The Station

 PC
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 25
  3. Negative: 4 out of 25

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  1. GBG_Jason
    Feb 20, 2018
    9
    At one point or another in your life, you’ve probably gone through a family member’s, friend’s, or significant other’s personal belongings without their permission. But would you do the same if it was a stranger’s things and you needed to piece together what happened to them? This is the basis for the recent first person puzzle game The Station. I know, you’re thinking “great, anotherAt one point or another in your life, you’ve probably gone through a family member’s, friend’s, or significant other’s personal belongings without their permission. But would you do the same if it was a stranger’s things and you needed to piece together what happened to them? This is the basis for the recent first person puzzle game The Station. I know, you’re thinking “great, another walking sim.” While this title would fall into that realm, it offers so much more than just walking from point A to point B, racking up easy achievements along the way.

    You play as an unnamed protagonist – a recon specialist – sent in by the corporation known as Axiom to investigate what has happened to a crew sent to monitor a newly discovered alien race. The race of sentient creatures are in the middle of a planet wide civil war and the team was tasked with collecting data to determine whether contact should be made, or if we would need to prepare for intergalactic war. The team of 3 has been out of radio contact and it’s your job to determine what happened to them and collect any pertinent data.

    Upon entering the space station, you will be greeted with a highly detailed area to explore that features as much or as little lore as you want to find. With that being said, you will get out what you put into The Station. You’ll find artifacts, data logs, recordings, or other pieces of information on the alien culture and planet, as well as the 3 crew members. Due to the amazing writing and voice cast, the crew feels like they are real people, with real problems that most gamers can relate to on some level. One minute, you’ll be thinking that someone was up to no good, only to later determine that there was a method to their madness. You’ll go through a range of emotions as you piece together exactly what happened. While most people will almost feel a sense of guilt for rifling through their belongings and personal diaries, I also laughed with the crew as I visualized pranks being played out in my head as they were described, and felt sorrow when they’d receive correspondence from loved ones at home about missed events. These small touches really add to the immersion, putting a real weight to the need to locate the team.

    You will discover fairly quickly that not everything is as it seems aboard the vessel, and that you are not alone on the craft. While this is not a horror title and falls more under a sci-fi mystery, there is a sense of dread that will come and go as you explore and features some mild jump scares that will keep players on their toes. This fact not only made me want to unravel the mystery more, it put a real sense of urgency in finding the missing crew despite there not being any type of timer or deadline, allowing you to peruse the ship as you see fit.

    There are a few puzzles to solve, which feature no type of hint system and will rely on the player’s wits and ability to interact with the game world in obvious yet subtle. While they are spread throughout the game pretty thin, there are some optional puzzles such as hacking into personal lockers, which adds even more insight into the characters. As this is the bulk of the gameplay outside of finding the required bracelets from the crew that act like key cards, this title won’t be for everyone.

    Visually, the game is stunning and features small details throughout that really make the station feel like it is a true living space. While I did encounter a few minor visual bugs, such as a large square that popped in and out of the textures randomly towards the climax, it rarely broke immersion. My one and only complaint is that looking around the game at full speed will occasionally cause some framerate issues on the Xbox One. Keeping in mind that the entire game can be played in one sitting with only the single (although somewhat long) load time at the beginning of the game, this is minor and should not deter you from playing the title.

    The audio presentation is just as stellar as the visuals, featuring long periods of silence with only ambient noise occasionally present during one of the many scripted events, especially during the climax. With a cast that adds real personality to each of the characters which rival those of many AAA games featuring seasoned voice actors such as Nolan North, you won’t be disappointed. While some characters do shine more than others, thorough investigation into their backstory will deliver one of the most heartfelt moments I’ve experienced in a game in quite a while. I wish I could elaborate more on this but I really want to avoid anything close to a spoiler, as the story really is the big focus of the title.

    While The Station is a bit short with my initial playthrough clocking in around 2 hours, it is a worthy addition to any player that enjoyed the likes of Firewatch or Gone Home and are looking for a story worth investing their time into.    … Expand
  2. darkwolf79
    May 10, 2019
    9
    It is a short but very well executed game. The story is well written and paces along nicely building up to the ultimate conclusion. After the game had finished I realised how well hints towards the conclusion were placed.
    I much prefer these short story and atmosphere heavy pieces to some other, longer games out there that completely loose the point a few hours in.
    Very well done in my opinion.
  3. ddd721
    Feb 25, 2018
    10
    This game is the modern equivalent of Allegory of the Cave. Leading us the human race to question our place in a sea of darkness this game would be the light. So step into the light.
  4. Medallish
    Mar 2, 2018
    4
    If you're hoping for a Soma like game, prepare to be disappointing, I completed it in less than two hours, and have to admit, I refunded the game, it wasn't good at all, I think some people on Steam is surprised by it's quality because Steam has become a cesspool of asset flips, but that's not a good enough excuse to call a bad game good.
  5. Renovatia
    Dec 23, 2018
    4
    This a so called "walking simulator". In other words, it resembles a puzzle adventure game, where you walk around and solve puzzles to advance. But it's not. You walk around in a semi-puzzle environment with the goal of exploring a story.

    As you walk around in pre-destined areas (more will open up when you have advanced enough) you will read voicelogs and notes of what happened on the    This a so called "walking simulator". In other words, it resembles a puzzle adventure game, where you walk around and solve puzzles to advance. But it's not. You walk around in a semi-puzzle environment with the goal of exploring a story.

    As you walk around in pre-destined areas (more will open up when you have advanced enough) you will read voicelogs and notes of what happened on the spaceship which you have just entered.

    Turns out the ship has collided with something whilst approaching a planet full of life. The question for the original astronauts was whether they should make contact or not, as the species on said planet is quite violent but otherwise resembles "us". You will find out, with a little twist, though if you're half-smart, a major hint of the "big reveal" is to be found in a laboratory at 75% of the game. Funny part is I noticed the "anomaly", but thought it was a genuine designers flaw by the game-programmers. I couldn't believe they'd make such a mistake. Well, they didn't :)

    So the story is being told by you listening to audio recordings and reading logs. But most narrations are just little snippets that belong in a soap opera on TV. A romance is going, somebody is ill and stuff like that. Not much to help your mission. It is pre-programmed for you to find out at the very end of the "game". So basically you're led through a story which is full of fluffy irrelevance and red-herrings.

    Graphics are OK and handling of objects are "OK" too as not much is asked form the user. But FPS-wise and the mousepointer responsiveness isnn't optimal at all and that's becasue this game is CPU intensive as opposed to delegating the GFX to your graphix card. This alone is a huge minus.

    The second huge minus is that the game is short. In half an hour you could finish everything. As I like to soak up every detail, it took me a total of two hours. Is that worth your money?

    When it comes to puzzle solving, well, there are only one-and-a-half puzzles to solve. The rest is just a matter of navigating your way around the ship. You have a map and it tracks your location. So navigating is not a problem.

    All in all a forgettable "game" like so many walking simulators. At least it isn't ruined by social justice warriors like so many games these days. It's one of the few good things I can write about it. Now I'll submit this review as I'm quickly forgetting the details of this game, and so will you.    … Expand
  6. akarnokd
    Sep 19, 2018
    7
    It was interesting story-wise, but eventually had to look into guides and forums to find out what to do or where stuff is supposed to be.
  7. Shaer
    Aug 3, 2018
    6
    This is a good but very short game with little twisted story... i may give it rating 9 if the FPS was good enough and not to make heavy pressure to the CPU. finished with 30 fps... Well, in future, hope this type of game will come again to entertain us :)
  8. a_void
    Jul 29, 2020
    8
    Game is shorter than I expected and didn't make me to want to explore every corner of the station but some small details from it will stay in my memory forever and I guess it managed to change my world view a little.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. Jeuxvideo.com
    Jun 2, 2018
    60
    Despite being just another walking simulator with a touch of digging around, The Station provides an interesting story featuring solid voice actors, and a great finale.
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  2. Adventure Gamers
    Mar 16, 2018
    60
    Short on both puzzles and in-depth narrative, The Station is all about atmosphere. If you’re a fan of immersive sci-fi exploration, turn off the lights, turn up the sound, and enjoy the ride.
    Read full review
  3. PC Gamer
    Mar 2, 2018
    77
    Even stranger than its premise and scarier than it looks, The Station is a short ride to a great ending.
    Read full review
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