Welcome to the Game III PC (Goldberg-Final)

Scan strange websites for info, hack into PCs while defending your own, and buy/sell goods & services, all while avoiding threats in this strategic, suspenseful horror game. Be vigilant; psychos of all shapes and sizes have gotten the green light to kill you. Use your awareness to choose when to stay put, when to hide, and when to RUN. Browse the dark net, with access to 52 websites, and uncover hidden pieces to a puzzle that will grant you life… assuming you can find them all. Chat with users (NPCs) to buy/sell goods & services. Manage when to progress yourself and when to attack those (NPCs) in the race with you.

Pay up to either slow or try to remove them permanently from the competition, but remember they can do the same to you. Successfully counter hacks to earn DOS Coin OR block intrusions with firewall upgrades, but miss out on earnings. Contend with multiple hacking minigames that will test your reaction speed, typing ability, and puzzle-solving skills. After striking up a debt with folks who refuse to accept a failure to pay, Simon has landed himself in a tough spot. Due to his own poor decision-making, he’s forced to play Welcome to the Game IIItonight, where his life’s fate will be decided. However, plainly winning isn’t a sufficient payday for those he owes.

Welcome to the Game III simulates browsing the dark net and the content found there. Some sites include illegal drug sales, satanic cults, and hitmen for hire. The game also allows you to gamble fake currency using an in-game slot machine. The atmosphere and puzzles create a real sense of paranoia, but there’s one thing that’s really hurting the experience: the hack sound effect. To hear gameplay audio of Welcome to the Game III like footsteps and other sound cues, the SFX volume has to be turned up. However, the hack sound effect is tied to that same volume and is far louder than everything else. It isn’t a jumpscare.

Sound cues in Welcome to the Game III are absolutely horrendous, as the game is already very quiet to begin with. Headphone volume has to be cranked to the maximum just to hear the Assassin, Tanner, and Tucker, only to get ear-blasted by the hacking sound, which is still extremely loud. The audio needs a complete rebalance, especially since the gameplay revolves around it. Players shouldn’t have to second-guess ambient noises to determine whether the killer is approaching; it should be clear and decisive if they’re paying attention. This issue alone is enough to recommend waiting to buy Welcome to the Game III until it’s fixed or reworked, but the web browsing and computer mechanics are fun.