Observation (video game)
| Observation | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | No Code |
| Publisher(s) | Devolver Digital |
| Director(s) | Jon McKellan |
| Designer(s) | Graeme McKellan |
| Programmer(s) | Oliver Boyce |
| Artist(s) | Jon McKellan |
| Writer(s) | Jon McKellan |
| Composer(s) | Omar Khan |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | May 21, 2019 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure, puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Observation is an adventure-puzzle video game developed by Scottish[1] studio No Code and published by Devolver Digital. The game, described as sci-fi thriller, puts the player in control of a space station AI in order to recover from the sudden, mysterious loss of its crew.[2] Observation was released for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 on May 21, 2019.[3]
Observation has many references to "trapped-in-space" science fiction films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Gravity, Life and Interstellar.
Gameplay
Observation is an adventure game. The player takes the role of Sam, short for the System Administration Maintenance (SAM) artificial intelligence software aboard a multi-national space station that serves to monitor the entire station. Initially, the player's view is limited to where the crew have relocated Sam, but as the game progresses, Sam can move its core presence between several of the modules on the station and manipulate cameras and other electronically-controlled equipment in that module. Further on, Sam is provided one of several small spherical probes that allows Sam to move more freely through the station and into hostile environments harmful to the humans aboard, including outside of the station.
The player, by manipulating Sam, can control various elements of the station, such as opening or closing hatches, activating safety systems and the like. Sam may be instructed by the crew to perform specific tasks, and Sam can reply by finding the task element of interest (such as the status of a station module) and report back to the crew.
Plot
The story opens aboard the multi-national space station Observation in orbit above Earth in the year 2026. An unknown event has crippled 'Observation', leaving it without power and spinning. Dr. Emma Fisher, the stations medical officer, tries to restore contact with Houston as well as other five members of the crew to ascertain what has happened, without success.
She manages to reboot the stations integrated AI, SAM (Systems Administration and Maintenance) which controls the station's systems and functions, and is the role the player assumes.
After performing basic diagnostics to find out what happened, SAM receives a transmission of unknown origin, containing co-ordinates to an unknown location. The station then begins to tremor violently with a deafening sound. SAM becomes unresponsive to Emma while being influenced by the signal, causing strange glyphs to flicker on his interface, and with instructions to 'BRING HER' appearing.[3]
SAM recovers after an unspecified period of time has passed, to the sight of Emma having been rendered unconscious following the second event. She eventually comes to, and immediately instructs SAM to run a self-diagnostic. SAM tells Emma the event has caused him to lose most of his core data, and to be disconnected from most of the stations subsystems. He is also unable to locate the other crew members, who are missing and cannot be contacted.
As Emma restores limited functionality back to SAM, he attempts to re-interface with the rest of the space station and reconnect to his own components. Shortly after recovering some mobility, a station alarm goes off which Fisher instructs SAM to investigate. SAM discovers a fire in one of the modules.
After extinguishing the fire, they discover an unidentified substance on a blank plate that is like a dark red oil. Before she can speculate what it is, another alarm goes off. SAM informs her that module 12 has become dislodged, and severe stress is being applied to the station, prompting recommendation for her to eject it.
They eject the loose module, and the station stabilizes. Concerned there might be extended damage, Emma instructs SAM to check external cameras for other potential risks, and learns that Observation, through unknown means, is now in orbit over Saturn. Asking how they got there, SAM checks the station Black Box, which reveals he was the cause but doesn't know how.
Once more, SAM receives interference from an unknown entity and blacks out.
Emma reboots SAM again to effect repairs, saying "You weren't making any sense". She sets about working with SAM to access the other parts of the station. They find the bodies of the crew, including Jim, the mission commander. Discovering another crew member, Mae, to be alive in one of the sealed modules, Emma has SAM help with a space walk to get her to safety, but the station suddenly moves closer to Saturn and Mae is lost. A strange hexagonal object appears to both Sam and Emma and tries to communicate to them in a geographic glyph language before disappearing. Continuing repairs, they see a man-made object near Saturn's orbit. Initially thinking that Earth may have sent a rescue mission to them, they soon find it is an exact duplicate of Observation.
Emma uses SAM to jump to the other station, which has lost nearly all power. They find Jim is still alive, and learn this station also had the same weird events that brought them to Saturn. As SAM goes to try to restore basic life support, he interacts with this station's SAM, learning that there was a secret mission that Jim was to follow, based on the discovery that embedded in various star patterns was a specific DNA code and a point in space to be at. Jim had been directed by Earth to make sure Observation was at that point with Emma aboard at a specific time. Continuing on, Sam encounters another crew member, Josh, who has been hiding from Jim, as Jim has also killed his doppelgänger. Before Josh can reveal more, Jim grabs SAM and Emma, and makes them jump back to Emma's Observation. Jim locks Emma out of the station, leaving her on little life support. As she clings to life, several other identical Observation stations appear to start gathering around the storm.
Jim proceeds to lock SAM out of the controls while he sends a desperate message for help to Earth. SAM manages to find several back doors into the station's systems, interacts with the signal to Earth and warns them about the situation. Earth cuts off Jim, who now knows SAM is to blame. As Jim tries to attack SAM's core, the core suddenly explodes with a strange substance that infests the entire station. SAM is able to lock Jim in a depressurized section of the station, killing him as ordered by the hexagonal entity. SAM then goes to let in Emma through the airlock. Emma knows now that they need to get to the storm on Saturn, and has SAM adjust their orbit and jettison the rest of the station. They fall into the storm and black out. When Emma wakes, they find themselves on some rocky landscape, with debris and bodies from multiple copies of Observation around them. They approach a giant version of the hexagonal entity again, and make contact. Emma tells a confused SAM that there must have been multiple realities all converging on this point, and they were the first version of Emma and SAM to make it through the ordeal. They disappear briefly into the hexagonal entity. When they wake up, Emma and SAM find their consciousness has merged, and they are back on Earth by some means. They feel odd but alive, and by touching the ground, they are able to infect it the same way the entity did to Observation. The same noises from the entity tell the combined Emma/SAM persona to "bring them".
Development
Game director Jon McKellan had wanted to write a story where the player's actions could impact the story's events. Separately, he also pondered the idea of deconstructing horror film tropes by imagining them from a different perspective.[4] No Code initially started working on a demo version of Observation in 2016, but had developed and released Stories Untold in 2017 while waiting for publisher contracts to be signed for Observation.[5]
According to McKellan, Observation was initially split into separate sections, but merged into a full-length game when the story's size made it difficult for it to be split into distinct episodes.[6]
Many of Observation's staff had previously worked on Alien: Isolation — character artists Jack Perry and Ranulf Busby, concept artist Stefano Tsai, and voice actors Kezia Burrows and Anthony Howell had worked on the latter game.[6] McKellan himself was involved in various aspects of Isolation, such as the user interface design.[7]
Observation was announced on October 8, 2018, with a release time frame of spring 2019 for PC and PlayStation 4.[8][9] No Code and Devolver Digital had a previous working relationship from the release of Stories Untold.[9] In March 2019, it was announced that the game would be released on May 21, 2019.[10] Devolver Digital later stated on March 25, 2019 that Observation would be sold on PC exclusively on the Epic Games Store for one year.[11]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 80/100[12] PS4: 74/100[13] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Game Informer | 9/10[14] |
| GameSpot | 8/10[15] |
Observation received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[12][13] Destructoid called the game "expertly paced" but also complained of occasional hiccups when some of the puzzles became "a point-and-click-adventure-style wild goose chase."[16] Gamespot praised the games visuals, saying "Observation absolutely nails its distinct lo-fi, sci-fi aesthetic," and concluding that it "is a wonderful example of how to do focused, self-contained science-fiction storytelling in a game."[15] Several outlets praised the game's storytelling and plot, which was described as "gripping" by Game Informer.[14]
References
- ^ https://twitter.com/_nocode?lang=en
- ^ Bolt, Neil (2019-05-21). "Sci-Fi Thriller Game 'Observation' is Out Now on PC and PS4". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ Hetfeld, Malindy (2019-05-21). "Observation review - a simple puzzler elevated by its sublime atmosphere". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ Parijat, Shubhankar (2018-11-19). "Observation Interview – A Unique Sci-Fi Thriller that "Flips the Switch"". GamingBolt. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Bishop, Sam (2019-06-02). "Flipping the Script: The Making of Observation". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b Kelly, Andy (2019-02-05). "How AI thriller Observation is the spiritual successor to Alien: Isolation". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ Robinson, Martin (2018-11-26). "Observation is like an arthouse accompaniment to Alien: Isolation". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
- ^ Skrebels, Joe (2018-10-08). "Stories Untold Developer Reveals New Game: Observation". IGN. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ a b Hoggins, Tom (2018-10-09). "Exciting sci-fi thriller Observation revealed by Stories Untold developer". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2019-03-25). "Observation launches May 21". Gematsu. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Kidwell, Emma (2019-03-26). "Observation will be an Epic Games Store exclusive, Steam page pulled". www.gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b "Observation for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
- ^ a b "Observation for Playstation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
- ^ a b Gwaltney, Javy (2019-05-21). "Observation Review - The Thrill Of Taking Back Control". Game Informer. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b O'Connor, James (2019-05-23). "Observation Review - Space Madness". GameSpot. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
- ^ Devore, Jordan (2019-05-21). "Review: Observation". Destructoid. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
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