The Red Strings Club
Developer Deconstructeam
The Red Strings Club is a 2018 adventure game developed by Deconstructeam and published by Devolver Digital. It was originally released on Windows, macOS and Linux in January 2018, with a Nintendo Switch version released in March 2019. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
250 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 6, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
154 positive · 33 negative
95% range 76–87%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 154 | 33 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
63 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 250 · most liked firstIn case you needed another reason to play The Red Strings Club.
unlabelledView post →MinnMax is a great show I've been listening to the past few years and Deconstructeam is a team I've loved since I found their game The Red Strings Club. I can't wait to play their newest one. I am not in game dev but I think this video is relevant to anyone who creates art of any kind. Check it out!
unlabelledView post →In about an hour, @rexiconjesse.bsky.social and I will be checking out The Red Strings Club, a game I've been meaning to play for a loooooooooong time but haven't gotten around to yet. Hey, that's what HME is for... right?
unlabelledView post →By the way, along with all the stuff from The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood's 3rd Anniversary we snuck up a The Red Strings Club shirt 👕 in our new Official Merch Store! 🍸 This game is over 8 years old now, phew. shop.deconstructeam.com/product/the-...
unlabelledView post →Unfortunately despite my best efforts to like this game, I have found myself having mixed feelings about it. The music is fantastic, the pixel art is glorious and fits the mood perfectly, the story starts off really well and you are quickly hooked as the game tries to explore many deep themes, if the quality of the first half stayed in the second, I would be looking at a solid 8/10 experience. Sadly, the second half ♥♥♥♥♥ the bed more than a drunk truck driver. The second half throws away…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Deeply saddened to say that I don't recommend this game. Played it with my brother on my birthday and we had a really fun time until the end. We both love philosophy, so we enjoyed weighing all of the options we had and we did our best to be strategic in hopes we could give a happy ending to our main characters. Although we expected a plot twist, we really sincerely hoped we would be able to find some sort of clever solution to give some hope for our main characters, who we had become…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I recently replayed this game to 100% it and while I remember liking it a lot, I was taken aback by how much it affected me even on a second playthrough. My only complaint about this game is that I wish it was longer. Not because the story felt incomplete or left me hanging, but because I really enjoyed my time with it and wanted more of the characters and world. It made me feel things and become attached to the characters in the short time I spent with this game. It also lead me to seriously…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this game for the first time in 2021. Didn't think about the story that much back at that time. I replayed this game when it's almost 2026 and everything felt so relevant... I started to actually worry about the deep questions raised by this game, which feels like the new REALITY. I'm quite impressed and realized how art can hit differently depending on the time you experience it. Highly recommended if you like heavy moral topics or you just enjoy making chilly cocktails :) wonderful…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game 31 of 2025: The Red Strings Club. Cyberpunk genre is my fav because it'll ask: "What is a human?" "What is identity?" "What is free will?" Good cyberpunk media forces the person to pause and introspect. Red Strings Club does all this, and is now one of my top cyberpunk games of all time.
unlabelledView post →There's not a single thing I would change in this game. Excellent story, philosophical discussions, twists and gameplay. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is my first time i played such kind of a game. Ngl it's pretty short, but I recommend to play it in the middle of the night. Dialogues are indeed interesting, the plot at some point is emotional. I'm glad i decided to play it at some random night.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game really said 'have a drink and question capitalism.'
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →art and music are good, and i like the setting, but the narrative is very all over the place and not really trying to tell anything. also the AI robot literally "thinks youre stupid" if you question it about saying women are repressed, after every corporate higher up that walked into the bar was female. there was otherwise nothing being told about what womens lives are like in this universe, so it made sense to question. that felt incredibly preachy and out of character for a supposedly and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"let us need each other. let us beg for help." oh man. incredible dialogue, distinct characters, compelling narrative, beautiful atmosphere. easily one of my favorites. makes you feel a bleak confusion regarding what makes us human, and yet also gives you a burning appreciation for it. despite it all, to the end, there was love.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pretty captivating the first few hours, despite the janky and repetitive mini-games. Then the game lost me with his blatant virtue-signaling discourse, a mix of wokeness and globalism. If it was written in a more subtle and less biased way I wouldn't mind those kinds of subjects being present, but not shoved down the player's throat.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A game where choices matter, although the only wrong answer is lying to yourself.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short and complex. Sweet and sour. Simple and deep. For the lenght of a feature-lenght movie, this game proposes fun mini-games, great dialogues and enthralling mechanics, all boiling down to a great narrative about the hard problem of consciousness, the weight of choices, the desire to love and have it shared, technology and its use under capitalism, and much more. Best played with a glass of whatever beverage that suits you, a rainy night and a desire to feel something.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →⣿⣿⡻⠿⣳⠸⢿⡇⢇⣿⡧⢹⠿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⡇⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⡐⣯⠁ ⠄⠄ ⠟⣛⣽⡳⠼⠄⠈⣷⡾⣥⣱⠃⠣⣿⣿⣿⣯⣭⠽⡇⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⢢⠏⠄ ⠄ ⢠⡿⠶⣮⣝⣿⠄⠄⠈⡥⢭⣥⠅⢌⣽⣿⣻⢶⣭⡿⠿⠜⢿⣿⣿⡿⠁⠄⠄ ⠄⣼⣧⠤⢌⣭⡇⠄⠄⠄⠭⠭⠭⠯⠴⣚⣉⣛⡢⠭⠵⢶⣾⣦⡍⠁⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⠄⣿⣷⣯⣭⡷⠄⠄⢀⣀⠩⠍⢉⣛⣛⠫⢏⣈⣭⣥⣶⣶⣦⣭⣛⠄⠄⠄⠄⠄ ⢀⣿⣿⣿⡿⠃⢀⣴⣿⣿⣿⣎⢩⠌⣡⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⠄⠄⠄ ⢸⡿⢟⣽⠎⣰⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢀⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⠄⠄ ⣰⠯⣾⢅⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡄⠄ ⢰⣄⡉⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⠄ ⢯⣌⢹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⢸⣇⣽⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⢸⣟⣧⡻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣧⡻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄ ⠈⢹⡧⣿⣸⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡿⠗⣈⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠄ ⠄⠘⢷⡳⣾⣷⣶⣶⣶⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⢀⣶⣶⣶⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠄ ⠄⠄⠈⣵⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠄⠄ ⠄⠄⠄⠸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠘⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠄⠄
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It’s like real life. you go to a bar, and someone starts telling you cool stories and asking about life dilemmas. and it's stupid, pretentious, boring drunk talk, and you can’t leave, so you just sit there and nod. but it have a cameo of Gost.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game touchs upon many themes, the 2 broadest theme i'd say are (1) artificial inteligence's benefits and possible threats to society and (2) loneliness and human-connection in an urban/city perspective. Gameplay is quite like a visual novel, with heavy dialogues.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really liked the representation, music, and art, but I already felt exhausted after fixing drinks for the first guest. The pottery crafting and drink-pouring are overwhelming and torturous for people with spatial processing disorders like me. Now I'm praying for an update that lets players skip all those mini-games because I'm not going to open this game again. I wish I hadn't had such high expectations for this game and waited until my holiday to play it, thinking I would have more…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was a phenomenal game and story with a lot of very deep ideas and introspective questions. I spent a long time debating in my head about the benefits and dangers of the SWP project and when Akana asked me how I'd improve upon upon I had to really wrestle with what makes up free will and human nature. Loved all the gay and trans characters as well.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →after trying to play Grim Fandango out of historical curiosity and bouncing due to it's obtuseness and game breaking bugs I went looking for another adventure game to play and landed on The Red Strings Club (Destructeam, 2018) and mostly really liked it
unlabelledView post →A cheesy story with slow text display speed. Pros -The mini games are fun and a bit challenging -The choices actually mater, you often only have a few questions you can ask, and you want to make sure you ask them at the correct time, or you won't get the info. Cons -The political messages are a bit simple/obvious. -The story comes off as cheesy but I don't think it's meant to be. -The reason I didn't finish it is because the text display speed is slow, you cannot click to instantly show the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: -Pixel art was gorgeous. The use of colours was cohesive and impactful. Every character looked distinct. -Story. Made me tear up at the end. I was freaked out at the ending plot twist. I cared for each individual that we were introduced to. Wasn't bored once. -Themes. I'm not that into having existential crises while debating my own free will, unlike I used to be a few years back... But this was art, the way it impacted me, regardless. I enjoyed it. The themes could also just be an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →“The Red Strings Club” (Devolver Digital, bsky.app/profile/devo...) is different in all the best ways. I’ve never played a game that combines such a great story and characters, takes a stand, and remains so relevant. It’s going to leave a mark. #IndieGames #NintendoSwitch
unlabelledView post →I played blind after hearing it's somewhat similar to VA-11 and Coffee Talk. I didn't expect it to be one of the very few games where my choices truly matter, accompanied by some philosophical discussions that may help uncover the moral ambiguity of choices that might otherwise seem "obvious". Both the visuals and the music are good, although they aren't exactly outstanding compared to some other story-rich pixel-art games. I quite liked the cocktail-mixing mini-game, but the pottery one…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beautiful sountrack and game. Would recommend, would have liked it even more if there was some kind of endless mode where you serve customers drinks while enjoying the music.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We got a peek at the Red Strings Club from the tarot-making game Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood- today we delve into the conspiracy-unraveling game that Red Strings Club, mixing drinks to loosen tongues along the way💖💫 www.twitch.tv/luci_ferrous...
unlabelledView post →I really wanted to love it. But, its too repetive for my own taste. Making the drink and the sculpting is just a ragequit event (its not even cozy at this point). At least the narrative is good... but i cry everytimes i see a mini game approching... -Not really playable on steamdeck! but great on pc
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Super political content and messaging. Cool ideas, but it forces you into one opinion only and there's a lack of nuance.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if you're a sci-fi veteran (veteran = having read a few short story anthologies) , story is 3/10 on controls during minigames. it is a failure. 0/10 however they have improved their craft dramatically in their Tarot game . Go buy that instead.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Game Kitchen が開発してる Ninja Gaiden の新作、Deconstructeam(The Red Strings Club, The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood) のJordiさんがシナリオ担当してるとのこと。これは楽しみだ!
unlabelledView post →Mi review -in Spanish- for The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, the latest game by Deconstructeam (The Red Strings Club), a game about choice and destiny where you can design your own tarot: https://www.eurogamer.es/analisis-de-the-cosmic-wheel-sisterhood-el-destino-esta-escrito-en-las-cartas
unlabelledView post →哎,打完有种说不出的悲伤,但总之是个很好的故事!虽然对于无论前面选了什么不同的选择,在结尾都不能阻止主角的死亡觉得有点,,不舒服,但是可能也没有别的办法了。不过这游戏确实很好的展示了“choices matter”的定义啊!玩了两周目了,对于一些选择的区别导致的不同对话还是挺有感触的。。。特别是阿卡拉问要不要同意那一堆人类会对彼此做出的事情的时候。。不过不得不说这个游戏对全成就/多周目玩家不是很友好!不能手动存档真的挺可怕的,快进功能也不完善。。
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the most memorable and meaningful gaming experiences of my life
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →controls are weird on a controller and side games are annoying
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →+ cool concept and very cool music ('marketing director' deserves a bln. plays) + gorgeous art. brandeis' parts are the most interesting. - poor execution/lackluster mechanics, forced auto-save without multiple slots to return to, very few settings (both game-wise and story-wise), bartending is a pain, dialogue/questions sometimes don't make sense/connect well, random glitches if you're speeding through another playthrough (because you can't get all achievements in one go), not being able to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Premise looked interesting but the game is overall garbage. I love sci-fi, cyberpunk, pixel graphics and point-and-click adventure games... and this game is not very good. Graphics: They are nice. Best aspect of the game, except during mini-games when it looks like it was made with MS Paint. Sound: OK Interface: clunky Storyline and characters: They are incredibly cliché, the minigames are repetitive and janky without much purpose. There is also lack of subtlety in the message that it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game had a really interesting storyline and I absolutely loved the principle of tuning cocktails to people's emotions. The artstyle is so satisfying, it fits the distopian world really well. One thing that bothered me a little bit is that sometimes you would find out a piece of information and then later on be told it again by another character and Donovan (the bartender) would act like it was the first time he had heard it even though he might have been told 2-3 times before. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd rather play a straight up visual novel than deal with this gameplay.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Starting the game: Cute pixel art! Sci-fi! Lathes! Drinks! Ending the game: Am I a bad person? :(
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →oh ♥♥♥♥...i need a drink after this one
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →9. The Red Strings Club A pixel art cyberpunk bartending game about mixing the right drinks in order to get your customers to spill their guts to you.
unlabelledView post →The story was somehow interesting, mini-games were ok, but the moment I was presented with the "all women are oppressed" question, and later Akara's reply, I just rolled my eyes. It did not only broke the inmersion for me, it made me want to finish the game ASAP. It's a shame I couldn't refund when I got to that point.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really great game. Awesome pixel art that draws you into the world and meaningful conversations that actually do affect the story in dramatic ways.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this team so much. I played this after completing Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, and while that game is essentially always going to be my favourite game, this came real close. The characterisation is phenomenal, the mechanics are engaging, and I just love the way these games are put together. I cannot WAIT for the next game they come out with. Devs, thank you so much for making this possible. You put in an incredible amount of work.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just wasn't for me. 45 minutes into the game and I just wasn't into either the story, the art style, or the gameplay, which didn't yet seem to give me much autonomy in my actions. I've heard amazing things about this game, so I think if I could endure and make it further the experience would change, I just have no desire to go on. You had 45 minutes to hook me, and you failed to do so.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My dear Red Strings Club: What really slaps about this game, apart from the amazing Cyberpunk atmosphere, is the invitation to think while playing. The way the questions are asked after every encounter made me go to the shower to think through my answers, my analysis of other people, my empathy, and my morals. Amazing writing and a compelling story; this is a must-play, especially if you enjoy cyberpunk visual novels and exploring Technology ethics dilemmas, love, and free will. I felt…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR 5.5/10 Good writing, bad game. For sci-fi interactive fiction aficionados. It's as if Richard Linklater dabbled in cyberpunk. Oh wait, he did! So yeah, it's just like A Scanner Darkly, with all the drug-tinged philosophical (but emotional) dialogue and intrigue-free mystery plot. That movie's better than this, but this isn't bad either. At least, not in the basket where they put all their eggs: the writing and plot. The particulars of the technology, corporate power structure, and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I am almost never one to leave negative reviews, but I feel like one is warranted in this case. However, as there is a lot to love about this game, I'll go over those before digging into my cons. First, the game looks great. The pixel art is fantastic, the character design is awesome, and everyone looks unique and has their own unique speech styles, which makes the world feel very alive. You grow to become quite strongly attached to some of the characters within just a few small conversations…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly what a wonderful experience. It is quite a short game(3-4) hours but has more depth and personality than most AAA titles. Really strongly written, fun mechanics and beautiful art style. The game's writing really makes you ponder about ethics and morals of the modern human experience with the rise of mega corps and AI. 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Near-perfect story game. Short and sweet, with some lovable and complex characters. The soundtrack absolutely rips, incredible stuff. I need to replay at some point to see the stuff I missed. Would recommend to anyone
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →amazing game. i have now watched a playthrough of it on youtube, played it myself twice and have recommended it to a friend and have watched him finish it. this is a game that manages to tell a truly captivating story with great, simple gameplay. its ending leaves the player on a bittersweet note that makes them think about the actual world around them. also the artstyle, soundtrack and atmosphere are absolutely beautiful.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly can't stand the minigames.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dead Plate, Jackpot Crash Course by Studio Investigrave Haunted Cities 1-4 by kitty horror show Haven by The Game Bakers Life After Magic by Team Starlight memories by guiyyu Yet Another Killing Game by Soulseer Studios Eclipsium by Housefire The Red Strings Club by Deconstructeam AND SO MANY MORE!
unlabelledView post →8. The Red Strings Club A pixel art cyberpunk bartending game about mixing the right drinks in order to get your customers to spill their guts to you.
unlabelledView post →The potting mechanics and instructions is confusing...and the bartendering thing lacked depth. Still, the story make up for it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game has interesting ideas, but its small scope cannot really support the depth of story and gameplay it seems to be aiming for. There is a lot of untapped potential, which is a shame. A longer, fuller version with more developed characters and narrative could have been much stronger. At the same time, I do wonder whether the writer had enough depth or clarity to properly express the ideological and philosophical themes they wanted to explore. A -…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone who doesn't play a lot of single player story driven games, I was so so surprised with how much I enjoyed this game. The story, characters, art and gameplay were all incredible and my only criticism is that there isn't enough of it. thankfully I can play it again to find different avenues. And maybe save brandies?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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