After less than a year, it is finally time for “Not For Broadcast’s” big release. “TinyBuild Games” released “Not For Broadcast 1.0” on Jan. 25, just five days short of the second anniversary of the game’s early access release. You play as Alex Winston, who is in charge of news production as the city falls in political and social turmoil over a recent election. You make decisions that have real consequences and decide if you help your city or your family. Do you side with Disrupt, a rebellion group, or Advance, a new democratically elected government? But with the full game finally released, does it live up to the standards it set all those months ago? Or does the ending fall apart, leaving us wanting more? Since I have already covered episodes one and two, this will focus on episode three. Spoilers ahead!

The story picks up almost five years after a nuclear war, causing fertility rates to decrease across the territories. The characters have grown more but still hold their mannerisms as before. The game won a Guinness World Record for “Most Full-Motions Video Footage in a Video Game” with almost 43 hours of footage, smashing the previous record of 35 hours. The use of real characters drives the feelings the game rises home. Seeing people you have grown to care for getting mistreated or getting what they deserve hits harder. You can see the effects your choices have on their personalities and attitudes. The raw emotions you see appear on their faces as newer or older characters sends chills down your spine. Watching their world fall apart and build back up again is just incredible. 

The details in this game are breathtaking. From simple things like seeing the paintbrush strokes on the vision mixer to watching the set changes or the shift in stories they cover as the government takes more control. You can also spot foreshadowing if you have a keen eye, which I love. They use a technique called “Five-Second Foreshadowing.” They show warning signs of what is to come moments before it happens. For example: Showing a weapon on multiple cameras moments before you can use it. 

The endings are very satisfying. There are 14 total endings to the game, varying based on your choices. The first ending I got was called “An Accord.” You reunite with a beloved character named Jeremy after six years. There is an end to the tyrannical government, and finally, we regain our news station. It is an amazing conclusion. It is heart-wrenching and hits you right in the feels as the characters react to Jeremy’s return. Junior Jae Wallis says, “[These topics] make for very tense situations and a lot of man vs. self conflicts.” He goes on to say, “It’s very investing and complex. 10/10 to play and sucks you in.”

When I spoke to Claire Racklyfeft, who played Prime Minister and antagonist Julia Sailsbury, she was excited to see the community’s reaction to the different endings. Because the segments of the game span for about 15 minutes in one continuous take, I asked how she managed to stay ‘in it’ and in character for so long. She responded, “You have to be really in the moment. Any loss of concentration gets picked up. Also, you have to be a lot more subtle in expression. I really struggled with that one.”

It is too early to say what the plans for the future are, especially since the full game came out just days ago after years of work. But as of right now, the developers say that they have “no concrete plans for the future.” But the game comes to a satisfying end, and honestly, there would be no need for a second game unless they wanted more world-building because they answered all our questions and tied up loose ends. “Not For Broadcast 1.0” is on sale on Steam for $25 and is by far one of my favorite games and will stay on my top 10 list of games for the foreseeable future.