Mr. Robot, the hit cyber-security-based television series, is in its second season and as fans worked to wrap their heads around the latest bombshell episode, Telltale Games, in association with USA, released a new Mr. Robot mobile game that allows players to become an unofficial and unsolicited member of fsociety. The game is a text-based adventure that kicks off when you, a nondescript, everyday Joe finds a cell phone lying on the ground outside the abandoned Fun Society Arcade at Coney Island. As fans of the show know, this is the fsociety hacking group’s unofficial meeting place.
From there, the game takes on the appearance of the lost phone’s display. In the first few moments of the game, the phone appears to be reformatting itself and restarts like a factory-fresh device would. You are required to set up the E Corp messaging app, entering a username and fingerprint for login. This is followed by a whirlwind of system notifications letting you know the device’s SD card has been reformatted and that some errors have occurred -- which you later find out are Darlene’s doing, as she attempts to remotely access files stored on her lost phone.
After dismissing these, you find yourself bombarded with texts from a variety of people. From overdue library book notices to messages from a mysterious individual who claims to have waited half an hour for you and hopes “you aren’t trying anymore,” the first several minutes of gameplay can be a little overwhelming. You’re given options for answering these various individuals, and the decisions you make impact the direction the game takes -- sometimes in large ways, other times the impact is minimal. The fact that everything that happens in the game is basically via a text messaging app makes the game particularly unique.
But just because you’re only exchanging texts, don’t think this game is a snoozer. From the moment you’re contacted by the volatile female hacker Darlene, you’re pulled into a strange and absorbing hacking adventure that introduces players to the world of social engineering. If you aren’t familiar with what social engineering is, it is a type of psychological hacking that involves tricking people into breaking security procedures so that you can gain information you need but don’t have access to. You’re thrust into your first social engineering feat on day one. It involves obtaining the login credentials for an IT middle manager named Lois Berry at Steel Mountain.
This first task is relatively simple if you’ve been paying any attention. You can try to work the information out of Lois herself; I attempted it a couple of times, but she’s smart enough not to share her login information with you. However, if you contact the HR department, posing as Mrs. Berry, it takes little more than knowing the name of her dog to gain access to her login credentials (you were able to find that info from just searching her on the Internet).
The follow-up tasks aren’t all so simple. In fact, the second one I straight up failed at. The game does a brilliant job of making you feel like you’re a part of a growing story and leaves you on the edge of your seat as you wait for the next text.
And speaking of next text … this is the kind of wonderful and infuriating aspect of the game. According to the creators, the game is set up to run over the course of 7 days, so it’s not something you can just power through (we’re on day 3). You receive a variety of texts throughout the day from various characters that play a role in this larger narrative you inadvertently became a part of when you picked up Darlene’s lost phone. Sometimes hours pass between texts; sometimes only minutes or seconds. But the game ultimately is set up to last a full week, so there’s no way to complete the whole thing in a single marathon gaming session. If you turn on notifications, then you’ll get an alert when a new text comes through on your – Darlene’s – phone. When I got out of bed this morning, literally the first thing I checked for on my home screen was a new message from E or Darlene.
At roughly halfway through the adventure, I can say it has me fully engaged. Each interaction leaves you with more questions than the one before. In some cases, individuals text you that you have no information about whatsoever, and there are points where you’re put in a real bind as to whether to “trust” them enough to divulge a little info so you can get the help or resources you need. Meanwhile, there are little humorous touches woven in, from the bizarre chain of texting buddies who message you by accident thinking you are their friend Karen (and refuse to believe you aren’t), to an overly chatty IT guy who’s supposed to install a firmware patch for you, but actually has no clue what he’s doing. With each interaction, you find yourself fully immersed in the world of this person who just happened to pick up the wrong phone at the wrong time.
While I have no idea what actual hackers would think of the game, as a regular Joe I find it wholly satisfying and well worth the $2.99 I paid to install it. The Mr. Robot 1.51exfiltrati0n.apk (for Android) and Mr. Robot:1.51exfiltrati0n.ipa (iOS) game is available now on the Apple and Google Play app stores. If you love the show or just enjoy a good text adventure game, this is definitely worth checking out.
UPDATE 08.19.2016: About an hour after I posted this review I actually came to the end of the game. So, although it is posed as a week-long adventure, I actually completed the three missions in three days. Though I enjoyed each of the missions, it does feel like it ended too abruptly. It feels as though there should have been one more mission to wrap it up, or the end story should have been better, but overall I would still say it was worth the $2.99. Just be prepared for some slight disappointment with the ending.
It's possible the game lasts longer depending on the choices you make in it. I actually started it again on two other devices. On the second device, I made a decision during my second hacking objective that looked like it was leading to the results I needed, but then at the last minute I screwed up and now it's been two days since I have received any texts. I'm not sure if this is a major glitch in the game or if the creators planned this incredibly long space of time between my screw up and E or Darlene's response. It seems a little too long to wait so I'm leaning towards the thought that it's a glitch.
How has your experience been with the Mr. Robot game? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
