Mexico, 1921. A Deep Slumber. (LudoNarraCon '24 Preview)

Who says you can only learn history from Assassin's Creed?

Mexico, 1921. A Deep Slumber started off as a game that was on the edge of my radar, but as it continued, ended up as one of my favorites of all the games I tried and played during LudoNarraCon. It was a great package of art, music, story, and mechanics that I’m going to be thinking about for some time.

It’s a bloody, gritty drama, almost like a documentary as it’s based on the very real Mexican revolution of the era. Playing as a grizzled detective during the first moments of the game, I had to decide if the best way to interrogate someone was by physically hitting them.

Juan’s camera was one of my favorite things to use in the game. I loved playing around with zoom, aperture, and depth of field, even though it was sometimes difficult. Cameras have come a long way since 1921, and I loved that it was hard, just like it would have been back then. The game really felt like it captured a moment in time. I learned much as I picked up different things and looked at the world around me.

My only negative here was that I couldn’t finish the full demo before publication. I had begun playing on my Logitech G Cloud before bed one night, but when I pulled the game up on my computer the next day, I was back in the police building where I’d started the game and unable to leave.

Even with the above, the demo for Mexico 1921 is still a must-play, especially if you’re a history buff. Playing it made me excited for games in the future; like what events will my son experience from my life in video game form? Hopefully, it’s done with as much care as the developers from Mácula Interactive have put into this.

(Preview based on early access to the demo by Mácula Interactive and Fellow Traveller.)