Tacoma Reviews
Check out Tacoma Review Scores from trusted Critics below. With 21 reviews on CriticDB, Tacoma has a score of:
Fullbright’s followup to 2013’s Gone Home is similarly focused on narrative, but it presents it in an innovative way that thinks outside the audio-log and written-note box. This novel approach to narration has players see holographic re-enactments of events in 3D space, a leap above hearing audio log entries or reading journals. Despite this unique take on narrative, Tacoma is mostly uninteresting. It has a simple structure to explore and a routine storyline. There are some interesting twists at the end but these do not make the game more rewarding.
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Tacoma has a heart all its own, exploring a myriad of themes and advocating for the human condition, but the branches that sprout from the tree rarely bear fruit. Still, the growth is wonderful, even without that sweet taste you so long for.
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Tacoma's three-hour span was a delightful experience, and I can see myself booting it up once or twice more to comb through the space station. And while this game cements Fullbright as a leading voice in the storytelling, first-person-experience genre, it showcases that both the genre itself and the sophomore developer still has some growing to do before we see masterpieces. For all those who can settle for less-than-perfect, Tacoma is a sci-fi tale worth playing.
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Severe technical problems aside, anyone that's a fan of "walking simulators" will likely enjoy Tacoma, but it won't win over critics of the genre. The game's technical problems on Xbox One are a real shame, especially since the game is console exclusive to Xbox One, but those looking to look past these issues will be treated to an engrossing and surprising story aboard the Tacoma space station.
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Tacoma lays the foundation for a truly great story, but a short length and some unexplored ideas leave it feeling lacking. I loved the characters I met over the course of the story and there are some standouts. ODIN, voiced by Justice League Unlimited alum Carl Lumbly, is particularly a treat. But by the end, I was hoping for just a little more from them, as well as more from the whole concept as a whole.
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Tacoma tries to tell a tale in a unique way, but does not quite achieve its vision. The disconnect between the player and the characters, along with the short length, make it a hard sell for fans of walking simulators.
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If you’ve played games like Gone Home, Dear Esther or Firewatch, Tacoma is instantly recognizable, but it remains distinct by introducing a wildly exotic space setting and a mechanic that keeps the “look and listen gameplay” from ever becoming a bore. It can, at times, devolve into too much of a linear experience, giving way to predictable pacing, but this is forgivable, because when your time is done on the Tacoma lunar station, your heart will be a little fuller for the people you met while you were there.
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Tacoma puts forth a well-crafted and fleshed out world with a narrative that can't pull its weight.
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Set on a space station in 2088, Tacoma tells the story of 6 astronauts and an AI who lose communication with the rest of the world and whose oxygen supply is plummeting to unsurvivable levels. Made by the development company that previously brought us Gone Home (Fullbright), players will notice strong similarities between the two games. Both can be classified as Walking Simulators in which the player’s primary input into the game is simply moving around the environment while a story unfolds...
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Tacoma has some great characterisation and is a very different breed of science fiction, but my enjoyment was sapped by one key mistake in how the story was told. It also has issues with loading and can be somewhat bland to look at, but looking around you, the environmental storytelling is top-notch. By the end, I’d become invested in these characters, but not necessarily their plight.
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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. I think its linearity combined with my extensive exploration means I won't replay it unless I suddenly think of a question I want answered or until I've forgotten a sufficient amount that it feels like a new discovery. But that's not a criticism. I got everything I wanted from that playthrough and I loved it.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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While some may find Tacoma's length and lack of gameplay depth off-putting, it still manages to feel full in itself. A grounded, futuristic setting serves as Fullbright's most creative stage yet for thorough environmental storytelling that shines with an ordinary yet endearingly authentic cast of characters.
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If you’ve enjoyed the intrigue that adventures such as Gone Home, Firewatch and What Remains of Edith Finch have brought to the forefront of gaming, then Tacoma should be high on your radar — especially if you enjoy a bit of light science fiction. Don’t let the sci-fi elements put you off though if you’re not a fan. Regardless of its setting, 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.
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Fullbright's long-awaited follow-up to Gone Home ups the intricate details, lowers the personal stakes.
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Tacoma isn’t for everyone. Though short, it’s meditative and methodical. It’s a game for the quiet explorer and the empathetic. There’s no major action or combat, no perplexing puzzles or fail states. Instead, Tacoma gives players a masterfully crafted setting and encourages them to find out what made the people who once called it home tick. Life, even among the stars, can be mundane and familiar but Tacoma‘s presentation is nothing short of spectacular.
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