It’s the year 2088 and humanity is working on colonizing the solar system. Tacoma gives us a peek at the details of how that comes together via an empty space station and the clues left behind. I knew it was from the same studio (Fullbright) which did Gone Home and many of the mechanics and general concepts are the same. The ability to pick up, look at, poke through heaps of things that add detail but don’t advance the story, per se; PC alone in an abandoned location trying to piece together other people’s lives. Wandering around the station, like the house, is arguably more gorgeous because periodically you come across a window to the stars or an atrium all in pretty shiny, showing off the best of the Unity engine. The similarities are comforting, but Tacoma is definitely its own game.
The detailing down to individual and specific titles on each crew member’s bookshelves was indicative of extreme care and did not go unnoticed.
Amy Ferrier, an AI wetwork contractor, is our protagonist, hired to retrieve ODIN, the resident AI of the space station Tacoma. As soon as we step aboard we hook into the network and see the pyramidal presence who will follow us around in our work. Following a general order through the different habitats to backup and eventually remove the central “brain”, we are able to witness recreated conversations and moments with the former crew. Between that and literally riffling through their personal effects, we can start piecing together what happened. I will say the amount of things to sort through is both a blessing and a curse – it’s charming to be able to interact with just about everything in the environment but also frustratingly real when trying to determine what’s “important”. Perhaps there’s a lesson in that I’ll analyze at a different time.
The voice-work is quite good, paired well with good scripting. Everyone’s personalities came through in both dialogue interactions and in their personal quarters and items. The detailing down to individual and specific titles on each crew member’s bookshelves was indicative of extreme care and did not go unnoticed. Similar care is taken with the music – as with Gone Home, Fullbright put effort into each scene and mood, though sans the grrrl riot tracks. Depending on how much you peruse as opposed to powering through, the game could probably be finished in just a couple hours, though my run was over three, but regardless of how long you take there will be things to enjoy along the way.
No complex mechanics here; most everything is straight forward point-and-click and if you’re very nosy there is quite a bit to click on. Aside from missing a few achievements, I can easily see coming back to this as a type of video game comfort food. I love the mystery, I love the characters, I adore Margaret Catwood, and can see bumping around the empty halls again like reuniting with a friend. The twists, which I was delighted with the first time around, may not surprise me again, but that’s okay.
I loved Tacoma from the detailed living quarters to the Obsolescence Day Party instructions, on down to the “memory” of what (and whose) music was playing during different recreated scenes. An excellent addition to any narrative loving library, Tacoma provides mystery, suspense, and exploration in solid doses. A good game to get through on a rainy evening with a cat in your lap. Have a spin in zero-G for me and let me know if you try the cake recipe.
Rating: 9/10
Synopsis: A contractor docks on a space station in order to recover the ship AI and piece together what happened to the missing crew.
Book recommendation: Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey. Moody, full of intrigue, political, and set in our own system, this is the first in the Expanse series. The TV show is worth a look too!
AO3 Tags: gays in space, space cat, why are there so many trashcans, i think there are even more bathrooms, covert operations
Content Warning: See Page 2
Tacoma
- Developed by: The Fullbright Company
- Published by: The Fullbright Company
- Available systems: PC, macOS, Linux, PS4, XBox One
- Original release date: August 2, 2017
- Gameplay: First person, exploration, adventure, sci-fi
Eva's Corner 