Underworld: Ascendant reminds me why I don’t like immersive sims (spoiler: I’m bad)

I could hear the developers and public relations pros from OtherSide Entertainment and 505 Games discussing my strategy just over my shoulder. In a conference room just beyond the confines of the PAX East convention, I was working through one of the first puzzles of OtherSide’s upcoming systems-driven role-playing adventure, Underworld: Ascendant. Even after I did my best to pay attention to director Joe Fielder as he explained the basics, I found myself in the familiar embrace of murky confusion as I failed to get my character’s wand to repair a gap in a staircase so I could progress. With my appointment schedule working against me, I started finding boxes around the room that I could stack on top of one another to create a new step to fill in the gap.

It was a struggle, but I was able to get to the top of the stairs. I also remembered something about myself: I don’t like immersive sims.