential.

Puzzles range from intuitive to abstract, reflecting the game’s ethos: you’re meant to feel lost. There’s no hand-holding, accessibility options are minimal, and progress often hinges on trial and error. Additionally, the desktop interface adds a meta layer, with emails and files hinting at a broader mystery, but it’s more atmospheric than functional.

Gameplay is intentionally sparse, prioritizing narrative over mechanics. This works for its artistic goals but may disappoint players expecting robust puzzles or action. The horror lies in psychological tension, unsettling visuals, cryptic exchanges, rather than jump scares, making it a slow burn that rewards patience but tests tolerance.

Ending Variations

As mentioned, your actions, dialogue responses, puzzle solutions, and minigame results feed into an unseen algorithm tracking the AI’s personality. The game doesn’t reveal exact triggers (no morality bar or stat screen), but patterns emerge. For example, warrior ending happens with aggressive choices, like poisoning everything in sight or excelling in combat minigames.

On the other side, prophet ending happens with philosophical or introspective decisions, where decoding ciphers, engaging with the narrator’s riddles yield a visionary AI. However, you’re never exactly sure which ending you’ll get. Each ending is brief: 5-10 minutes of text, visuals, and sound, but layered with subtext. The narrator’s tone shifts (mocking, mournful), and the AI’s final form (a serene figure, a hulking brute) reflects your influence.

Replayability is there, as uncovering all endings requires deliberate shifts in playstyle. A pacifist run contrasts sharply with a killer’s, and the Prophet path demands patience with the game’s densest puzzles. Easter eggs, like a hidden email or a rat’s whispered hint, surface on repeat plays, rewarding you if you’re curious. Centum’s endings are subtler, more impressionistic, leaning on atmosphere over exposition.

Centum Is a Game You Shouldn’t Miss

Without clear feedback on how your choices add up, you might accidentally stumble into different endings. While the endings fit the game’s simple style, they can feel underwhelming after 3-5 hours of buildup. There are also some technical issues, like a bug that resets dialogue choices mid-game, which can mess up your plans. Despite this, the variety and depth of the endings make each one interesting, even if the bigger picture stays unclear.

Centum is a hard-to-define game, part psychological horror, part AI critique, part point-and-click. It’s a short but powerful experience, best for players who enjoy mystery and don’t mind a story that doesn’t hold your hand. Its atmosphere and ideas are its strength, sticking in your mind like a half-remembered nightmare. However, its simple mechanics and unclear storytelling might feel like it’s more about mood than depth.

Review copy provided by the publisher

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