Gods Will Be Watching enforces the mercy rule

You're on an astroid floating through space, in a secret base owned by the intergalactic empire- which would be great if you were one of the bureaucratic drones that worked for them. But you're a freedom fighter that's been apprehended, tied to a chair, and locked in the torture chamber. So, yeah. Not an ideal situation. You look up to the wall and see an axe, hammer, and other implements of destruction. You look back to see your friend's bisected corpse chained to the wall. Suddenly, a bright light floods the room. A choir of angels descends from the aether- they're all wearing white robes, halos, and... Halloween masks? Oh, it's not angels. It's just the developers. But they are here to help you in your hour of need.

Deconstructeam has released The Mercy Update for their brutal point and click adventure game Gods Will Be Watching. The Update adds a few new modes for those who just weren't able to hack the original version of the game. The newly added Puzzle Mode completely removes the random chance elements from the game- so when you're lying to the blonde psycho that wears sunglasses in a basement and is holding a red-hot piece of rebar to your face, it's not a calculated risk, it's a strategic maneuver. And if that's still too much for you, there's Puzzle Mode Light, which gives you easier puzzles, or Narrative Mode for those who just want to play through the story without facing a serious challenge.

Personally, I like the fact that Gods Will Be Watching has you pull the trigger on actions that only have a 34% chance of succeeding. It makes the situations feel more desperate when you're relying on a hail mary to come through for you. But it makes sense that you would want to play a game that doesn't come crashing down because you were on the wrong side of random chance. And since Deconstructeam has been marketing GWBW as a 'Moral Puzzler', having a Puzzle mode makes sense. I can't really get behind the Narrative Mode though. The fact that I failed a lot made me feel like my decisions had more weight when I started getting farther- I empathized with the characters because of it. But, if you aren't able to get past a certain point and you want to see how the game ends, who am I to deny you?

Gods Will Be Watching is available now through Steam, GOG and the Humble Store for $9.99, with all the modes included.