Tacoma

Sometimes we have a desire to play something short and sweet, with a low entry threshold and an entertaining story. A game for an evening, so to speak. Tacoma suits the description nicely and has a few of its own characteristic traits to boot.

Plot - 8/10

The plot begins with Amy Ferrier arriving at Lunar Transfer Station Tacoma. She is a subcontractor tasked with retrieving the physical processing module of the station's AI and its data as well as delivering them to the corporation that owns Tacoma. And... that's it for the motivation of the main character. After that, she just starts downloading information from the onboard databanks and out of boredom goes around watching the recordings that show what happened with the crew in the last few days.
You, as a player, can only pretend to watch them, skipping and finishing the game in less than twenty minutes. So yeah... there are severe problems with motivation for the character and for the player.

Back to the story. It's not gripping at the beginning, even though the writers obviously tried to make it so. Still, the real-life 3D recordings of past events are fun to watch and as you go on, the story gets better, presenting some twists at the end.

In addition, the developers worked really hard on the characters. Every little thing in their rooms or workplaces has meaning and aligns with the person's beliefs and interests. And those stem heavily from their backgrounds, upbringing, and culture... I could go on and on. The point is: the characters feel alive for a specific reason.

The most interesting thing to me, however strange that may sound, was precisely what the authors didn't focus on much: the state of the world and its affairs - specifically, the development and accomplishments of AI. Of course, this topic has taken on new colors in the last few years, but still - it was interesting to follow the ideas laid out before me.

Gameplay - 10/10

The gameplay consists of watching AR recordings of past events, following characters closely and listening to what they have to say. The people don't stay in one room: they disperse, follow their own convoluted paths, do their jobs, talk between themselves, reach decisions, etc. - and then they can meet again, all in a non-stop recording. Such top-notch synchronization can only inspire pure awe.

Besides that, sometimes you can open doors with keys or codes and access the characters' desktops, their AR overlays with emails and chats and so on. The latter is not so good, but that's the problem of the plot, not the gameplay - despite loving to read different notes, most of the time I hoped there would be less of them, because they rarely offered something worthwhile.

Graphics & Visual Design - 8/10

First off, I have to say that Tacoma's graphics were beautiful when the game came out. But now, with ray tracing techniques and other cool features, they are not as marvelous. Still good, but very far from what they could've been.

The design of Tacoma and its style is minimalistic sci-fi - nothing excessive or drawing attention. What I should praise the developers for, though, is again the work on the smallest details in anything you can lay your eyes on. Damn, they've even put a mouthguard - not the most common thing - in one of the rooms, not mentioning a rubber duckling toy, a huge wall-sized painting, alcohol, appropriate books and pictures scattered amongst all the personal quarters. The creators' devotion to their work is evident, almost tangible.

Soundtrack - 7/10

The game's music is soothing and relaxing, but mostly unnoticeable, made with a special intent to support the atmosphere and the story, not intrude upon them. I can only really remember two compositions: the endless elevator music playing in transit between compartments and the final one, which I especially liked. Summing up, the soundtrack is okay and is not opposing everything else, but it's too shy and subtle to look back on or pay any special attention to.

Atmosphere - 7/10

Despite the feeling of being in an abandoned station lost somewhere in space, despite the moments of high tension and the foreboding of danger that awaits the characters in the future, Tacoma appears light and warm. Like a forgotten, but loving home. I can't say that I especially liked that contrast between the story, the very situation and the atmosphere, but I loved the emotions it created.

Verdict - 8/10

Tacoma is a perfect game to relax and unwind with for a few hours - watch cutscenes, sip some tea, and enjoy a simple yet well-crafted story. In addition, you can always look out the window and see the sun or other parts of the station - and feel the space so close... and so far away at the same time.