Release Date: 21/05/2019
Played On: Win
Available On: PS4 / Win
Time Played: 4h 37m
Progress: Completed
Developer: No Code
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Ever since I was a kid I've loved science fiction, but mostly one particular kind of science fiction that doesn't always stand out. I suppose a lot of the time when I mention science fiction, people tend to think up fantastical future things like Star Wars, or something completely off the wall like Transformers. While I do enjoy that side of the genre, what really gets me going are the stories that seem to be firmly tied to what's actually possible.
Don't get me wrong though, these kind of stories tend to also have some kind of supernatural element that has nothing to do with reality. 2001: A Space Odyssey was seated in rational expectations, until it got weird and philosophical. Interstellar blew me away with its attempt to explain universal phenomenon with a scientific method, but ultimately we have no idea if hanging out in a black hole would have fantastical outcomes.
I love these stories, as they are often held within the realm of possibility. Fantasy never gripped me quite so hard, as I never thought that the events of The Lord Of The Rings would ever take place. However, it doesn't seem like such a leap to imagine that Star Trek could be one possible future for the human race, even if a lot is explained by "aliens".
What appeals to me about these examples is that they all make some kind of sense to me. Sure it takes some suspension of disbelief, but it's easier to go along with a story like Moon, than it is to completely get lost in Avatar. There's something about stories that maintain a certain level of understandable reality that makes them even more compelling and ultimately more believable.
It's also no surprise that up to this point I've been using movies as examples, instead of games. Simply because this kind of thing has never been all that huge in video games, because there are no limits on how creative you can get with the possibilities. Even something like Mass Effect still has that element of "yeah, but aliens" that can be used to answer any and all questions about the validity of its rationale. I'm sure there are some good examples out there, but it also happens to be the case that I probably haven't played those games.
Hence when I saw the first few minutes of Observation being played, I knew right away that I had to get my hands on this game. For the first time in a long time, this was a game that looked and felt hyper-realistic, and showed off a near-future level of technology that was immediately understandable and believable.
The game takes place on a large space station (much like the actual ISS) directly after an unknown event has taken place. Multiple systems are damaged and most of the human crew are out of contact. Although, we quickly learn that we're not playing as the crew on this space station, we're the station-wide artificial intelligence: SAM.
Those first few moments really go a long way to setup everything else that's to come. We hear the voice of Emma, who we soon learn is one of the American crew who has miraculously survived the apparent damage and destruction of the station that can be seen everywhere.
Our first tasks are to neutralise immediate hazards by helping Emma shut off fires and eject broken station modules. As the AI, we're given access to the camera system that's located throughout the entire station. Turns out that every room has at least one camera for us to access, and by focusing on certain elements in each module, we're able to turn systems on and off, log into laptops, open and close doors, and just about anything else that you'd expect to interact with on a space station.
The story unfolds from there as we help Emma discover what's happened to the rest of the crew that were on the station at the time of the event. I don't want to spoil anything at all about the story, but it goes on one hell of a wild ride by the time we're done with it. The only hint I'll give is that as you're helping Emma on the space station, you will occasionally pick up a strange transmission that contains a series of odd symbols, seemingly random coordinates, and an ominous message to "BRING HER".
Yes, the story gets excitingly weird and wonderful as the game progresses, which I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. In a lot of ways Observation reminded me of elements that I liked in many of the movies I mentioned above, as it managed to hold that delicate balance between complete and rational realism, and totally speculative fiction. I often feel like that's the true form of science fiction, as it needs to have a firm grasp on believable reality in order to pull off the actual leaps of fantasy.
If you haven't already figured it out from screenshots, Observation manages to do the reality part very well indeed. I called it hyper-realistic earlier on, and I think that was only employing a little bit of hyperbole. Everything about the game's environments and interface feel like they belong in the world we currently know. What's more, a lot of the time you'd be forgiven for thinking that some of the scenes are shot from real life scenes.
The level of detail is incredible, with loads of small elements that really make you feel like you're inhabiting a space that actually exists. Of course, this is helped by the fact that you're viewing everything through a somewhat grainy and low resolution camera, but that doesn't make it any less believable. In fact, it might just be the key to this game's fantastic presentation, as it easily feels like you're interacting with reality and only rarely ends up feeling like you're playing a video game.
I've thought similar things about other games that use their interface to benefit the story and the characterisation of the player. An obvious example that comes to mind is any of the good hacking games that present you with a computer desktop and task you with typing out commands and using the game interface just as you would use a real computer. Playing the AI on a space station might not seem like something as understandable as using a computer desktop, but thanks to the excellent interface and aesthetic choices it doesn't take long to feel at home.
Often you'll need to look at systems from within your AI system, so there's no need for an external camera with realistic graphics. Instead you see basic representations of systems and commands that you can use to interact with them. During these sections, everything feels like you're looking into a mainframe of data and manipulating it purposefully. There's a bit of a DOS/ASCII theme to everything, and even a bit of lag as data gets processed for certain routines and tasks. Combined with the exceptional environments that make up the station itself (as seen through old cameras), it's super easy to feel like you're controlling an actual AI on an actual space station.
I feel like this is perhaps the crowning achievement of Observation, as I cannot fault the implementation of its environments and interface. There are tons of little tweaks that make the magic happen, like major screen tearing and audible hard drive access sound effects. These little details turn what's otherwise an excellent piece of artistry, into an outright masterpiece of science fiction world building. However, there are still a few flaws that end up feeling a little jarring against such a stellar backdrop.
At the start of the game when we meet Emma for the first time she is wearing a space suit and helmet. For the most part her animations and appearance fit well with her surroundings, but when you see her face for the first time it felt a little unsettling.
Don't get me wrong, Emma's face is modelled and animated really well and for 90% of the game it's easy to forget that she's not a real person, but that remaining 10% stands out like a sore thumb. In fact, right up until the moment she took her helmet off I was still questioning whether or not this game had captured full motion video or not. Unsurprisingly though, as soon as you see Emma talk directly to you for the first time, you know for a fact that this is a video game.
In any other game I probably wouldn't have bothered mentioning how a human face stood out as not being realistic, because very few of them pull it off. What makes Emma so striking in Observation, is that she's framed within an environment that actually does look photo-realistic a lot of the time, so the difference is emphasised a little. If the rest of the game wasn't such an aesthetic gem, she might not have seemed so different, but think of everything we'd be losing if that were the case.
After all, it doesn't take long for that suspension of disbelief to settle in again as you continue working with Emma and exploring the station. Plus, other than a few other animations and the occasional effect, I have nothing else to complain about. The thing is that Observation is actually full of detail and care from start to finish, and it never stops being impressive.
Emma's face might not be photo-realistic, but it's also not an uncanny-valley mess. Sure it's clear that she's not a real human being, but there's enough detail to keep her on the good side of bad and avoid falling into that horrific valley of being too realistic, but disturbingly false. In a way it's another aspect to applaud the development team for, as their artistic choices and the time they have put into everything in the game has managed to elevate each part beyond itself.
I could go on about the graphics forever, but there's also some really nice sound design to hold everything together. I mentioned the audible hard drive noises that make you feel like you're in a computer, but just about everything on the sound scape has been well placed and mixed. There are tons of little sound effects that make the station feel like it's real, such as creaks and groans as modules push and pull against each other. Certain areas have ambient whirring as cooling fans work away on different systems, while actions like switching between cameras and locations are accompanied by a satisfying click and whir that sounds analogue and believable.
Along with a subtle yet emotive soundtrack, Observation is a feast for both the eyes and the ears. If you dive in an play this game for longer periods of time, don't be surprised when you're so engrossed that each little noise you hear has you darting about to find out where it came from. At times things can get pretty tense on a damaged space station, and this is one game where you're going to feel everything that's happening around you.
I mentioned that the story can get a little weird and wonderful before, but that shouldn't be a turn off at all. The game's narrative fluctuates between the highs and lows of survival, fear, discovery, and plain old confusion. There were times that had me gripped with tension as I listened and watched for any clue to follow. Other sections had me scratching my head a little as I figured out how to locate passwords and access codes to allow me into other modules and parts of the station. This is a story that will undoubtedly take you on a ride and mess with your perceptions just enough to keep things interesting.
Although, I wouldn't feel right without putting in a bit of a disclaimer. Basically if you're not into the kind of story that only gets more ambiguous as you progress, and raises more questions than it answers, then this might not be for you. While it really got my interest going, I can definitely see how some players might be a little put off by some of the narrative choices.
Having said that though, I loved every minute of Observation's story and I even want to play it again one day, just to ride the rollercoaster one more time. Plus, for a story that's mostly told through text, or from one person talking at you, I really enjoyed the delivery. There's enough to discover in the environment to make exploration and attention worthwhile, but there's also the excellent voice work from Emma.
It can't be understated how important your relationship with Emma is throughout the game, as you are literally her lifeline and the reason she is able to survive. As an AI you never have to make any moral choices and are often unable to respond to questions with anything more than a factual statement. However, that doesn't stop Emma becoming a fully formed character who will ask for your advice and plead for you to help her.
I always find it interesting to think about what gives and obviously fake character depth and ultimately a believable existence, but I think it's a combination of writing and performance that really nails them home. I rarely look up voice actors in games, but I have to highlight the brilliant job that Kezia Burrows did voicing Emma Fisher in Observation. Additionally, Jon McKellan for writing such an exciting and compelling science fiction story that involved some very real characterisation.
There were times during certain scenes in Observation where I was on the verge of tears. The nature of being the station's AI means that you are the most important element that Emma needs to survive, and sometimes you really feel it hard. Again I don't want to spoil anything, but there are moments in the story where Emma finds herself at the end of her thread, just as a believable human would react in the same situation. In those moments when you can feel her visceral fear and desperation, it's near impossible to avoid an empathic response.
Sure it’s a video game, but if you're willing to give up just a little bit of disbelief, then Observation can take you to some amazing places. It's clear that so much time and effort has been spent on ensuring that everything in the game is as polished and detailed as it can be in order to create a realistic world where these fantastical events take place. This is the best kind of video game story-telling, as everything combines well enough to really take you to another place and experience something unique.
One of my favourite scenes in science fiction cinema is that one from Alien near the beginning when the crew are eating a meal together. This was a scene that was intentionally made to feel like any other family sitting around a table to have a meal. They're all look like they just woke up, there's a mess of dishes on the table, and everyone's talking over each other. I love this scene so much because you're immediately drawn into the world of the film, so that everything that happens after that point feels like it's actually happening.
Observation does the same thing in a lot of ways, as it maintains reality in such a way that when it eventually breaks it completely, we're already signed up for the ride. This is the kind of science fiction I want to see more of, and I'm really looking forward to whatever No Code accomplishes in the future. For now though, do yourself a favour and play this game… it's pretty close to perfection.