Floor 13: Deep State

One common thread in a large number of conspiracy theories is the existence of a "deep state," a group of highly influential people secretly operating to manipulate world events. In Floor 13: Deep State, this isn't just a conspiracy theory anymore, it's reality. And you're the one pulling all the strings. Initially, it's an intriguing concept, since with little more than a signature on an order, you've got the power to dictate the truth in the eyes of an entire population. There's also a unique level of detachment at play, since you're never the one to actually get their hands dirty, so to speak -- you just get other people to do it for you. Over time, though, that works against both you and the game. As different scenarios come to pass, your job of handling things for the sole benefit of political gain feels less fun and more, well, corrupted. Stopping a terrorist bombing is one thing, but smearing the reputation of a respected journalist just to discredit his work feels slimy. And that's not even close to the darkest things you might be tasked to do just to keep the population towing the state line.

Another issue here is that it's such a repetitive experience. Each day, you sit in your office, read your reports, execute and rescind orders, then wait until the next day to see how it all pans out. There are a few scenes of your commute, or you might need to do a little extra research down in the Ministry's archives, but by and large, you're sifting through paperwork, which isn't exciting. Instead, it's a lot of reading mixed in with some sinister scheming. Plus, the lack of initial information might lead you to take an extreme action against a completely innocent person by accident, instead of the times you want to do this on purpose. And sometimes you think you're doing everything right, only for an earlier decision to cost you dearly later. Who knew that controlling the public would be such a monotonous job?