Should you be in the market for some video game amusement this weekend, and are hankering for the very specific combination of critically acclaimed sci-fi narrative adventure that is also free, then you might like to know that developer Fullbright’s enjoyable Tacoma is currently available for zero pee on the Humble Store.
Fullbright, in case it slipped your mind, first turned heads in 2013 with its spookily atmospheric family-drama-meets-house-nosy Gone Home, and Tacoma sees the developer expanding on that game’s exploratory storytelling with a bunch of new ideas. And also space ships.
Tacoma is still very much in the realm of walking simulator, so your mileage may vary, but it’s a little more hands-on than Gone Home. As you explore the game’s deserted space station setting, the lives of its wonderfully defined crew – and the mystery surrounding them – unfold through a mix of environmental storytelling and audio-visual logs – the latter playing out across different physical spaces within the ship, encouraging you to wind back and forth and move around to eavesdrop on these last recorded conversations. I liked it a lot!
You can grab Tacoma for free on the Humble Store (as long as you agree to sign up to its newsletter) until March 24th at 5pm in the UK / 10am PT. In its FAQ, Humble says the game is “yours to keep and play forever”, although it looks like one of those deals where the provided download link expires once the deadline is past. So you’ll probably need to keep the game clasped to your bosom (or hard-drive) for future use. Enjoy!
