At its core, D4 is an adventure game, with a heavy emphasis on narrative as opposed to gameplay, making it similar to a graphic novel.
As David Young, the player will investigate the mysteries surrounding his wife Peggy's murder and attempt to prevent it from happening in the first place.
This is done by travelling backwards in time to key moments. However, David can only time travel to events that he specifically remembers, and since he has lost his memory he must discover items or pieces of information that will trigger his memory and allow him to transport to those key moments in time.
If the player ever gets stuck, David has an ability that is akin to Detective Vision in the Batman: Arkham games. By pretending to put on glasses of sorts with the Kinect sensor, things that David can investigate in the surrounding area are highlighted.
David can only remain in these key moments while he still has the stamina to do so. While stamina will gradually decrease while in these memories, he can eat and drink while in those memories to restore his stamina. This is especially important, as David can travel to multiple memories at one time.
Kinect Controls
D4 can be fully controlled using the Kinect 2.0 sensor (you can also go through the game using the controller), which tracks players' movements, gestures and vocals. Using simple gestures and voice controls you will navigate through the game. Apart from a few segments, the game can be controlled using only one hand.
You can investigate the area on-screen using simple swiping gestures, inspect specific objects by hovering the cursor over them with your hand, and use voice controls to give responses and thus influence the narrative. To make confusion less noticable, the game uses a three-tiered gestural system, where it recognizes whether you have your hand opened all the way, slightly open or closed.
Action Sections
There are also action segments, however. These have been likened to the gameplay found in the Nintendo DS title Elite Beat Agents, albeit with the use of Kinect instead of the DS's touch screen.
By completing a series of simple gestures in the correct order and with the correct timing, you are able to influence the events that transpire on-screen. The key to succeeding is remaining in synch, and thus allowing David to perfectly complete actions. These gestures mostly consist of simple swipes with either or both arms. Mixed in are Synchro Stunts, which make the player use motion controls like punching or shouting to complete the action.
