Two important things to know about this game, before anything else:

1. It’s not the usual early access game. It’s an episodic content release. Some features do get polished along the way, but they are all already implemented.

2. It’s not Alien Isolation, nor any kind of survival, horror or puzzle game. The “Search & Rescue Operations” part of the title can be misleading. It’s a narrative driven game. Firewatch in space.

Now, after putting these subjects out of the way, it’s not the kind of game that would support a “pros versus cons” type of review. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll find out it is very good exactly where it’s supposed to be. Everything else is…low budget.

Amazing voice acting. Fluid, realistic and immersive.

Great writing. Put together with the voice acting, leads to a captivating experience.

Old-school sci-fi story – no gore, more philosophical. At least from what’s there now.

Very well constructed storytelling. You’ll get just enough information to understand what’s (probably) going on, compelling you to go further. The written information is well dosed, not boring you with unnecessary lore, yet also not feeling lackluster or chopped up.

Not so great environments. They look good in the beginning, but soon you’ll realize that’s where the compromises of the low budget went. Repetitive assets, little to no clutter, too shiny, too clean, sometimes textures are out of scale. There are a couple of spots giving you a moment of awe, but that’s it. This part needs heavy improvement. Makes the game feel dated. Adding at least more clutter could do the trick.

Also – not a puzzle game. You WILL need to figure out some stuff, but they aren’t exactly puzzles, but just “not so straightforward” actions, meant only to make you feel participating to the story.

Conclusion:

All in all, it’s a pleasant experience. It is worth its price, maybe even a tad more when it’s done, but make sure you understand what you’re buying. Play the demo. What you’ll see there is exactly what you’ll get in terms of gameplay mechanics.

Two important things to know about this game, before anything else: 1. It’s not the usual early access game. It’s an episodic content release. Some features do get polished along the way, but they are all already implemented. 2. It’s not Alien Isolation, nor any kind of survival, horror or puzzle game. The “Search & Rescue Operations” part of the title can be misleading. It’s a narrative driven game. Firewatch in space. Now, after putting these subjects out of the way, it’s not the kind of game that would support a “pros versus cons” type of review. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll find out it is very good exactly where it’s supposed to be. Everything else is…low budget. Amazing voice acting. Fluid, realistic and immersive. Great writing. Put together with the voice acting, leads to a captivating experience. Old-school sci-fi story – no gore, more philosophical. At least from what’s there now. Very well constructed storytelling. You’ll get just enough information to understand what’s (probably) going on, compelling you to go further. The written information is well dosed, not boring you with unnecessary lore, yet also not feeling lackluster or chopped up. Not so great environments. They look good in the beginning, but soon you’ll realize that’s where the compromises of the low budget went. Repetitive assets, little to no clutter, too shiny, too clean, sometimes textures are out of scale. There are a couple of spots giving you a moment of awe, but that’s it. This part needs heavy improvement. Makes the game feel dated. Adding at least more clutter could do the trick. Also – not a puzzle game. You WILL need to figure out some stuff, but they aren’t exactly puzzles, but just “not so straightforward” actions, meant only to make you feel participating to the story. Conclusion: All in all, it’s a pleasant experience. It is worth its price, maybe even a tad more when it’s done, but make sure you understand what you’re buying. Play the demo. What you’ll see there is exactly what you’ll get in terms of gameplay mechanics.