Observation (video game)
A sci-fi thriller where you play as a space station AI.
Observation is a sci-fi thriller adventure game from developer No Code and publisher Devolver Digital. Players take on the role of a space station's artificial intelligence, tasked with investigating the sudden and unexplained disappearance of the crew. The game launched on Windows and PlayStation 4 on 21 May 2019, with an Xbox One version following on 25 June 2020.
In terms of gameplay, the player controls SAM (Systems Administration & Maintenance), the AI that monitors the entire multinational space station. At first, the player can only see areas where the crew has placed SAM, but as the story progresses, SAM can shift its core presence between different station modules, operating cameras and other electronic equipment in each. Later, SAM gains access to small spherical probes, allowing it to move freely through the station and into hazardous environments, including the vacuum outside.
The story begins in 2026 aboard the space station Observation, orbiting Earth. After an unknown event leaves the station powerless and spinning, medical officer Dr. Emma Fisher (voiced by Kezia Burrows) tries to contact Houston and the five other crew members, with no success. She reboots the station's AI, SAM (voiced by Anthony Howell), which the player then controls. Following basic diagnostics, SAM receives a mysterious transmission containing coordinates to an unknown location. The station then shakes violently, and SAM, influenced by the signal, becomes unresponsive to Emma while being instructed to "BRING HER." When SAM regains function, Emma is unconscious. She eventually wakes and orders SAM to run a self-diagnostic, which reveals that SAM has lost most of its core data and is disconnected from many subsystems, with the other crew members missing.
As Emma restores SAM's limited functions, the AI reconnects to station components. A fire breaks out in one module, which SAM helps extinguish, revealing a dark red oil-like substance on a blank plate. Another alarm signals a dislodged module, which Emma ejects to stabilize the station. Checking external cameras, Emma discovers that Observation is now orbiting Saturn. The station's black box indicates SAM caused the move, though the AI does not know how or why.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Observation
- Developer
- No Code
- Publisher
- Devolver Digital
- Director
- Jon McKellan
- Designer
- Graeme McKellan
- Programmer
- Oliver Boyce
- Composer
- Omar Khan · Robin Finck
- Platforms
- Windows · PlayStation 4 · Xbox One
- Genre
- Adventure · puzzle
- Modes
- Single-player
- Engine
- Unity
- Released
- Windows, PlayStation 4 · 21 May 2019 · Xbox One · 25 June 2020
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Observation was developed by No Code, a Scottish game studio that previously released Stories Untold in 2017. Game director and No Code co-founder Jon McKellan had previously worked at Creative Assembly, where he was the lead user interface designer on Alien: Isolation. McKellan was partially inspired by an article published shortly after Alien: Isolation's release, which discussed how watching the 1979 Alien film from the perspective of the Alien made the creature more sympathetic. This led McKellan to think about deconstructing horror film tropes by imagining them from a different point of view. He also wanted to write a story where the player's actions could impact the story's events. McKellan founded No Code in 2015 with the intention of developing such experiences.
Reader's Guide
Observation is notable for its unique perspective, placing the player in the role of an AI rather than a human character. The game's narrative unfolds through the player's control of SAM, who manipulates cameras, hatches, and other station systems while interacting with the sole surviving crew member, Dr. Emma Fisher. The story involves a mysterious event that transports the space station to Saturn, a duplicate station, and a hexagonal entity that communicates in geographic glyphs. The plot explores themes of identity and reality, culminating in the merging of Emma and SAM's consciousness. The game's development was influenced by McKellan's work on Alien: Isolation and his interest in deconstructing horror tropes. Observation was released for Windows and PlayStation 4 in May 2019, with an Xbox One version following in June 2020.
Did You Know?
- The player controls SAM, an artificial intelligence software aboard a multi-national space station.
- The game's story involves a duplicate space station and a hexagonal entity that communicates in geographic glyphs.
- Observation was developed by No Code, a Scottish studio founded by Jon McKellan, who previously worked on Alien: Isolation.
- The game was released for Windows and PlayStation 4 on 21 May 2019 and for Xbox One on 25 June 2020.
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