Mexico, 1921. The President has been murdered and you’re on the case. Your office walls are plastered with photographs, suspects, alibis, and spiderwebs of red string connecting them all together. You have one man in custody, a journalist who published a strange report days before the assassination. You descend to the bowels of the police station to interrogate him.
The perspective shifts. Literally.Mexico, 1921. A Deep Slumberis all cinematic camera angles and aggressive cuts. The camera will switch from an over the shoulder perspective as you walk through the station to a side-on approach to show you flashbacks of the assassination in the rooms you pass by. It’s clever in its execution, but just wait until you take control of the real hero of this tale and get to photograph it for yourself.
The art style is beautiful, a painterly PS2 aesthetic dripping in Mexican culture as young journalist Juan Aguirre - the protagonist and player character for every level after the opening scene - investigates illicit government goings-on under van Goghian skies. Every scene is a joy to explore, with plentiful collectables hidden in plain sight, each of which hydrate you with a juicy paragraph of cultural history when photographed or picked up.
Arming your protagonist with a camera is by far the best way to get your audience to take notice of this. And giving the camera some of the most satisfying, tactile controls I’ve used just makes you want to snap, snap, snap.
Juan is new to the reporting game, an office lackey promoted to do the dirty work at El Unilateral, a paper so embroiled in political bribery and fake news that it’s only good for wrapping fish. But what Mexico’s most corrupt newspaper didn’t bank on was his nose for a story and heart set on the truth.
The story of Juan’s investigation spans all manner of Mexican officials involved in a plot against the newly instated President. From the editor of the paper, to a shady union organiser, to the President’s own right-hand man, everyone who’s anyone in Mexico’s high society stands to gain from this plot - and most of them are in on it. Juan must find out - and, crucially, prove - who is up to what inorder to publish his exposé. And it’s your job to help him.
Luckily, that’s simple enough. The detective mechanics are fun, but the gameplay straightforward. Collect all the clues in a level to progress, leading to a cutscene explaining exactly what Juan has deduced from this evidence. There’s no chance of coming to the wrong conclusion, picking an innocent victim to suit your own ulterior motives - this is a game that wants to tell its own story.
I included Mexico 1921 in my list of2024’s religious indie gamesbecause I believed from the LudoNarraCon demo that the church would play a larger role in the conspiracy against the president. In hindsight, it didn’t really have a place on that list, and Indika would have been a better shout.
Collecting aforementioned clues, however, is great fun. You might find evidence lying around, you might eavesdrop on conversations while hidden behind a printing press that recently amputated a colleague’s finger, or you might take photos of illicit dealings.
Juan is also very open about his job. “I’m a journalist,” he introduces himself to everyone, even when undercover, and then offers an interview for the paper. I suppose writing for El Unilateral means that even the most unsavoury characters believe they can bribe their way out of an awkward interview before publication. Interviewing involves asking a few questions to a suspect or witness, and their answers will be summarised in your notebook. Unfortunately, the choices all seem to lead to the same responses which is a little disappointing. The different questions give you a facade of agency, but the result is a little shallow.
I know this because I had to replay a couple of levels due to glitches. Mexico 1921 is a little bit janky, but (for the most part) in a loveable way. However, having to restart an entire level didn’t feel great. Simply autosaving more frequently would all but eliminate this issue, without having to take action against the more complex bugs. With no option to manually save, I did get a little frustrated on occasion.
There are quite a few typoes which irked the journalist in me - although, in his defence, Juan constantly reiterates he’s not very good at grammar - but this just means you should listen to the excellent voice work rather than read the subtitles. I would estimate that about two thirds of the conversations in the game are fully voice acted, so you can’t rely on your ears alone, but the performances are great across the board.
I loved meeting some of Mexico’s most famous artists and revolutionaries, from Diego Rivera to Carmen Mondragón.
Any frustration was immediately alleviated when I entered a new level. Each beautiful playground was filled with people to talk to - some relevant to the case and others just for flavour - sights to see, and gorgeous photography opportunities. Mexico 1921 does an expert job of explaining the basics of photography, and the three settings on Juan’s old-school camera are zoom, focus distance, and aperture. It will probably seem simplistic to a camera enthusiast, but it’s the perfect level of complexity for a game like this.
Viewing the world through Juan’s mirrored lens gives it new life. Adjusting the lighting to capture Lucia’s final drag on her cigarette is satisfying and simple. Realising that your photograph unlocked a clue or collectable is gratifying. Mexico 1921 wants you to take photos, and rewards you for doing so. I easily spent twice as long as I needed to in each level because I was finding new angles and lining up new shots.
The last game that made me feel like this with photography was Umurangi Generation. Sure, New Pokemon Snap was great fun (and arguably the best Pokemon game on the Switch), but the photos only meant something because you loved the subjects. It was adorable seeing Bidoof in its dam and awe-inspiring to be underwater with Wishiwashi, but the photography itself was just okay.
On the other hand, both Umurangi and Mexico 1921 have more complex photography mechanics, giving you more freedom to take the exact shots you want. They’re less reliant on timing and memorisation, and more about the artistry of the hobby. Alongside this, they both weave a strong, political narrative between every shot. Mexico 1921 is less subtle than Umurangi, but no less effective.
Mexico 1921. A Deep Slumber is a picture-perfect snapshot of Mexican political turmoil in the early 20th century. With mechanics as satisfying as the world is beautiful, it’s a joy to watch this political thriller through Juan’s viewfinder. If you have any interest in history, Mexican culture, photography, or good video games, this isn’t one to be missed.
Reviewed on PC
WHERE TO PLAY
México, 1921.After years of revolutionary conflict the first social constitution in the world is in place and Obregón–the new President– will try to steer the country to a brighter future. How did he end up murdered while surrounded by his friends and colleagues seven years later?Mexico, 1921 follows the life of Juan Aguirre, a young photo journalist who will cover the news that will not only shape the course of a country, but also his life. Explore, interview, and photograph the historical events that formed a country and discover who planned the assassination of Álvaro Obregón.
