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Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller First Impressions

Josh Fields
Written by Josh Fields

September 27, 2012

Phoenix Online Studios is reviving the point-and-click adventure games of yore with Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller. The story is based in the Boston area, with the beginning segment taking place at the Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Watertown. Players are introduced to protagonist Erica Reed, an FBI agent, as well as her partner, John McCoy, as they attempt to find a serial killer.

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  • Introduction

  • Introduction

Pros

Cons

Introduction

What sets Cognition apart from other adventure games is Erica’s psychic ability to see the past. Players can click on a blue orb, located on the bottom-left section of the screen, that will trigger her power. Once triggered, objects that can be used with her ability will glow in blue. Erica uses this ability to look into the past, which sounds useful when tracking a serial killer.

The graphics really stand out in Cognition. There is a serious comic book vibe coming from this game: backgrounds are in 2D while the characters are 3D models, with a distinct cell-shaded look. Cutscenes are a strictly 2D affair, presented like pages from a graphic novel. We have to give kudos to the artists at Phoenix Online Studios for Cognition's fresh design.

Katie Hallahan, PR Director for Phoenix Online Studios and a native of Needham, MA, said that they received funding for Cognition from Kickstarter last year and development began shortly after that.

Phoenix Online Studios actually has some truth in their name. No, there isn’t an actual Phoenix working on Cognition, but the studio is based online. Katie said that the studio, which employs about 25 people, is spread out across the US, with some developers even working in the Great White North (read: Canada).

The storyline can be completed in 6-8 hours, but Ms. Hallahan said that Cognition will have episodic content. An additional three chapters are planned for release, each offering 4-6 hours of gameplay.

Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller is currently on Steam Greenlight and has a release date of fall 2012.

Meet the tester

Josh Fields

Josh Fields

Staff Writer

@reviewedtech

An enthusiast of all things tech, Josh is one of Reviewed.com's resident television experts. When he's not looking at bright TV screens in a dark room, he's probably reviewing a laptop or finding a new snack at 7-11.

See all of Josh Fields's reviews

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