Infra is the kind of game that you'd think shouldn't exist, but I'm glad it does.
Pretty much the entire game is just you trying to do your job inspecting and taking pictures of rundown infrastructure (and delving into some investigative journalism if you so choose). Dams, tunnel systems, water treatment plants, metal refineries, offices, metros... you cover a lot of ground.
I love games that lean heavily on exploration. That's ALL Infra is, and it's a lot. My playthrough seriously took me over 20 hours. Granted I'm a bit of a completionist when it comes to exploration, but I didn't expect to sink so much time into one playthrough. That length is even crazier when you find out there's a few different endings, some of which depend on random actions you may or may not have taken several hours prior.
Which leads to another thing I want to mention. Infra loves secrets. For me once I realized how many there were they ended up being the driving force behind my exploration. I know there's a few big ones I missed too that I'll have to keep an eye out for if I replay it again in the future.
There's plenty of puzzles to break up the exploration, but they're definitely not the game's strong suit or why you'd keep playing. Some of them can be pretty obtuse and end up in trial and error, and you'll need eagle eyes to solve others.
The game's got a weird sense of humor. At some point around the 10 hour mark there was a big climax, the screen faded to black, and I get a Steam popup with the achievement "The End?". I was ready for the credits to roll, but nope -- another map loads up and I'm right back in the thick of it. They even pulled the same trick later with an achievement called "To Be Continued".
Infra even started changing the way I looked at random infrastructure in real life. Like I'd drive under an overpass and instinctively scan it for cracks or signs of wear.
Infra isn't a game I'd recommend to most people, but if you fit into the small niche this game is for it's very enjoyable.
- moddedBear / 2022-04-14