Imagine being trapped on a space station, alone, with no way of contacting anyone to come rescue you. Sounds grim, right? It could be worse: you could be 900 million miles away from Earth, with your life in the hands of a malfunctioning AI. This is the chilling premise of Observation, a magnificent sci-fi horror game from Scottish indie studio No Code.
In the very near future, the multi-national space station Observation—a fictional analogue of the ISS—has been inexplicably transported from Earth to somewhere near Saturn. So not only does astronaut Dr. Emma Fisher have to deal with a damaged station in the process of breaking down, she has to find a way to get back home too—with a little help from SAM.
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You play as SAM, the advanced AI that runs the Observation. There are cameras all over the station, and these are your eyes and ears. You're also fused directly to its electrical and computer systems. Fisher relies on you to cycle airlocks, assess damage, open doors, and all manner of other functions that can't be handled manually. But something weird is going on with SAM.
While HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey—a big influence on Observation—was dangerously homicidal, SAM is more confused. A strange, otherworldly presence has infiltrated his circuits and is repeating a curious message: BRING HER. It's also suggested that SAM is experiencing some kind of awakening, becoming more self-aware. Sentient, even. It's a big day for him.
The Observation is a brilliantly sinister, claustrophobic setting. When we see footage of the ISS, it's usually of smiling astronauts goofing around. This makes the game's version of the station, which is abandoned,
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