Sam Higgs wakes up in his hotel room with blood on his shirt and no memory of the night before. That is the engine of Twin Mirror, and it drives everything that follows. The 2020 adventure game from Don’t Nod puts you in the shoes of Sam, a 33-year-old investigative journalist returning to Basswood, West Virginia, for the funeral of his best friend, Nick. What follows is a hunt for the truth that bends and folds around Sam’s own mind.
Trailer, via Bandai Namco Entertainment America.
Sam’s Return to Basswood
Sam comes back to Basswood after a long absence. He is depressed and bitter, still working through a recent break-up, and he feels completely out of sorts in his hometown. The funeral sets the stage for the investigation, but it is the bloody shirt that forces Sam to act. He wakes up with no memory of where he was the night before, and the town itself becomes a suspect.
The setup is simple, but it works. Sam is a man with a past, a town with a wound, and a mystery that will not sit still. The game asks you to trust others or to rely only on yourself, and that choice shapes the story from the very first hour.
The Mind Palace
Twin Mirror is built around a mechanic called the Mind Palace. Sam’s inner voice, known as the Double, is both guide and obstacle. The Double can aid the investigation, but it can also lie or mislead. Players navigate between the real world and this mental space to uncover clues, and the distinction between what is real and what is inside Sam’s head is the game’s core tension.
The environment is interactive, and objects are obtainable. Whom Sam speaks to is optional, and based on the state of his investigation, there are multiple endings to unlock. That branching structure is the game’s biggest strength, and it gives the player real weight in every conversation.
The Cast of Basswood
The supporting cast matters. Joan, Nick’s daughter, asks Sam to look into her father’s death, finding his activity before he died suspicious. Anna, Sam’s ex-girlfriend, joins the investigation because she knew Nick well from their shared work at the newspaper Basswood Jungle. Together, they follow leads and chase clues toward the source of Nick’s death.
Joan’s suspicion is the spark. Anna’s presence is the anchor. Sam’s relationship with both of them changes depending on how you choose to handle each encounter, and those choices ripple outward into the larger mystery.
The Coal Mines and Their Aftermath
Sam left Basswood years earlier after publishing an article about safety violations at the town’s coal mines. The mines closed in the aftermath, leaving hundreds without jobs. The townsfolk who despised Sam were left angry, and his return stirs old resentments. This history hangs over every scene, even when it is not explicitly mentioned.
The game does not let you forget it. Sam’s reputation precedes him, and the people of Basswood treat him with suspicion and hostility. That tension is constant, and it colors every interaction.
Multiple Endings
The branching structure is the game’s defining feature. Based on your choices, you can unlock multiple endings, and the path to each one depends on whom you trust and whom you ignore. Sam’s fate is tied to the choices you make, and the game makes that connection explicit throughout.
That promise is genuine. The game tracks your decisions and lets you see how they change the outcome. Whether you trust Anna, Joan, or neither, the story responds.
The Writing and Voice
Don’t Nod has built its reputation on writing-driven games, and Twin Mirror carries that legacy forward. The dialogue is natural, and the voice acting holds up the emotional weight of the story. Sam’s inner monologue, delivered by the Double, adds texture to his character, and the performance shifts depending on how you play.
The game leans on its voice work to sell its central idea. Sam is a man caught between his memories and his present, and the audio design supports that tension.
Technical Rough Edges
The game is not without rough edges. Some puzzles feel arbitrary, and the pacing dips in the middle stretch. The world of Basswood is dense with detail, but the visual polish does not always match the ambition of the story.
The game asks you to pay attention to small details across multiple playthroughs, and that demand is sometimes rewarded, sometimes frustrating. The technical roughness is noticeable, but it does not break the experience.
Final Score
Twin Mirror is a game about choices, memory, and the people we leave behind. It is a psychological thriller dressed as an investigation, and it mostly succeeds at that. The branching narrative gives the player real stakes, and the performances carry the emotional weight.
But the technical roughness holds it back. The puzzles are uneven, and the polish is inconsistent. It is a game worth playing, but it is not a game without flaws.
Key Facts
- Developer: Don’t Nod
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment, Don’t Nod
- Release Date: 1 December 2020
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One
- Genres: Adventure
- Themes: Action, Thriller, Drama, Mystery
- Score: 5.7 of 10
The game remains available on those platforms. If you have the time and the curiosity, Twin Mirror offers a rewarding, though imperfect, journey into the mind of a man hunting for answers. The choices you make will determine what you see in the mirror at the end.
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