At one point or another in your life, you’ve probably gone through a family member’s, friend’s, or significant other’s personal belongings without their permission. But would you do the same if it was a stranger’s things and you needed to piece together what happened to them? This is the basis for the recent first person puzzle game The Station. I know, you’re thinking “great, another walking sim.” While this title would fall into that realm, it offers so much more than just walking from point A to point B, racking up easy achievements along the way.

You play as an unnamed protagonist – a recon specialist – sent in by the corporation known as Axiom to investigate what has happened to a crew sent to monitor a newly discovered alien race. The race of sentient creatures are in the middle of a planet wide civil war and the team was tasked with collecting data to determine whether contact should be made, or if we would need to prepare for intergalactic war. The team of 3 has been out of radio contact and it’s your job to determine what happened to them and collect any pertinent data.

Upon entering the space station, you will be greeted with a highly detailed area to explore that features as much or as little lore as you want to find. With that being said, you will get out what you put into The Station. You’ll find artifacts, data logs, recordings, or other pieces of information on the alien culture and planet, as well as the 3 crew members. Due to the amazing writing and voice cast, the crew feels like they are real people, with real problems that most gamers can relate to on some level. One minute, you’ll be thinking that someone was up to no good, only to later determine that there was a method to their madness. You’ll go through a range of emotions as you piece together exactly what happened. While most people will almost feel a sense of guilt for rifling through their belongings and personal diaries, I also laughed with the crew as I visualized pranks being played out in my head as they were described, and felt sorrow when they’d receive correspondence from loved ones at home about missed events. These small touches really add to the immersion, putting a real weight to the need to locate the team.

You will discover fairly quickly that not everything is as it seems aboard the vessel, and that you are not alone on the craft. While this is not a horror title and falls more under a sci-fi mystery, there is a sense of dread that will come and go as you explore and features some mild jump scares that will keep players on their toes. This fact not only made me want to unravel the mystery more, it put a real sense of urgency in finding the missing crew despite there not being any type of timer or deadline, allowing you to peruse the ship as you see fit.

There are a few puzzles to solve, which feature no type of hint system and will rely on the player’s wits and ability to interact with the game world in obvious yet subtle. While they are spread throughout the game pretty thin, there are some optional puzzles such as hacking into personal lockers, which adds even more insight into the characters. As this is the bulk of the gameplay outside of finding the required bracelets from the crew that act like key cards, this title won’t be for everyone.

Visually, the game is stunning and features small details throughout that really make the station feel like it is a true living space. While I did encounter a few minor visual bugs, such as a large square that popped in and out of the textures randomly towards the climax, it rarely broke immersion. My one and only complaint is that looking around the game at full speed will occasionally cause some framerate issues on the Xbox One. Keeping in mind that the entire game can be played in one sitting with only the single (although somewhat long) load time at the beginning of the game, this is minor and should not deter you from playing the title.

The audio presentation is just as stellar as the visuals, featuring long periods of silence with only ambient noise occasionally present during one of the many scripted events, especially during the climax. With a cast that adds real personality to each of the characters which rival those of many AAA games featuring seasoned voice actors such as Nolan North, you won’t be disappointed. While some characters do shine more than others, thorough investigation into their backstory will deliver one of the most heartfelt moments I’ve experienced in a game in quite a while. I wish I could elaborate more on this but I really want to avoid anything close to a spoiler, as the story really is the big focus of the title.

While The Station is a bit short with my initial playthrough clocking in around 2 hours, it is a worthy addition to any player that enjoyed the likes of Firewatch or Gone Home and are looking for a story worth investing their time into.

9 out of 10

Pros

• Amazing Overall Presentation
• Thought Provoking Story and Ending

Cons

• A Bit Short
• Some Minor Visual Bugs

The Station was developed and published by The Station. It was released on PC, PS4 and XB1 on February 20th, 2018 for $14.99. The game was provided to us for review on Xbox One and PC. If you’d like to see more of The Station, check out the official site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

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