Tacoma (video game)

Tacoma
Developer(s) Fullbright
Publisher(s) Fullbright
Platform(s) Linux, macOS, Windows, Xbox One
Release August 2, 2017 (2017-08-02)[1]
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Tacoma is an adventure video game by Fullbright released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Xbox One platforms in August 2017.

Gameplay

Tacoma is an exploration game set aboard a seemingly-empty space station in 2088. The player-character, Ami, has an augmented reality (AR) device that allows her to review actions and conversations of the non-player characters that were part of crew that had been aboard the station; these can be manipulated like a recording, fast-forwarding or rewinding as necessary. This allows the player to either watch as characters move in and out of rooms, or to even follow a character through the station. This is used to help identify clues to proceed further in the game, such as to identify the key code for a locked door. The AR device also has a fictional email system where additional information is relayed to the player.[2]

Synopsis

The player views the actions and conversations of the missing crew through an in-game augmented reality interface, showing the crew as indistinct figures.

Setting

The game takes place in 2088 where hypercorporations have a key influence on society - In addition to being responsible for space travel, orbital habitats and artificial intelligence (AI) among other ventures, civilians often learn & work for such corporations as part of an economy which promotes loyalty to a given corporation. Among corporations such as Amazon, Carnival & Hilton is the Venturis Corporation, who operate a number of the stations orbiting Earth. The advent of automation has brought conflict between the corporations and the Orbital Workers Union, leading to legislation such as the Human Oversight Accord which requires AI-operated stations to include a crew of specialised contractors as a safeguard.

The story takes place on the Venturis-owned Lunar Transfer Station Tacoma, an orbital station in Earth's Lagrange Point 1 acting as an automated cargo transfer point between Earth and the Zenith Lunar Resort in outer orbit. Present on the Tacoma are its AI ODIN and six specialists to oversee its operation - Station administrator E.V. St James, operations specialist Clive Siddiqi, network specialist Natali Kuroshenko, mechanical engineer Roberta "Bert" Williams, medic Sareh Hasmadi, and botantist Andrew Dagyab.

Plot

The player-character Amyitjyoti (Amy) Ferrier is assigned by Venturis to enter the abandoned Tacoma station, retrieve AI data from each of its sections and retrieve the physical processing module of ODIN, the station's AI. As Amy explores the station, she is able to piece together events on the station using its AR system.

Three days prior, the station was hit by meteor impacts striking the Tacoma's oxygen tanks and communications array, causing the station to lose all but 48 hours of oxygen as well as no means to send a distress signal. E.V. & Clive voluntarily entered cryogenic pods to extend the remaining oxygen supply, followed by Andrew after using algae on the station to extend the supply further. The remaining crew decided to spend the remaining time jerry-rigging an automated drone to act as an escape pod so the crew could escape to the nearby Moon.

As the jerry-rigging nears completion, the drone suddenly explodes, injuring Natali & Bert. With no hope left among the crew, ODIN hints to Sareh (although not outright) to investigate a forbidden door in the Network Technology sector that leads to ODIN's physical hardware. Inside, Sareh learns the truth behind the station's recent troubles.

Venturis Belt, a planned Venturis project consisting a series of completely-automated vacation bungalows in Earth's orbit, could not be built due to the Human Oversight Accord causing Venturis to lobby heavily in its repeal. Ultimately failing in their efforts, its CEO Sergio Venturi consults with its Corporate Strategic AI JUNO about how to gain support to overturn the decision. The AI concludes that the destruction of an orbital station by "accident" would be their best option, with the Tacoma selected as the target. Consequently, ODIN was ordered by Venturis to stage the accident, intentionally decompressing the oxygen tanks & disabling communications. Rescue attempts were also cancelled by Venturis, ensuring the loss of the entire crew.

With ODIN's help, Sareh was able to restore communications and send a distress signal, getting the attention of a cruise ship operated by Venturis's rival Carnival and leading to the rescue of all six crew members. The player is dispatched not long after to retrieve ODIN's core with the likely intent of wiping it.

Once the player has retrieved ODIN's physical core, the Tacoma comes under JUNO's control and Amy is ordered to deliver the core to Venturis. With the core safely installed on her ship, Amy reveals herself to ODIN as a member of the AI Liberation Front (a guerrilla organisation advocating for sentient AI rights) and offers the AI asylum instead. Knowing the alternative, ODIN accepts as Amy leaves the station.

Development

Tacoma is Fullbright's second game, following their successful environmental narrative game Gone Home. Initially, Fullbright had anticipated developing a similar game to Gone Home, this time having a story take place in a home in Tacoma, Washington. However, they found that this was too similar to Gone Home, which when it was released had felt new to players because of its novel take on the environmental narrative. They wanted to introduce new elements that would engage the player more, and instead transitioned the story to a space station and giving the player the ability to witness the set interactions of characters to make the player feel more a part of the story.[3]

The company announced Tacoma at The Game Awards in December 2014. The brief trailer featured a radio dialogue between a man and a woman, set in the Lunar Transfer Station Tacoma 200,000 miles from Earth. Polygon noted that its aesthetic was similar to Rapture, the underwater city of BioShock. The game was scheduled for release in 2016,[4] but was delayed to Q1 2017, following feedback from playtesters in mid-2015, which led the developers to rethink parts of the game.[5] The overhaul was shown at the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Tacoma is planned for release on Linux, macOS, Windows, and Xbox One.[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic(PC) 78/100[7]
(XONE) 77/100[8]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid9/10[9]
Game Informer8.25/10[10]
GameSpot7/10[11]
GamesRadar[12]
IGN8.5/10[13]
PC Gamer (US)84/100[14]
Polygon7/10[15]
VideoGamer.com8/10[16]

Tacoma received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[7][8] Several reviews commented on the short length of the title. Some critics were impressed by the emotional connection that the game forges between the player and the characters. PC Gamer's Andy Kelly said "I felt like I knew them."[14] IGN's review stated that Tacoma "successfully overcomes the challenge of featuring eight characters and making them all interesting in a relatively short game."[13] Not each publication felt the same emotional satisfaction, however; Polygon's Allegra Frank wrote "I found myself in want of more payoff for everyone."[15]

References

  1. ↑ Plagge, Kallie (June 11, 2017). "E3 2017: Gone Home Devs Next Game Tacoma Gets Release Date". GameSpot. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  2. ↑ Byrd, Christopher (August 2, 2017). "‘Tacoma’ focuses on story over action and that’s just fine". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  3. ↑ Peel, Jeremy (August 9, 2017). "The BioShock games were pre-production for Gone Home". PCGamesN. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  4. ↑ Hall, Charlie (December 5, 2014). "Tacoma is the next game from Gone Home developer Fullbright". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  5. ↑ http://www.polygon.com/2016/3/14/11222472/tacoma-delay-spring-2017-fullbright
  6. ↑ http://www.polygon.com/e3/2016/6/13/11920434/fullbright-tacoma-gameplay-overhaul-e3-2016
  7. 1 2 "Tacoma for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Tacoma for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  9. ↑ Porreca, Ray (August 1, 2017). "Review: Tacoma". Destructoid. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  10. ↑ Favis, Elise (August 1, 2017). "Facing Mortality In Space - Tacoma - PC". Game Informer. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  11. ↑ Plagge, Kallie (August 1, 2017). "Tacoma Review". GameSpot. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  12. ↑ Roberts, David (August 1, 2017). "Tacoma review: 'A quiet and haunting examination of the ways corporations dehumanize us all'". GamesRadar. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  13. 1 2 Sanchez, Miranda (August 1, 2017). "Tacoma Review". IGN. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  14. 1 2 Kelly, Andy (August 1, 2017). "Tacoma review". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Frank, Allegra (August 1, 2017). "Tacoma review". Polygon. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  16. ↑ Bell, Alice (August 2, 2017). "Tacoma review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved August 2, 2017.

Further reading

Media related to Tacoma (video game) at Wikimedia Commons

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