This was the game where I couldn’t figure out how to fly the space ship properly, and then I went to land on a strange abandoned space station and couldn’t figure out what to do there beyond reading some alien text that didn’t make much sense, right?
I’m sure I didn’t give it a fair lick, it’s just it took up 2 hours of my time and didn’t hook or particularly engage me up to that point, so I didn’t feel like going back in and slogging through the slow burn to get to the good stuff.
That’s on me I suppose, I should try it again!
Does it pick up and get a little more interesting and robust, at least? I’m not looking for hardcore shooter action, but like, I dunno, interesting people, engaging quests and cool places to go whilst doing them, and such. Something to keep me interested, you know?
Everyone’s different, of course, walking simulators with the occasional small bit of world building text to read just aren’t for me is all.
Without giving any specific spoilers, the game has a primarily archaeological feel, you will be following breadcrumbs around to various places in the solar system (your journal is important!!!) and learning about the ancient civilization that mysteriously disappeared. finally piecing together the whole picture is one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever had in gaming. while there are some NPCs to talk to, the game is primarily driven by your own exploration and the knowledge you pick up along the way.
there’s no “correct order” to do things in, so if you feel like you’ve hit a dead end or you can’t figure out what you should be doing at a particular place, consider going somewhere else. and most importantly: follow your curiosity
There’s two essential ship functions, auto pilot and match velocity, it makes flying much easier
In your ship there is a computer at the back (to the right when you enter). That computer contains a digital investigation board - y’know, with the photos connected by string and stuff.
Once you find that, the game really starts to make sense. It’s not a walking simulator, it’s an active crime scene. I won’t say what “crime” (and I’m being somewhat metaphorical here), in case you didn’t play long enough (about 12 minutes after you encounter the statue in the museum) for The Event to happen (The Event will make you think very differently about what this game is, but I can’t talk about that. We don’t talk about The Event). But that’s basically what’s happening. There’s a problem, and you have to solve it, but to do that you’ll have to unearth years of lost history, piecing together the story of an alien civilization that has visited your star system. The gameplay is primarily about exploration, trying to figure out where to find and how to get to the clues you need to put everything together. Slowly, the murder board fills in, the pieces connect, the list of suspects narrows, and you spiral in towards a genuinely shocking and heart wrenching conclusion.
Does it get good? My friend, it gets EPIC. The sheer scale the plot operates on is mind blowing. The ending destroyed me; easily one of the best stories I’ve ever encountered in a video game.
The flight mechanics are intentionally fiddly. You will get used to them eventually. The gameplay is exciting, sometimes terrifying, but don’t expect them to like give you a gun or anything. It’s a puzzle game, but the puzzles are never a fucking Sudoku. If you can handle that, it’s one of the best games ever made.
The investigation board didn’t really help me. Basically just said somewhere on this planet is a clue, so spend several loops trying to get into the locked areas. I also got tired of the janky physics and quit, even after successfully navigating the portal bramble place
Don’t feel bad, on my first flight I ran into the sun by accident.
Kept working on it and was rewarded with the rest of the game. For real I continued to die to spaceship piloting issues but it didn’t ruin the game for me.
