I FOUND IT! I ACTUALLY FOUND IT! I had exhausted all my more targeted ways of finding it and resorted to Google images searching for “point and click game bar” and found a screenshot I recognised.

The game is Mudlarks.

Sorry for the couple of details I misremembered, and thank you to everyone trying to help.

Looked though stream and itch.io with the filters and can’t see anything that’s jogging my memory. Also it’s not CITY 2000, sorry.

It’s not The Silent Age.

1. I think it was voice acted, but not the protagonist.
2. Male protagonist
3. I watched it on YouTube, could have been anyone I’ve been looking through the videos of my YouTubers from back then and not found it yet. It was a long time ago 6yrs+.
4. Could be older than 10yrs but not older than 15yrs, I think it was a new release at the time I watched it.
5. I think there was the normal animations not 100% though.

No it wasn’t fmv, interesting game though.

It’s not this one’s sorry.

I also remember a scene on the street outside the missing friends flat (apartment) and the protagonist talking up to a woman hanging out an upstairs window. Think he convinces her to throw down the spare key for his friends flat.

PC only I think, the at style was interesting it was photo/high quality drawn. I remember seeing it on YouTube but can’t remember whose channel I was watching it on.

Just PC as far as I know.

Is it that height and up or just a band?

UT99 so shoot me lol