Observation

Two things you need to know to play. First: You absolutely NEED a gamepad. Yes, there is theoretical support for keyboard and mouse, but there also is one puzzle right at the end that I couldn't solve UNLESS I connected a gamepad, as the controls from the keyboard never registered. So, be warned! Second: On the map, you can right-click (or use the gamepad) to mark a waypoint, to guide you to where you need to go. The game never mentions it, but this is essential, as it is easy to get lost. That said: The story is reminiscent of several masterpieces of the SciFi and SciHorror genres. Visuals the right tone, and the claustrophobic atmosphere does its job well. The sound fits like a glove, storytelling and pacing are spot on. The puzzles exist, but are super easy, to the point where it feels more like a walking simulator. What doesn't work is controls. The controls change between interfaces, and are inconsistent. While this adds to the idea of the space station being cobbled together from various systems, it is annoying. Camera movements are painfully slow, zoom is painfully slow, doing anything is painfully slow. Backtracking and more backtracking, all painfully slow. Navigating your tiny sphere around the station is a chore to do, where you constantly run into things. The parts outside the station are even worse. The constant shaking of the video feed, while atmospheric at first, gets infuriatingly annoying. Every part of the station looks frustratingly identical, and positioning the sphere is more of the same. But worst is gameplay. Half the time, you are wondering what you are supposed to do. The other half, you know exactly what to do, but the game won't recognize it. Maybe the game wants you to position the sphere half a meter more to the right, or you are looking in the wrong direction. In short: A masterpiece of a story, fantastic writing, unfortunately thwarted by horrible controls and gameplay that make this a painful chore to play.

The setting seemed interesting but I had to stop playing after a few minutes. The visual distortion effects and flashing images were so bad I had to close my eyes.

very good story, like it

The concept of this game is very cool. I love a good sci fi setting as well. However, there are way too many negatives. First,, as mentioned below, the resolution. I have an ultrawide monitor and getting to use barely 50% of my screen because of the limited video options? No thanks. I am way past modding a game to make it playable. Second, the movement speed of the camera (which is basically the entire game aside from the drone) is painfully slow. Panning around at a slow speed is not fun. Lastly, the strobing effects are done to the max here. I have never had an issue with visuals in the past but this game gave me a headache with it's insane overuse of the effect.

A fantastic puzzle game, that, to me, blends in similar story elements of 2001 A Space Odyssey, Arrival and the game Control, with a dash of Outer Wilds. Wonderful story, great mechanics. For any scaredy cats like me, not overtly scary, some tense moments but nothing that ends with you regretting to push forward. An absolute thrill to play. Finished in 2 sessions, about 5 hours. Definitely missed some collectibles, so if you are trying to, I'd suggest doing all you can before the Astrophysics bit. Either way, well worth the time and money.