Tacoma Close Play

Tacoma is an exploratory walking simulator game set on an abandoned space station named Tacoma owned by Venturis, in the year 2088. The player, named Amy, works for Venturis and is assigned to get the AI data from the different sections of the station and the physical ‘wetware’ of ODIN, the station’s onboard AI unit. Using the AI technology available, Amy is able to piece together the events of what happened to the crew that was working in the spacecraft. The AI technology shows recordings of the crew members and their conversations along with the information that was being housed on their tablets at the time. As the game progresses it becomes evident that Venturis had malicious intentions towards that of the Tacoma crew. In the end, Amy retrieves the ‘wetware’ of ODIN and reveals that she works with the AI Liberation Front and offers ODIN asylum as a sentient AI consciousness. 

The clip that I decided to analyze was from the end of the game when the player learns the real intentions of Venturis. The player gets to read illegal documentation between Venturis and ODIN making it evident that many of the events that happened were not mere coincidences. The lighting in this part of the game is the most different from that of all the other lighting. The sound that can be heard during this part of the game is minimal but adds to the experience. In conclusion, this part of the game is arguably one of the most important parts in which the player learns the truth about the events that took place days prior to their arrival at the station. 

In this part of the game, the player gets to read through three different illegal documents about the events that lead up to the desertion of the Tacoma space station. In the clip, the first illegal document can be read. This document is arguably the most important out of the three documents because it explicitly shows what the intent of the Venturis company really is. The document has three main sections including what the AI should and should not do, A question that ODIN asks about the well-being of the Tacoma crew, and an upright lie that the Venturis communicator states about rescue crafts coming to pick up the crew. The first section states many of the things that ODIN should do including “decompressing all the oxygen tanks”, “disable all external communication channels accessible to the Tacoma crew”, to “ fabricate data showing that oxygen and coms outage was caused by meteor impact”, and to “ ensure crew enters cryogenic stasis ASAP as per sop”. The first section also lists the things that ODIN should not and is not able to do including “ AI shall not contravene any aspect of the above directives”, and “ AI shall not provide the crew with any information contradiction the above scenario”. This first section shows that Venturis was behind the events that almost killed the crew members of Tacoma. In the second section, a question can be read the ODIN asked the Venturis staff that he was communicating with. ODIN asks “will this not endanger the lives of Tacoma’s crew?” Although small, this section is very important. This is the most damning evidence that ODIN has become a sentient consciousness that cares for that the lives aboard the Tacoma. The last section only adds to the melodious intent of Venturis that the player learns from the first section of the document. This last section holds the answer to ODIN’S question about the well-being of the crew. The Venturis worker that communicates with ODIN answers his question by stating that “No. A rescue craft will be dispatched to retrieve them once they are in cryo. Proceed with the above directives without exception. We will be monitoring your actions via secure comms connection directly to Odin unit cognitive center.” This can be seen as an upright lie as with evidence from the section above that Venturis will not be sending any type of rescue to the station. This first illegal document can be seen as the most important of the three documents because it sheds light not only on how horrible Venturis really is but also shows that ODIN really cares and is worth saving. 

The lighting in this part of the game drastically changes to that of the other lighting in the game. The lighting throughout the game is fairly consistent and bright. During this part of the game, the lighting is dark which adds to the theme of mystery and the malevolence of Venturis. In the clip, the lighting comes from the floor rather than from the ceiling. When the player steps on the floor different tiles light up. Not every tile lights up at the same time. This shows that the player is progressing through the game and almost reaching the end. Having the light come from the floor almost generates that creepy lighting that you would do when telling a scary story with a flashlight shining right under your chin. The lighting in this part of the game is a very important aspect that changes the overall experience of that part of the game. 

Like the lighting, the sound in this part of the game adds to the experience and themes that can be seen. This part of the game is early compared to other parts of the game where music can be heard or the player is hearing the crew members talk as they view the AI data. This section of the game is the first time that the game is truly silent. The only sounds that can be heard are the white noise of the spacecraft, the sound when the player toggles out of a screen, and the sound of the player walking on the tiles as they light up. By having minimal sound the player realizes that they are truly alone on this vessel and that the company they are working for is not the best. The white noise that can be heard is the only consistent sound throughout the whole game. The first time the player hears this sound is in the title screen and proceeds till the end of the game. Throughout the game, this white noise gets put in the background till this part when nothing else can be heard. The use of minimal sound in this part of the game amplifies the information being learned.

It is very easy to play a game and not realize how much thought and intent the people making have put into it. From lighting to sound to the information being given. Many of these elements can go unnoticed and underappreciated. Lighting and sound design adds so much to a single part of a game. The lighting, sound, and information that can be seen in this clip in the game Tacoma sets how the player should be feeling, what the player should be doing next, and the overarching story of the game. As said before these elements can be brushed to the side and go unnoticed but add so much to the gameplay.