Remember Citadel? The New Tacoma Trailer Does
Gone Home: Isolation
Tacoma [official site] - AKA wot the Gone Home studio are doing right now - isn't necessarily channeling System Shock or 2001, but a short new trailer revealed during the Microsoft E3 conference suggests there's something a little bit off about the AI on board the titular station. Steve Gaynor presented live onstage at the conference and spoke about how Gone Home had explored the familiar and Fullbright were now trying to show life in an unfamiliar place. His words seemed appropriate to his own situation as he stood in the echo chamber of whooping and hollering*. META.
Rather than Gone Home in space, I'd like Tacoma to be Alien: Isolation without the alien. Give me a place that feels authentic, real enough to touch, but plant troubling thoughts and suggestions in every corner. Not a full-on horror game but a game that makes me feel vulnerable, confused and unnerved.
After seeing the funky hand jiving, I'm also hoping for a character whose interactions with the environments are as tactile as young Ripley's. It's out next year and to learn more, you should turn to Alec's interview with Fullbright.
* in all seriousness, I love that indie devs were invited to speak at Microsoft's showcase event but I don't envy them having to be coached for the Big Sell