Tacoma is an enjoyable action-adventure game set in space. The game developed by Fullbright, the creators of Gone Home, has you exploring a space station to investigate what happened before and during a catastrophe. You get to do this with the aid of an Augmented Reality (AR) device that replays everything that happened on the space ship.
You are Amy, a contractor hired by Venturis to investigate what happened. You are also to recover the AI, ODIN. The environment is entirely livable with good graphics. Everything is well detailed and as you will find out during the course of playing the game, every detail matters. All the books placed carelessly, empty cups, trash papers etc. all mean a lot to the progression of the game.
You can see the past events by viewing 3D recordings of the space station recorded by the games. When viewing a recording, you can follow any character. When a crew member leaves a conversation, you can remain to hear the remainder of the conversation or you can follow the crew member out. If you remain, you might hear the remaining crew talk about that person behind his/her back. If you choose to follow the person, you might hear him/her talking about the discussion he/she just heard.
Every conversation and action flow seamlessly to create a masterpiece. More engaging are the objects, notes and personal belongings of crew members. There is a lot to learn from these little things. A book left around, text messages from family and notes all add to part of the story. They tell a greater story than you might think. As you head deeper into Tacoma, you find yourself taking in every little detail and loving the crew more and more.
The crew was initially preparing for a party and you watch them make their preparations. Then an accident occurs and they are suddenly left with little oxygen. You see them pushed to the edge and you watch their reactions to the sudden occurrence. The tone changes from a happy one to a sad, tense, fearful one. The voice acting is so perfect that everything is so believable. Every little sound, reaction, breathing etc. is perfectly conveyed that you won’t have any doubt as to the authenticity of the situation on ground.
As you round up the game, you can’t help but feel a sense of loneliness brought on by you missing the crew. You have spent hours with them, reliving their stories and their fears and you love them so much, you don’t want to let go. With Tacoma, Fullbright has solidified themselves as a developer you can count on when it comes to adventure games in the form of walking simulators.
Bottom Line
Tacoma is an immensely satisfying experience. You don’t get to fight enemies or punch buttons rapidly but it is an experience unlike any other. The space atmosphere combined with the tense story makes it a game that worth more than one playthrough.
Watch Tacoma Full Walkthrough
Watch Tacoma Full Walkthrough
