This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave adjust their sensitivity sliders (and immediately regret it) as they dive deep into the stylish, suspicious, and surprisingly prophetic world of Perfect Dark. Set in the far-flung future of 2023, the game casts them as elite Carrington Institute agent Joanna Dark, a super-spy with a cooler name than everyone else in the building and an arsenal that seems designed by a mad scientist with a grudge against balance.

What starts as a routine corporate espionage job against tech giant dataDyne quickly spirals into a full-blown conspiracy involving rogue AIs, secret government agencies, mind-controlled soldiers, and an interstellar war between alien factions who are way too invested in Earth politics. From sneaking through poorly lit offices and secret labs to escaping flying alien temples and stealing hover bikes, Nick and Dave follow Joanna as she uncovers the truth behind dataDyne’s shady experiments and the alien Skedar, who are absolutely not here to make friends.

Along the way, they’ll wrestle with famously aggressive enemy AI, guards who can hear footsteps through concrete walls, and guns that reload themselves because… the future. Can Dave keep track of the plot once Elvis the Grey Alien becomes a main character? Will Nick ever stop complaining about aiming with a controller while simultaneously insisting it’s "part of the charm"?

Join them as they unravel conspiracies, praise the soundtrack, curse the difficulty spikes, and ask the important question: was Perfect Dark ahead of its time… or just deeply committed to ruining your evening?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.