Thanks to the popularity of Lifeline ($2.99), games with narrative hooks and notification features have become in vogue. And KOMRAD is set to be another entry in that genre – replete with Apple Watch functionality, too. But the premise seems intriguing: the premise is that you’re communicating with an abandoned Soviet-era computer AI, the eponymous KOMRAD. It’s not talked to anyone in thirty years, working in isolation without knowing that the Soviet Union kinda doesn’t exist any more, and you’re out to stop it. Or help it in its mission, if you’re feeling particularly red today, comrade.
Part of what’s intriguing about KOMRAD is that the game is written by Brad Becker, who is the former chief design officer of IBM’s Watson. So if anyone knows about working with a conversational super-computer and the interesting scenarios behind it, it’s probably him. Sentient Play may be a studio worth keeping an eye on as its mission is to “explore combining AI with human talent to make personalized and adaptive games that make kids (and adults) smarter." Hmm. Keep an eye out for KOMRAD soon.
