Tacoma

 PC
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 159 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 159
  2. Mixed: 56 out of 159
  3. Negative: 33 out of 159

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  1. ThomasPierson
    Oct 8, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. **So, Normally this game would rank a 7 for me, but I had to throw on three points to counteract a copy and pasted negative review (exact same review from two different accounts), a homophobic review from someone who never studied world history and someone who hasn't realized that DirectInput was mostly phased out nearly a decade ago and that X-Input is the new standard.**

    So, Tacoma is a good atmospheric experience where you explore a space station and learn about the fate of it's crew. The characters are easy to get to know and complex in their own ways. There's an underlying theme of AI rights, the dangers of the conservative mindset that goes along because it was told and never questions, and (as seems to be standard in recent years) the evils that a corporation can perpetrate in the name of profit.

    You may have noticed that I called this an "experience" and that is because it is most certainly not a game. it's an experience that you can have. Like other games in the Walking Simulator sub-genre of Adventure games, there is little that you can actually do besides explore and piece together the story of what happened to the Tacoma's crew.

    **SPOILERS (But nothing too bad)**

    The game has a happy ending all around, and I was very glad to see it. I felt very invested in the characters of this game for no reason that I can fathom because I'm not represented among the crew, and that makes me pretty happy over all.

    I definitely recommend this game, but it's price point is a bit high for such a short experience. To me, I thought the story and atmosphere elevated it to the 20 dollar price range; but others may not think so. If you are the kind of person that doesn't like to take risks with their money, I'd wait for a sale, but when it gets in your price range, get it; because it's pretty damn good.    … Expand
  2. spaceshipshippr
    Sep 29, 2017
    10
    Amazing exposition, correct language text, the ability to pick up every single object in the game to examine it! This is a detailed oriented person's fantasy realized. I love being able to piece together the story as it doesn't always add up immediately. I've really enjoyed being able to figure out the lives of the crew members.
  3. AbsurdMrSteel
    Jul 8, 2020
    10
    One of my favorites.

    If you like walking sims or time manipulation, you love this gem
  4. Yco
    Nov 2, 2018
    9
    Tacoma is an excellent game, with an ending that made me laugh out loud with delight.
  5. livevil999
    Nov 6, 2017
    9
    This game has a really great story that is told in a very unique way. It's like a play, that you can watch, rewind, and view from different angles. I was totally captivated from start to end. Yes it is a bit short for most games, but if you let that keep you away, (beyond those who can't afford to play many games) you are missing out on a truly unique experience that shows one of the waysThis game has a really great story that is told in a very unique way. It's like a play, that you can watch, rewind, and view from different angles. I was totally captivated from start to end. Yes it is a bit short for most games, but if you let that keep you away, (beyond those who can't afford to play many games) you are missing out on a truly unique experience that shows one of the ways games can tell a story that you can't get in other media.… Expand
  6. kiank
    Apr 15, 2018
    9
    I'm seeing that a lot of people had issues with the price but I got it in the humble bundle so I'm fine with that. I liked the story and felt that most of the characters had interesting personalities. I also like the twist that came at the end of the story. Overall, good story and pretty game. I would give it a 8.7 overall.
  7. Artazur
    Jan 10, 2021
    9
    Good Game with an interesting & good story and remarkable game design. I liked it.
  8. begin_
    Jun 14, 2022
    9
    really a great game, the art style, the color palette, the story, the script... very interesting indie game.
  9. S3XU4LH34L1NG
    Jan 29, 2021
    9
    Its like reading a short and sweet 200 page stand-alone book. The world building is great, the characters are realistic and believable and i personally love the space setting. Play time for 100% is about 3h. Dont play this if you dont like story/lore/read heavy games or walking sims.
  10. FlowR
    Oct 10, 2020
    9
    Holly **** If you're one of those people who like reading into notes and clues while slowly fitting the story together inside your mind this game is a must play. The story is deep, but not too complicated and the characters show very realistic emotions. Definitely worth every cent spent on it, and every minute spent in it.
  11. CurlyJefferson
    Mar 20, 2018
    8
    Short and sweet, took me two hours to beat. I honestly liked it way more than I ever liked Gone Home. Game hovered around a 7 or 8, landed on 8 in the end (almost took off because it is a short game). I particularly loved replaying conversations in the rooms and following characters around to hear every word. I loved the ending.
  12. ozzsoffy
    Dec 25, 2022
    8
    This is a great short game with great storytelling mechanics, every time you get in to a room, you initiate a time recorder that show you what happened in that location for a few minutes or so, and you can follow different characters in that room, to understand all the characters you need to rewind a few times and each time to follow another character, to understand her story. its likeThis is a great short game with great storytelling mechanics, every time you get in to a room, you initiate a time recorder that show you what happened in that location for a few minutes or so, and you can follow different characters in that room, to understand all the characters you need to rewind a few times and each time to follow another character, to understand her story. its like 'cry no more' the show in NYC, only in a game, and very good made. the graphics in this game is amazing looking. the character are not fully graphics, as they are hologram projections of recording of people.

    without giving out the ending, the ending was very for filling. I liked it. (in movies I can usually guess it, this time I didn't, so it was good.)

    as a total, I definitely recommend this game.
    80/100game    … Expand
  13. goggamanxp
    Aug 3, 2017
    8
    First, I'm going to list some things about the PC version of this game.
    1. Anti-aliasing is a joke; While a couple of minor objects are smoothed out, I would say that 95% of objects are unaffected.
    2. The FOV slider doesn't go far enough, making the game very difficult to play when sitting up close to my monitor. Additionally, the in game menus you can access are way too close to the    First, I'm going to list some things about the PC version of this game.
    1. Anti-aliasing is a joke; While a couple of minor objects are smoothed out, I would say that 95% of objects are unaffected.
    2. The FOV slider doesn't go far enough, making the game very difficult to play when sitting up close to my monitor. Additionally, the in game menus you can access are way too close to the players face, and they do not scale accordingly when you change the FOV.

    As for the game itself, I think it depends on if you actually like the 'walking simulator' genre. If you already hate the genre, then there's no point in buying this game, but if you like these sort of games, then you'll probably end up liking it. I don't want to spoil the game in any way, so I won't go into more detail about the plot.

    I was planning on giving this game a 7/10, however it's clear that people are metabombing this title, so I bumped it up to a 8/10.    … Expand
  14. Thilus
    Aug 26, 2017
    8
    Tacoma is a "walking simulator" that, in my opinion, has the best exposition in recent video game history. You watch the story unfold through recovered holo-vids that you can freely rewind and look at all the aspects of the story from many different angles. Aside from that you can thoroughly explore the space station on which the story takes place to get even more flavours. The game isTacoma is a "walking simulator" that, in my opinion, has the best exposition in recent video game history. You watch the story unfold through recovered holo-vids that you can freely rewind and look at all the aspects of the story from many different angles. Aside from that you can thoroughly explore the space station on which the story takes place to get even more flavours. The game is very short (around 3 hours worth of walking around), but it feels like reading a finely crafted short story. If you're into dystopian sci-fi, it is worth looking at. Very enjoyable.… Expand
  15. chaconne
    Sep 29, 2019
    8
    You do nothing except thinking and exploring still you get no bored. Brillantly thought storyline. Masterful design.
  16. nik_balani
    Apr 5, 2019
    8
    This is an interactive story more than a 'game' but thoroughly enjoyable. The storyline is well developed and the interactive nature means you need to piece together that story which can be done at your leisure. Graphics and interaction with the environment is good as well. In total I took about 5 hours to complete the game.
  17. nbdiden
    Feb 5, 2018
    8
    Yes, this game is very short and this is not a traditional game so to speak in the sense that there is no action, other than picking up and placing down objects. But, overlooking those minor flaws, there is a beautiful game with a touching story underneath. Sometimes, you will not understand what is happening, as the information in this game is handed out in a nonlinear format, but thatYes, this game is very short and this is not a traditional game so to speak in the sense that there is no action, other than picking up and placing down objects. But, overlooking those minor flaws, there is a beautiful game with a touching story underneath. Sometimes, you will not understand what is happening, as the information in this game is handed out in a nonlinear format, but that is the beauty of the writing style of this game. After playing through most of the game it becomes evident that this game was smartly thought out. I strongly urge those who don't mind a game, where the story is the most thought out and pressing part, to buy this one. This is because, I felt even though I was all alone on that spacecraft, I was with the 6 crew members in more ways than one by the end of the game… Expand
  18. FirstSpawn
    May 26, 2021
    8
    Я лично получил от данного инди проекта массу положительных эмоций и с удовольствием порекомендую её всем любителям данного жанра.
  19. Mandulum
    Jul 14, 2018
    7
    Haiku Review: Search a space station / Discover what happened there / Where did they all go
    Favorite Thing: It's a walking simulator (in space) so thankfully uncovering the story was enjoyable. It's just short enough to not overstay its welcome.
    Least Favorite Thing: The game is not really much other than walking and listening. It could have used a little more puzzling. Date    Haiku Review: Search a space station / Discover what happened there / Where did they all go
    Favorite Thing: It's a walking simulator (in space) so thankfully uncovering the story was enjoyable. It's just short enough to not overstay its welcome.
    Least Favorite Thing: The game is not really much other than walking and listening. It could have used a little more puzzling.

    Date Completed: 2018-07-12
    Playtime: ~ 2h
    Enjoyment: 7/10
    Recommendation: If you're a fan of walking simulators or scifi then go for it.    … Expand
  20. Klewer
    Mar 5, 2021
    7
    Really enjoyed the story and setting. Not much to do gameplay wise, as people have said its kind of a walking simulator. However I still enjoyed the characters, relationships and story. Quite short and left me wanting more.
  21. WildRoeDeer
    May 8, 2019
    7
    Well made for what it set out to do. Unlike Gone Home, which operated as a mystery of sorts, Tacoma is more so about learning about the characters on the space station for two hours, until the big reveal exposing the big bad corporation. I'd say the world building and characters are more interesting than the plot itself, which is really Tacoma's greatest downside. Although, saying oneWell made for what it set out to do. Unlike Gone Home, which operated as a mystery of sorts, Tacoma is more so about learning about the characters on the space station for two hours, until the big reveal exposing the big bad corporation. I'd say the world building and characters are more interesting than the plot itself, which is really Tacoma's greatest downside. Although, saying one thing is negative because it wasn't as good as the other aspects of the game is pretty good as criticisms go. It's very low stakes and railroad-y by design and I can see a lot of people losing interest very quickly. I will say though that the AR segments are easily the highlight of the game. I can't even begin to imagine how much of a pain in the ass it must have been to script and perform every bit of dialogue so it all lines up as perfectly as possible. As a game mechanic, it makes for a much more engaging experience when you choose which conversations to listen in to. It's very clever and a step above the endless letters and audio logs from Gone Home. Basically, everything Gone Home did well, this game does better, except for the main story holding it all together which, in Tacoma's case, feels almost incidental. It does fit together with the world building, however, so I can't say it's bad, just underwritten perhaps. It's a very easy-going experience but if walking sims are something you enjoy, I can safely recommend Tacoma as 'another one of those'.… Expand
  22. lhdoroschuk
    Dec 26, 2017
    7
    Tacoma had a rich environment, with tons of good atmosphere and character development. However, I would have preferred a longer narrative with a slower build-up, as I felt that I didn't have enough time to truly form a relationship with the characters. If this were a 5-6 hour game, I think it would have been more rewarding, personally.

    However, this was a good game, worth playing. Price    Tacoma had a rich environment, with tons of good atmosphere and character development. However, I would have preferred a longer narrative with a slower build-up, as I felt that I didn't have enough time to truly form a relationship with the characters. If this were a 5-6 hour game, I think it would have been more rewarding, personally.

    However, this was a good game, worth playing. Price tags are hard to discuss with games these days, especially since everything on Steam seems to be perpetually on sale, but if you consider this was about the price and length of a movie, then I don't think you'll be disappointed.

    If you're a fan of the walking simulator genre, this is a good buy. The ending had me smiling as well.

    7/10    … Expand
  23. Kosdais
    Feb 3, 2018
    7
    Nice, short game (only about 3 hours). The only reason why to replay this game is for achievements. Would only recommend it in sale or from a bundle (was recently on humble bundle monthly).
  24. gab_izidio
    Feb 4, 2021
    7
    Tacoma - 7.5 / 10 - {recommend}
    The game is [good, but limited].
    The story is great, and the ambiance of the ship in space too, but the game is very limited, making you read several texts, and have to keep an eye on the scenes just to see when the characters will open the screen for you to read more texts to discover the events that caused the accident and where everyone is, and at the    Tacoma - 7.5 / 10 - {recommend}
    The game is [good, but limited].

    The story is great, and the ambiance of the ship in space too, but the game is very limited, making you read several texts, and have to keep an eye on the scenes just to see when the characters will open the screen for you to read more texts to discover the events that caused the accident and where everyone is, and at the end of everything is not really worth it, because it's a normal ending, without a tremendous shock on the viewer, in this game you he watches more than anything, except he's short. What saves is the beautiful environment created on the space station, and makes you want to explore everything.    … Expand
  25. Anita_SeiLa
    Jun 19, 2022
    7
    In this game ur Amy, an investigator or some kind of detective, who needs to find out what happened in the space station TACOMA.
    PROS:
    I liked the way they tell u the narrative. It is like little 3D recorded videos, that u can fastforward or delay, in each room where u get to follow each of the caracters, since they can be in diferent places talking about diferent things (important or    In this game ur Amy, an investigator or some kind of detective, who needs to find out what happened in the space station TACOMA.
    PROS:
    I liked the way they tell u the narrative. It is like little 3D recorded videos, that u can fastforward or delay, in each room where u get to follow each of the caracters, since they can be in diferent places talking about diferent things (important or not for the narrative) (idk if I explained right, but anyway). Besides I love the story, it catched me in a way that I couldn't stop until I finiched it, I loved playing it.
    CONS:
    The thing is, I think they missed a great chance of putting some nice puzzles and turning this game into a puzzle game. Ur investigating, u want to find out what happened, the game gives u that great feeling of wanting to search in every place, everything and every little detail and some puzzles would help increase the hours playing (since it is just 3 hours) and make it much more enjoyable and fun cause u literally just watch and read a little, so u can easily "play it in youtube".
    CONCLUSION:
    I would recomend to buy it in a promotion, it is definetly not worth the full price, but, as I said, I had a lot of fun playing it and for the price I bought I guess it was worth the experience. Despite it, I wouldn't judge anyone for just watching it on youtube.    … Expand
  26. TitaniumDragon
    Feb 5, 2018
    6
    Tacoma is a walking simulator set on a space station. You play as Amy Ferrier, an independent contractor for the Venturis Corporation, one of many corporations operating in the year 2088. Your job is to retrieve the AI off of the evacuated space station Tacoma. While the company reminds you that everything you see on board is confidential, it takes a *long* time for those data transfers toTacoma is a walking simulator set on a space station. You play as Amy Ferrier, an independent contractor for the Venturis Corporation, one of many corporations operating in the year 2088. Your job is to retrieve the AI off of the evacuated space station Tacoma. While the company reminds you that everything you see on board is confidential, it takes a *long* time for those data transfers to complete, so you might as well look around…

    Made by the creators of Gone Home, this is not really a game. Rather, it is a linear story, told via the exploration of the space station, watching segments of the story unfold via the station’s 3D recording apparatus. You can move around and watch the scenes from several different perspectives, listening to various characters as they try to resolve the crisis on the space station, while their oxygen supply runs low, all the while getting guidance from ODIN, the space station’s AI.

    The biggest flaw with Gone Home was its ending – the ending of that game was pretty jarring with the overall themes of the rest of the piece. Tacoma, conversely, works a lot better – you get to see all of the pieces of the plot falling together, and it becomes increasingly obvious as you keep making your way through the plot what is REALLY going on.

    However, I still have to say they didn’t quite stick the landing. As a drama, this story does a lot better job of unfolding. However, it has one fairly critical flaw – while the characters throughout the story have a sense of agency, it feels like one of the crucial payoffs doesn’t have a lot of buildup to it. While the area where it comes up gives us some background on it, this is very late in the game, after the point at which it was plot critical, which is kind of annoying – while everything else was foreshadowed very well, that part wasn’t, and as a result, it diminishes the sense of agency there.

    Still, I have to say that on the whole, the story DID work. The voice acting was on-point, the environments weren’t so big as to be tedious to explore while being large enough to give you some stuff to look at and feel like you were unravelling the plot, and I was overall content with the experience – at the very least, I was never really bored while playing, though the lack of a sprint button felt like a somewhat odd choice.

    This is not a walking simulator that knocks it out of the park. But unlike many such experiences, it did at least feel decent to experience. While some people might decry it as being short – which it is, the game took me only in the realm of three and a half hours to 100% – it really didn’t want to be any longer than it was. The story was over by the end of it, and it would not have benefitted from being longer, and would have likely been boring to sit through.

    Overall, this is something that you’re likely to be interested in if you like cyberpunk-type stories, about a future society dominated by uncaring megacorporations and AIs, albeit a much more subdued version thereof – rather than being overtly dystopian, the world feels much more rounded around the edges, and it is clear that the megacorps are far from omnipotent, rather being very much subject to the laws of society, albeit laws that they try to circumvent to their own advantage.

    If you’re looking for an actual GAME, though, I’d say to avoid this; this is not a game in a very meaningful sense, despite a couple of very simple “puzzles” to unlock a few doors. This is a walking simulator heavily focused on story, and if you aren’t interested in wandering around inside a story that is unfolding around you without much interaction from you, this is not the product for you.

    Note also that this IS very short; keep in mind that this is an experience under four hours long. I was fine with that - I got it as part of a bundle - but I can understand that some people might be put off by the $20 price tag, given it is more akin to going to watch a movie in a theater than it is to a game that you are likely to play over and over again.    … Expand
  27. Underpants158
    Sep 20, 2018
    6
    I think it's an alright narrative experience. So you go around watching recorded events in AR on a spacetation: think pokemon Go but the people are little more than outlines in a solid color. Your main character doesn't talk save for a few lines at the very beginning and very end. It becomes clear why, for story purposes, the developers had to do this. If they had changed that part ofI think it's an alright narrative experience. So you go around watching recorded events in AR on a spacetation: think pokemon Go but the people are little more than outlines in a solid color. Your main character doesn't talk save for a few lines at the very beginning and very end. It becomes clear why, for story purposes, the developers had to do this. If they had changed that part of story then the main character could have commented on things and I think the game would have been much better for it. However as the game is there were about 2 moments that choked me up a bit. The end didn't really shock me and I think it falls flat. BUT HEY, it's an interesting hour experience.… Expand
  28. naufri27
    Oct 24, 2020
    6
    Otra forma de contar una historia que, si no fuera de bajo presupuesto, se le podría haber sacado mucho más partido. Aún así, es agradable cómo algunos estudios pequeños se las ingenian para ofrecernos experiencias diferentes.
  29. badgerryan19
    Aug 6, 2017
    6
    Microsft's space walking simulator? The characters were some what interesting, but didn't really care for them in the long run. Also asking $20 for a game you can beat in under 2 Hrs is a stretch. Not the best walking simulator but not the worse.
  30. us9975531
    Aug 2, 2017
    6
    Tacoma has the same flaws of Gone Home (the game is very short and the player can only passively observe a story that played out before you ever arrived), but none of Tacoma's characters have a story as interesting or emotionally resonant as the sister's story from Gone Home. The fact that a space station ends up being less interesting than an empty 90s suburban house feels like aTacoma has the same flaws of Gone Home (the game is very short and the player can only passively observe a story that played out before you ever arrived), but none of Tacoma's characters have a story as interesting or emotionally resonant as the sister's story from Gone Home. The fact that a space station ends up being less interesting than an empty 90s suburban house feels like a tremendous failure of the developer's imagination.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

61
#61 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
22
#22 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 56 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 56
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 56
  3. Negative: 1 out of 56
  1. CD-Action
    Oct 30, 2017
    60
    Gone Home developers tackle the issue of corporate hell aboard futuristic space station. Unfortunately their sentimental style does not go along with the brutally down-to-earth (oh, the irony!) subject too well. [10/2017, p.67]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Oct 8, 2017
    90
    A bold, ambitious step forward for the - hnngh - "walking simulator." [Issue#266, p.54]
    Read full review
  3. Riot Pixels
    Sep 21, 2017
    51
    Walking simulators live or die by the strength of their narrative, and Tacoma gives away its main plot just minutes after you start playing it. It does have other secrets, but they aren’t worth your time.
    Read full review
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