Ayn Rand would have enjoyed Culpa Innata. Central to some of the author’s works was the recurring ideal that ‘self’ was all important. Culpa Innata, a futuristic murder mystery from Strategy First and Momentum, plays off that.

The game takes place in the year 2047 AD and focuses on a group called the World Union. The WU believes that the meek shall not inherit the Earth, rather that the selfish, the strong, the egocentric will rule. Those who want it and are willing to take it, regardless of their course of action (which can be vile, if necessary) are the true rulers. And those who don’t agree with them are dealt with – if they get in the way.

The game itself tells a retrospective tale in some regards. Culpa Innata refers to the time frame in which the human race was involved in the perpetuation of selfish genes. It was a 27-year period that ended in 2052 with The Devolution. Little is known about the events that triggered The Devolution, as records were lost during a two-year information blackout.

The game centers on Peace Officer Phoenix Wallis, who is assigned to investigate the death of a World Union citizen. But Wallis is also trained to deal with those “sickly infiltrators” who would seek to bring down the World Union. The death of the Union citizen oddly coincides with the accidental death of a prominent professor in Adrianopolis – a border town between the World Union and Russia. The victim, Vassily Bogdanov, had returned to his homeland, Russia (which is a rogue state outside the Union). To complicate matters, Phoenix is partnered with a younger officer named Julio, who is not above a little backstabbing if that furthers his career (as you can see, the idea of selfishness is in full play even with the interactions of the characters).

Culpa Innata is not just an investigation into the murder, but it is also a philosophical journey for Phoenix. She will bump into facts and discoveries that will challenge her core beliefs, which are at the heart of age of Culpa Innata.

The game itself is pure point and click; you use the mouse to cursor over items to explore them further and click on locations you wish to move to. The cursor will change to allow you to ascertain what actions might be available.

While some of what Culpa Innata throws at gamers is old hat, in terms of the interface and general gameplay, the game does have quite a bit of depth to it. The history is deep and you will be inundated with facts as you progress through the game. The pace may be slow, but you will learn much that brings the world to life.

Key to the game is the PA, the personal assistant. It has several tabs that will bring up contact lists, inventory, navigational map, diary and allow egress to the game controls. A right click on the mouse brings it up. You also have a computer that is vital is process information and analyzing data. The computer has seven primary areas that are broken down into sub-areas. For example, on the areas is 3D processing, which is broken down into the categories of Reconstruct from Single Image, Reconstruct from Multiple Images, and Object Comparison. That, in itself, may give you a clue as to the depth of the game.

The game features more than 50 interactive characters and as you begin conversations, you can determine the direction you are going in as well as having the opportunity to explore branching paths from the dialogue tree. There are also more than 40 locations one can visit during the course of the game.

The game does start out a little on the slow side and then, as you begin to uncover clues, starts to ramp up. There are a variety of puzzles, from logic style puzzles to dialogues that have to be handled right to trigger the proper sequence of events.  

One of the first obstacles you will face involves trying to get a security pass out of a locked cabinet. This involves taking a bobby pin from Phoenix’s makeup kit and finding the right sequence to open the drawer. Don’t worry, once you find it, the drawer will automatically open.

Graphically Culpa Innata tries for a three-dimensional look with a dynamic camera system that will follow your character and move when needed. Actually, the game is rather flat and while approximating 3D is more or less two dimensional. Some of the animations leave a bit to be desired. Once you get outside, you will give chase to a suspicious character and the running animations (this is all cut scene) is rather awkward. And speaking of cut scenes, the game draws them from the in-game engine to give the whole thing a seamless look.

The game’s audio is hit and miss. Some of the voice acting (which is paired nicely to the mouth movements) is a bit over the top and the dialogue seems to be a tad misinterpreted. The ambient sounds are fine, though some of the foley work (like footsteps and such) are a little on the unbelievably loud side. Phoenix talks to herself a lot and this can be a bit annoying, and the music, while nice, is looped and repetitious.

While the game does have a mission, how you approach it is up to you. While the game does boast a non-linear story arc, you might not get that much replayability from it simply because you will know, after a play through, what information is needed. Still, you might be able to glean more facts a second time around, or – at the least – learn more about the world.

It should be noted that Culpa Innata is rated for Mature players due to blood, language, strong sexual content and violence.

Culpa Innata is the kind of adventure game that might well suit fans of the genre. The game presents a murder mystery but delves into philosophy and challenges the characters to change as they progress down the story line. The game has depth and it is easy to get caught up in the search for clues and unraveling the secrets of the World Union. The game is not without some faults, but presents a solid and thoughtful adventure that will entertain.

Gameplay: 7.8
The puzzles are not that varied, and once you get a handle on combining looking at an object and opening up your PA and using inventory items, some of the elements seem a bit easy. But make no mistake, some of the puzzles will occupy a bit of time. Control-wise, the game has a very familiar vibe, which is to say that it is in line with other games in this genre.

Graphics: 7.5
The pairing of the dialogue to the mouth movements is well done. The game does a decent job of emulating a three-dimensional look but still can feel flat and 2D in the close-ups. Some of the animations are rather silly, as well. The texturing is fine, but dynamic lighting is a little hit and miss.

Sound: 7.0
The music is decent but repetitious. Some of the voice work seems to be a bit off, but generally, the sound is a decent supporting cast member.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0
Some of these puzzles will occupy a bit of time to work through, but while the general gameplay is no that new or fresh, the game has a deep storyline, rich with history and back story. The dev team did a nice job of bringing the game alive.

Overall: 7.8
What Culpa Innata lacks in terms of innovative gameplay, it makes up for in depth – that is the key to this game. The dev team tried to give the game an immersive quality by breathing life into the time period and the character reactions and interactions. Sometimes it works, sometimes it misses. Still, this is a solid entertainment value and should be a nice diversion for fans of the genre.