Long Review :: Complex 7

Complex 7 is exactly what I would want in a potential real video game world based in a robotic post-human sci-fi setting. The design of everything is of professional game developer quality. The author, Fins, has produced a world full of robot culture and lore detailing even a class system of robots, from municipal workers to vendors, shopkeepers to vagrants, and authoritarian forces to anarchists. Even the establishment of post-human existence/culture from a historical viewpoint is detailed in this world, with robots reproducing street food, drinks, snacks, and music.

From a technical perspective, the execution of the world is impressive. The lighting is amazing and well thought out. The NPCs have triggerable prompts for narration, and the places to enter have indications that they are a place you can go to, as opposed to just guessing aimlessly as to which places you can enter or not based on whether a door exists. There are different types of passageways that have the location-transition feel that games usually have for them. The world feels real and intentful: very little was an afterthought. If Fins isn’t already a professional game level designer, this should put them on the map as being capable of doing that.

I’m not sure if this project is a labor of love or a proof of skill, but either way the world is full of imagination and detail which very few other VRC worlds can boast. The prior world, District Roboto, seems like a fun little curiosity in comparison. Fins really upped their game for this one.

In a way the only disappointment with Complex 7 is that it isn’t a full-fledged game. There’s so much to look at, enough interactivity to keep you interested, some secrets to find, and cats to pet. I really wanted more, but because I have to remember that this is a VRC world, it is satisfying enough. This is one of the best VRC worlds you can visit.

(Rating: 9.5)

What a fantastic world! The first District Roboto world was fun, though it was very short, and the sequel is much bigger in both scale and gameplay. There are multiple areas to venture to (all visually distinct and interesting) and there are also various rooms/dwellings to explore, as well as a small collectathon minigame that lets you purchase different robotic avatars. Some of the areas are just stunning with so much going on and small little details – especially the last area, just WOW! The lighting effects, art design, and color are all extremely well done.

That being said, it is a little derivative of the 2022 hit “Stray”, but the author does say it was what inspired them, and honestly I wanted more “robots living in a futuristic city.” With a Stray sequel far away, this scratches that particular itch quite well. NPCs walk the streets and you can talk to a lot of them to see what they have to say. I’m surprised how well optimized the world is as well with so many objects and things going on. It’s all very impressive and easily one of my favorite worlds so far that strikes a balance between exploration and interactivity.

(Rating: 9.5)