The Station Reviews
The first age of so-called walking simulators is long past. The design foibles that led to such projects being so widely decried have been ironed out, but the genre is still struggling to find its feet. In such a situation, The Station is no revolutionary. Many aspects of the game help to give it a unique identity, but the gameplay is too reliant on established ideas to allow it to stand out from a crowded field.
The Station does enough to be recommended to anyone who wants a very short burst of puzzle-solving with some genuinely gripping mystery and atmosphere, but it crumbles in the execution of the narrative itself.
While the storyline may be decent, the many plot holes and cheap horror elements definitely do not work in the game’s favor. The experience is short though, so these elements do not completely ruin it.
From start to finish, The Station had its hooks in me something fierce. Though a bit shorter than I would have liked, I was fully immersed for every single second of it. It managed to deliver a great story that kept me second guessing up until the very end. This was supported with a great presentation, solid visual design, fantastic audio work, and a handful of fun puzzles to solve.
It is a fun alternative to kill time or to space out your other primary games, but it may not be the one that make you super excited.
The Station plops the player in an interesting political situation in the reaches of space. What to do when you finally discover an alien species that’s borderline barbaric to each other raises some interesting questions. Gameplay may not be as interesting or groundbreaking, but anyone who’s played a short adventure game will be right at home. The only problems you have to worry about are a few unclear solutions and a rather short playtime for the game’s premise. Other than that, fellow sci-fi lovers, welcome to a satisfying journey in space that doesn't include shooting something.
However, if you’re someone who enjoys the story more than anything else and prefers an immersive experience that captivates you and entices your curiosity in the character and setting, then this might not be the game for you.
The Station loses the opportunity to exploit a great atmosphere falling into narrative topics too used at this point, having a mininum duration and serious technical problems that avoid enjoyment of the experience.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Station is a short game but one which has a lot of things to be desired. The game looks, sounds and plays great as you wander around uncovering the truth behind what's going on and what happened to the crew. The story is well fleshed out and whole, it's just there for you to find on your own and uncover as you go along – not everything is given to you on a plate and there isn't a load of fluff packed in there for no reason. Highly recommended to everyone who loves a good story, exploration and some decent puzzles.
The Station is short, simple, and sweet. It’s atmosphere-heavy and narrative-light; exploration-rich and challenge-impoverished. However, the attention to setting detail and aesthetic are top-notch, which (for those who come in expecting little more than an immersive walkabout) does much to alleviate the brevity and superficiality of the intended path.
The Station is a must for the ones who carve for a decent atmospheric game with great story-telling. The Station may look like another space exploration game at one glance, but it is built on something very solid and at some point, maybe dark and challenging for our minds.
Aside from answering questions, the atmosphere and overall presentation of the game certainly makes a decent fist of engaging players, but that short play time hamstrings The Station before it can ever really get going.
There were some good ideas with The Station, but I've played a number of very similar and better put together experiences.
It’s intriguing and interactive enough to hold your attention, and I suppose the fact that I wanted more by the end is a good sign as well as a bad one. But if you’re interested in a thrilling but short sci-fi story, then The Station could be for you.
The Station from the developers of the same name have made something gorgeous and engaging. Whether you choose to find every audio log and entry or not, the developers have provided a unique science fiction point of view that usually isn’t given in a game, provoking thought. And while The Station isn’t very long, it is full of clever surprises and fascinating story that absolutely delivers.
The Station has heart but seems to end just as things are getting interesting, almost rushing to the climax instead of enjoying the created space for a short while longer.
If a walking simulator with an exploratory story sounds like a great experience, then The Station is one worth jumping into. Exploring the desolate space station, recovering audio logs, while solving puzzles and challenges may not make this the most innovative in the genre, but it is definitely one of the more enjoyable examples.
The Station is a wonderful example of how a game's atmosphere can impact and influence the narrative. The space station felt believable, although the few characters that lived aboard fell a bit flat for me. As a sci-fi walking sim, The Station is more than successful enough.
The Station is an interesting space adventure that does not overstay its welcome. I enjoy playing these so-called walking simulations, and The Station is a good one with an interesting story for its short adventure. The one complaint I'd have is that the initial loading is rather long since you'll be staring at the loading screen for around two to three minutes before you're presented with the initial story cutscene. Other than that, this is a solid walking simulator on PlayStation 4 from an indie team of veterans you should check out.
The Station is an example of how to ruin a great story. This kind of performance isn't enough for walking simulators anymore.
Review in Turkish | Read full review