Interurban Era

The last few maps have really tested my suspension of disbelief, but it remains an engaging journey. There were some puzzles that I'd 95% solved, but didn't quite get whatever I was trying to manipulate, be it a stuck valve or set of circuit breakers, to behave properly. It forced me to return to the walkthroughs posted on steam threads a few times just to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

It's that kind of thing that takes me OUT of the game though. I had to use the official strategy guide for RIVEN as a kid to get through some of the more obtuse puzzles in that game, and IDK. I like the experience of playing a game with puzzle elements, but do I enjoy solving similar puzzles across such a vast game as INFRA? There is some relief when I encounter a circuit breaker I know how to operate, or the controls on one of the mining locomotives, but there almost needs to be more variety or less variety? I understand the mark is different for everyone though.

I'm enjoying the protagonists' narrow scrapes through a crumbling city, and despite some architectural gripes, it's been a remarkably good, but stressful game for me to play.

Now in real everyday life when I ride transit, I'm inspecting the inside of the metro stations for spalling concrete and leaking panels, haha! The worst part? I'm actually spotting real hazards now and THAT makes me uncomfortable.

It's akin to when you learn the art of kerning type and then misspaced le tter i ng begins to bother you increasingly more often and you can't "unsee" it.

(Read the captions above for details)

So, a LOT has happened. I left the steel plant for a water treatment facility and it pays to wander around a much of these maps as possible. Easy keycard entry with a bit of creativity. This facility was one of my favorites. Perfect blend of complexity and challenge to get this water treatment plant working again, safely. Impressed we got to do a bit of "science" by taking water quality samples and adjusting the output accordingly. Also ate a psychedelic kebab someone left on the counter, that was fun. (Not many games give you THAT experience, let me tell you!)

This led to the water treatment offices, which the first image shows off what might be going wrong in the "big" picture, which was a good refocus after surviving the (unrelated to the main plot) steel mill. From there we crossed an underpass which lead to a poisonous dead end, or so I thought!

If only learning from fatal errors in real life was as forgiving as INFRA.

The next space was a hacker den in a disused canal maintenance pumphouse, which was, I believe, a manageable entrée into active/passive security measures we might see in future facilities. This was the first puzzle I needed to look online for a solution because I really wanted to figure out a few of the mysteries within. Sadly the solution was RIGHT there and I didn't see it right away. Silly me. It made the final piece of the puzzle underwhelming, so I don't think I'll be going back to finding solutions online. (or I may eat my words, watch this space!)

The subplot of the glowing mushrooms influencing the population of the city never fails to amuse, and the next few puzzles revolved around learning more about that. You end up seeing one of the worst maintained pieces of infra in the game, and it will definitely kill you if you aren't quick on your feet!

The pay off is substantial, if you find the right room. A masterpiece of environmental storytelling any "true crime" podcast or mystery thriller fan would absolutely lose it over. A few things I'll keep secret happen next, but eventually you find yourself in the basement of the Steel Workers union building.

One of the most evil things happens in this building: as a gift to the union reps, they gave out sugar free Haribo gummy bears, which if you are to believe the reviews of them online, cause a very personal infrastructural failure after eating them.

Klaxons, alarm bells, fire alarms, and other warning systems follow you wherever you go. Mercifully, you can disarm/reset fire alarms from their panels so you aren't given a headache while solving a puzzle.

The Union Office was a nice light puzzle in a calm environment after the most stressful situation yet in the canal. It is connected to the metro system via a lobby door, or, as I found out, the pay toilets HVAC system if you're more adventurous.

The Metro system is actually pretty logically designed, the stations are also pretty nice. I'll do another post on them sometime. I found this whole part of the game (obviously) very fun, and the adorable little inspection motorcar you get to drive (realistically) was such a treat after my gripe with the steel mill locomotives.