The station Review

The Last Stop
By Brett Wolfe
Reviewed on Xbox One
​Released on February 20th, 2018 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC
​Developer: ​The Station Game
Publisher: The Station Game

The discovery of alien life would be one of mankind’s biggest achievements. For millions of years, we have been searching for someone, something else in this universe. Well, what would you do if we discovered them tomorrow? Would you be excited or frightened by the new knowledge that just flooded your brain? Now, I am going to ask you to pioneer the first vessel to observe their planet. Would you be interested? It could be the experience of a lifetime or a living, breathing nightmare. I guess there are just as many questions now as there were before we knew they existed.
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The Station is a story-driven, first-person adventure title developed and published by the people at The Station Game. It tells the story of an unnamed protagonist as he boards a space vessel observing an alien planet after their communications went dark. Your job is to locate the crew and escort them to safety if needed. You play the role of detective and savior as you roam the quiet spacecraft looking for clues as to what actually happened. Were they discovered? Are there aliens on board? I guess it is your job to figure that out and hopefully, you don’t go missing too.

Being heavily story-driven, The Station does not present you with a lot of gameplay mechanics. You walk around the space station without any rhyme or reason, picking up documents and listening to audio logs to advance the story. These logs are usually banter between the three characters (Aiden Vyze, Silas Haze, and Mila Lexa) on the vessel, but occasionally will give you some insight on how to progress. This title is very much a walking simulator filled with a few puzzles scattered around the environment. These puzzles present very little challenge and for those of you that do get stuck, hints are usually placed in the same room as its corresponding puzzle.

The visuals and soundtrack of this game were both exceptional. Space usually provides a game with a unique and breath-taking environment and The Station is no different. I found myself checking every nook and cranny just to get as much story I could, and I honestly did not want this game to end. The sheer amazement that this game provided me on so many levels filled me with such joy. The soundtrack didn’t pull any punches either. The dialogue was crisp, and the moments of uncertainty were bone-chilling.

I personally really enjoy so-called “walking simulators” and I do not think that the lack of differing mechanics takes away from this game. The story is amazing and the chemistry between the three characters is just phenomenal. The disagreements between Silas and Aiden on proper ethics were thought-provoking and made the characters just seem so real. The game is very short and can usually be beaten in under an hour, but I do not see an issue with that. The development that the characters go through in a time of distress is implemented amazingly and I feel this is probably one of my favorite walking simulators to date. I have plans to go back and play this game a second time to relive the experience and try to find anything I may have missed.

In the end, The Station is an amazing experience and I believe everyone should give it a chance. It is priced at $15 USD, which I agree is a bit high for a game you can beat in under an hour. However, do not let that be the deciding factor for you, it is well worth the money. So, do yourself a favor and pick up this game, find that missing crew, and mark your day in history. You are the hero that they need, so why give up on them?!?

*Note: A copy of this game was provided for the purpose of the review.

Final Score: 9.5/10

+Beautiful Graphics
+Amazing Story
+Loveable Characters

-Short Experience