Tacoma Reviews
Although Tacoma has a less emotive story than Gone Home The Fullbright Company has created a very interesting game. Their approach to humans relations is one of the best in the medium
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Tacoma successfully overcomes the challenge of featuring eight characters and making them all interesting in a relatively short game. Using the out-of-sequence AR recordings to learn about the exciting events on Tacoma is a unique way to see every side of a conversation, and it's one I hope to see catch on. I would have appreciated more time and events that'd have given me a reason to explore more of the beautiful station, but the time I did have in this fascinating hypothetical future was great.
If you're looking for sci-fi action and alien blasting, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you're in the market for a fascinating narrative and an intriguing space station to lose yourself in, you could do a heck of a lot worse than Tacoma.
Rather than big and bombastic, Tacoma is small and personal, inviting you to be involved. It's a strong testament to the power of visual narration and characterization possible in today's video games despite some nit-picks here and there.
A disappointing follow-up to Gone Home that tells a less interesting and less focused tale, while failing to advance the art of interactive storytelling.
A short, sweet, slightly dissatisfying translation of Gone Home's cosy environmental storytelling into the realm of speculative fiction.
Tacoma is a captivating tale that messes with established tropes in a way that Fullbright might become known for. Although it spins its wheels at the start, this slow and methodical journey through the lives of a small group survivors is one with some fantastic twists and turns, and one that should stick with you long after its conclusion.
A smart and thoughtful science fiction mystery featuring a cast of believable, nuanced characters.
Tacoma tells a story that is made compelling by a well-written and -acted cast of characters, but it's just short of being truly satisfying.
Tacoma's top-notch story and presentation are arranged into an inappropriate structure that will dull the experience, even for fans of exploration games.
All in all, Tacoma is a great follow up to Gone Home. With a fantastic set of characters and solid execution of its plot, its well worth considering. Unless you're the sort who compares every second of gameplay to the cost of the game, there's no reason not to check it out.
While some of its threads don't always come together as neatly as they should, Fullbright's sophomore effort is a quiet and haunting examination of the ways corporations dehumanize us all.
An abandoned space station, impetuous corporate interests, a curious A.I. — Tacoma's facade floats between charming futurism and abrasive, old-fashioned avarice. This may seem like inhospitable space to explore the depths of benevolence, but the power of identity and humanity are alive and well supported inside of Tacoma's twirling science fiction architecture.
As with Fullbright's previous game, Gone Home, Tacoma won't be for everyone, but it's a masterclass in environmental and gradual storytelling. It weaves an intriguing story against the backdrop of a believable near-future culture.
Tacoma is a beautifully told story filled with real characters and real emotion that you won't be able to put down until you've experienced it in full.
My sole criticism is its length. Given how tied up I was in the suspense, Tacoma's short play time seemed almost merciful, but I would have liked to have spent more time with each of the characters (even the AI, Odin), or get a more thorough exploration of the game's intriguing conclusion. That being said, Tacoma is remarkable and I look forward to the impact it will have on narrative devices in videogames.
Fullbright proves that they have mastered interactive storytelling by delivering a uniquely absorbing experience in Tacoma. Allowing players to explore as much or as little as they want perfectly complements the amazing cast of characters and beautiful environments. While it may be short, Tacoma is one of the most unique games I've played this year.
I continue to think of Tacoma as a story first, but it's more than that, clearly: It's an interactive experience, and that plays for and against it. The story is built out of the playback mechanic, which gives birth to the subtler suggestions of what's really going on with this station. But the playback system means there's a lot of talking to listen to, and a lot of wireframes to stare at. For a game about an abandoned space station, Tacoma gave me plenty of company. But the moments where I had to reckon with being alone in space were the ones that stuck with me.
In Tacoma, the creators of Gone Home tell intimate stories at a galactic scale
It's rare to see game worlds as intricately detailed as the one in the space station of Tacoma. Even with its mostly lackluster characters and a story that never quite sinks its hooks into you, it's a spacecation you'll want to make time for. Hell, in what other game can I set up and play a game of billiards by myself as panicked digital ghosts worry about their livelihood? None, really.