The final frontier … and beyond – a review of the game “Observation”

There is much to write about Devolver Digital, but certainly not that as a publisher he is afraid to choose independent development studios. Scottish No Code is just one of those running against the tide – a small team responsible for the well-received Stories Untold , which this time took on bars with the subject of serious science fiction. So if you ever asked yourself, would look like production combines elements of Alien , 2001: A Space Odyssey , Life’a and the Hidden Dimension , now you have the answer as -wyglądałaby Observation .

Such a large number of titles in the introduction is by no means accidental, and at least a few more items could be added to this noble group – the Scots’ game is indeed full of more or less clear references to both the classics and newer items in the genre. Luckily for our brothers, Observation is not limited to borrowings only. Unlike the swarm of twin-like walking simulators we’ve experienced in recent years, this time around, we’ve got a full package on the timetable: an incredibly intriguing storyline and thoughtful gameplay.

Where are you, Emma?

History takes us to 2026, to the international space station – the titular Observation – where a mysterious accident has just occurred. Most of the components stopped working, and more worryingly, all crew members except Dr. Emmy Fisher have disappeared without a trace. This is where the first surprise comes – well, no, in the No Code studio game we will not play the role of a doctor. The resourceful heroine quickly realizes that she herself has no chance to survive and in the first place restores SAM, the artificial intelligence that looks after the station. From that moment on, we ourselves enter the action, as SAM, our task not only to help Emma locate and eliminate the damage, but also to find out the real cause of the disaster.

The plot that the creators give us is, without trying it on, excellent. Apart from the already mentioned inspirations of the best of their kind, the script can also level the tension in an amazingly good way. The enigmatic start and the suggestions that barely flit in the found astronauts’ notes only increase the feeling of being lost and – perhaps even more important – of being at the very gates of a great mystery. We will not miss a few powerful (who knows whether or not “the best” from last year’s productions) twists, which will try to tie our mind in a knot even more. And although in the end it seems that we’ve seen all this before, we never lose the interest awakened at the beginning of the game – and the story remains the flywheel of Observation’s strike power …

Observe, explore, think

… just like its gameplay mechanics. The Scots’ game is, in essence, a combination of an adventure game, a walking simulator (although in this case it should rather be written: flying) and interactive puzzles – all strictly subordinated to both the setting and the subsequent fragments of the scenario. As SAM, initially we will have quite modest options: our task will be limited to taking over security cameras in individual sections and, with their help, looking for notes, laptops or other elements of the environment, helping either to push the story forward or to solve new puzzles . With time, we gain the ability to freely move around the individual modules of the station – and in fact, from this point on, either the real fun begins for us, or the beginning of a lot of irritation.

Two decisions of the creators play a major role here. First, Observation is not going to lead us by the hand. Theoretically, we have a map with markers on it, but you can forget about the “road to the goal” popular in current productions, and many things have to be simply taken into account. Secondly, the lack of gravity – rendered so faithfully that when you try to move around the station faster (apart from getting the guaranteed dizziness), you will lose orientation very easily. Thus, the production of No Code is definitely intended for a specific audience – those who prefer a slower pace, and at the same time like to “lick the walls” in search of further plot elements and puzzle pieces.

The latter, on the other hand, fit exceptionally well into the cosmic setting – that is, usually associated with restarting subsequent components or opening valves and sluices. The level of difficulty varies – while some are simple “circle to circle, square to square” matches, there are also some that require a proven method in the form of a sheet of paper and a pen. However, it is rare for us to be stuck in one place for longer, so they are an integral part of the game rather than clogs hampering its pace. In addition to all sorts of puzzles, we happen to go out into space several times to, for example, assess the scale of the damage or face simple QTE sequences.

How beautiful this cosmos

For a cosmic puzzle, the gameplay impresses with its diversity – and the setting leaves a similar feeling. While the soundtrack can simply be said that it is and fulfills its task, dialogue issues are the world’s top, because actors who play both Emma experiencing a whole range of emotions and cool, self-controlled SAM fall into their own roles extremely naturally.

There is also nothing to complain about in terms of graphics. The impression is made above all by the models of the characters, nice facial expressions and play with light and shadow in claustrophobic spaces, maintained in the style of the aforementioned Life . With the naked eye you can see that the Scots put a lot of effort into giving the locations realism and put a lot of small details in them – instead of sterile, almost hospital corridors, these actually look as if they were previously inhabited by people.

Observation’s image was hit hard by the aggressive exclusivity policy of the new Epic Games launcher: a few weeks before its premiere, the game disappeared from Steam and moved as an exclusive title to the Epic Games Store. On the one hand, such a play made the gaming community angry, and on the other hand, the game went somewhat unnoticed. It’s a pity, because although it is difficult to call No Code one of those that attract the audience of millions, it undoubtedly deserves greater recognition – and not only among fans of the genre.