Honestly, if you missed the brief window where Sony was trying to make "PlayLink" a thing, you probably missed the hidden agenda 2017 video game. It was this weird, gritty crime thriller that sat somewhere between a movie and a board game. Supermassive Games—the folks who did Until Dawn—decided to take their formula for cinematic horror and shove it into a couch co-op detective story. It didn't quite land with everyone. But looking back on it now, it’s actually kind of fascinating how much it tried to do with just a smartphone and a group of friends.
Most people remember 2017 for Zelda or Horizon Zero Dawn. This little experimental title? It was tucked away in the corner of the PlayStation Store. It’s a game about a serial killer called the Trapper, but the real game is about whether your friends are lying to your face while you’re sitting on the same sofa.
It’s Not Just a Quick-Time Event Simulator
The core of the hidden agenda 2017 video game revolves around Becky Marney and Felicity Graves. One’s a cop, the other’s a District Attorney. You’re navigating a dark, rainy city trying to figure out if the guy on death row is actually the serial killer who's been rigging victims with explosives. It’s heavy. It’s bleak. And because it uses the PlayLink system, you aren't holding a DualShock controller. You’re using your phone.
That was the hook.
Everyone downloads an app, connects to the PS4, and votes on choices. Simple, right? Except the game introduces a "Competitive Mode." This is where things get messy. One player gets a "Hidden Agenda" notification on their phone. They’re given a specific goal—like making sure a certain character dies or a specific piece of evidence gets ignored—and they have to steer the group toward that outcome without getting caught.
It turns a standard narrative adventure into a game of Werewolf or Among Us before Among Us was a household name. You’re watching the screen, but you’re mostly watching your friends’ eyes.
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The Tech Was Always the Bottleneck
Let’s be real: PlayLink was a bit of a nightmare to set up. You had to make sure everyone was on the same Wi-Fi. Sometimes the router would act up. Sometimes the app would crash. If your friend’s phone died, the game basically stopped. This technical friction is probably why the hidden agenda 2017 video game didn't become a massive staple of party gaming like Jackbox.
But when it worked? It worked. There’s a specific kind of tension when a group is split 50/50 on a life-or-death choice and someone uses an "Overseize" card to force the vote. It feels like a genuine power move. It’s the kind of game that causes actual arguments about ethics and gut feelings.
The Trapper Case: More Than One Way to Fail
A lot of critics at the time complained that the game was too short. You can wrap it up in about two hours. But that misses the point. The hidden agenda 2017 video game isn't meant to be played once. It’s a branching narrative with some genuinely depressing endings.
If you mess up, the killer wins. Period. There is no plot armor for the protagonists. Becky can die. Felicity can fail. You can end the game with the "wrong" guy getting executed while the real killer mocks you from the shadows.
The ripple effects are surprisingly deep for such a small project:
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- A choice made in the first ten minutes about how you treat a witness can completely lock out a piece of evidence two hours later.
- Character relationships actually matter. If the two leads don't trust each other, they won't share information.
- The "Ripple Effect" system (a carryover from Until Dawn) tracks every minor deviation, though some are definitely more impactful than others.
The acting is surprisingly solid, too. Katie Cassidy (of Arrow fame) does the heavy lifting as Becky Marney. She sells the "exhausted detective" vibe perfectly. It helps that the face-scanning tech Supermassive used was top-tier for 2017. Even now, the sweat on the characters' foreheads and the way their eyes dart around during a tense interrogation holds up better than many AAA games from the same era.
Why We Don't See Games Like This Anymore
The industry shifted. Sony stopped pushing PlayLink. Mobile-integrated console gaming became a niche of a niche. Supermassive Games eventually moved on to The Dark Pictures Anthology, which kept the "movie night" mode but returned to standard controllers.
There was something raw about the hidden agenda 2017 video game, though. It was a bridge between casual mobile gamers and hardcore console owners. You could play this with your cousin who hasn't touched a PlayStation since the 90s, and they’d get it immediately because they just had to swipe their screen.
The game also tackled some pretty dark themes regarding the legal system and police corruption. It wasn't just a "find the killer" story; it was a "how far will you bend the rules to get the killer" story.
Is It Still Playable?
Actually, yes. But with a massive asterisk.
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Because it relies on a specific mobile app, you have to hope your current version of iOS or Android still supports it. There have been plenty of reports of the app disappearing from stores or breaking on newer OS versions. If you’re planning a night around the hidden agenda 2017 video game, do a dry run first. Check your connection. Make sure everyone has the app downloaded before they arrive.
If you can get it running, it’s a masterclass in tension. There's one scene in a dilapidated hotel that still makes my skin crawl. The sound design—the creaking floorboards, the distant rain—is classic Supermassive. They know how to make you feel unsafe even when you’re sitting in a bright living room with three friends.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re dusting this off or picking it up for a few bucks in a sale, here is how to actually enjoy it without the technical headaches:
- Static IP or 2.4GHz Wi-Fi: If your router is finicky, the app will drop. Use a stable connection and keep the phones close to the router.
- Play Competitive Mode First: Don't bother with Story Mode unless you’re alone. The "Hidden Agenda" cards are the only reason to play this game. It turns a mediocre movie into a high-stakes social deduction game.
- Don't Be Nice: The game rewards "good" behavior with a feel-good ending, but the "bad" endings are much more cinematically interesting. Try being a terrible cop once just to see how the story warps.
- Check App Compatibility: Before buying the game, search your phone’s app store for "Hidden Agenda." If you can't find the official Sony Interactive Entertainment app, the game is literally unplayable.
The hidden agenda 2017 video game was a bold, messy experiment. It proved that phones could be used for more than just trivia games on a console. It showed that we actually enjoy lying to our friends if there's a digital serial killer involved. It’s a relic of a specific time in PlayStation history, but it’s a relic that still has some teeth if you can get the Wi-Fi to cooperate.