PC Gamer - USA 2019-09)

aesthetic, atmosphere, and
personality, reflecting both the
nations that built them and the
people who live and work there. The
station is extremely detailed, from the
intricately designed computers and
machines that keep it running, down
to pens and rolls of tape tethered to
people’s workspaces.
Finding a problem is one thing,
but to fix something that’s broken—
such as the experimental fusion
reactor powering the station—you
often have to dive in and get your
circuits dirty. The station is governed
by a series of complex computer
systems that are beyond even Fisher’s
considerable talents, leaving SAM to
make sense of them. Here, the
puzzle-solving aspect of the game
emerges as you attempt to untangle
these systems, and more than once I
found myself reaching for a pen and
paper. It was a little jarring, I must
admit, playing as a supercomputer
but still having to use a notepad to
make up for the limitations of my
stupid organic brain.
Each puzzle is represented by a
wonderfully stylized interface, with
the kind of hard-edged, functional
design you’d expect from something
that was only ever meant to be
accessed by a machine. Tasks include
adjusting a magnetic field in the
aforementioned fusion reactor,
running diagnostics on your own
damaged memory core, fixing the
clamps that hold the station together,
and rebooting a faulty cooling system.
And all of these jobs have their own
unique interface and means of
interaction, rooted in smart, well-
designed puzzles that are immensely
satisfying to solve.
Many of them involve referencing
schematics or diagrams which are
usually found pinned to walls or
hidden on laptops. Other solutions I
uncovered more instinctively,
prodding at a particular system’s
sliders, buttons, and other sci-fi
doohickeys until it started to make
sense. The sheer variety of puzzles in
Observation is impressive—both in
terms of how you interact with them
and their visual design. As a puzzle
game it offers a fairly stiff challenge,
but nothing that will truly stump you.
The only real struggle I had was
getting lost in the maze-like station
while controlling the spheres—at
least until I discovered a waypoint
system that, when you choose a
module on the map, leads you right
there. I also noticed while floating

around in an aimless daze that the

game, correctly guessing I was lost,

automatically set a waypoint for me.

In general, however, Observation

leaves you to your own devices, rarely

revealing much about where to go

next or how to solve a particular

problem. You can ask

Fisher to repeat her last

command, but a lot of

the time this acts more

like a cryptic clue or a

subtle hint than an

explicit instruction.

SCIENCE FICTION

Observation’s other

great strength is its story. The

influence of 2001: A Space Odyssey is

obvious, but not in the way I

expected. SAM’s rebellion and

flutters of self-awareness are not as

sinister or obvious as HAL’s. Instead,

it’s in the restraint of the narrative

where I felt the strongest echoes of

Kubrick’s austere sci-fi epic.

Observation’s plot is incredibly

compelling, with a fascinating,

mind-bending sense of mystery that

kept me hooked from beginning to

end. But it never spells anything out,

encouraging you to observe, and ask

questions as the story unfolds.

You can fatten your understanding

of the plot up with those optional

audio logs and documents, but even

then a lot of it is left to your

imagination. My only gripe is that I

never really felt like SAM was

experiencing any kind of moral

conflict, or that he was actively

battling the forces invading his

programming. In fact, he’s not much

of a character at all. Fisher is the

heart and soul of the

game, and I felt more

connected to her. But

the important thing is

that, long after I

finished Observation, I

was still thinking about

it—the mark, for me, of

any great sci-fi story.

I was relieved, and

pleasantly surprised, to discover that

Observation wasn’t just another

horror game set in space. It has the

measured pacing, knife-edge tension,

and twisting narrative of a great

thriller. It’s scary, but only under the

surface, quietly eating away at your

nerves rather than shocking them.

And it’s the best kind of science

fiction—exciting and entertaining, but

also making you think about

humanity’s place in the cosmos and

the deeper mysteries of universe.

82

A stylish, understated,

and subtly chilling

psychological thriller

with a compelling

mystery at its core.

VERDICT

The sheer

variety of

puzzles in

Observation is

impressive

MACHINE LEARNING Problems SAM has to deal with

NETWORK PROBLEMS

One of SAM’s earliest jobs is checking the

station’s network. The crew ID system is

down, making finding the astronauts tricky.

STRUCTURAL FAILURE

Some of the clamps connecting the station’s

modules have been shaken loose. SAM has

to leave the station and re-attach them.

STATION ALERTS

SAM can see everything that’s wrong with

the station and will be expected to deal with

them before they get out of hand.

ASTRONOMY DATA

If a crew member needs the coordinates of a

specific planet or other celestial body, SAM

can reference field images to locate them.

REVIEW