Intelligence

A free sci-fi Obradinn-like mystery deduction game, playable in a browser. Like its forebears (The Roottrees are Dead, Her Story, Family, Type Help etc), extremely addictive and compelling. Find a bunch of missing spaceships somewhere in the solar system. Were they destroyed by an alien attack fleet?

Primary gameplay loop is uncovering new co-ordinates: use a telescope for a "visual analysis" of the location. This might uncover new clues, for example, electromagnetic data, which can then be analysed with spectrum analyzers, which might reveal unique ship EM signatures, or, if the location has the facilities, allow you to talk via "ansible" faster-than-light communication, which might unlock new co=ordinates, or new tools to use, or trigger a new message from Fleet Intelligence HQ. Fill in the details of each of the missing craft to progress.

The story itself is no great shakes, lacking the mind-blowing twists and turns of its genre-mates, and the UI is occasionally clunky, but the gameplay carries it, you will absolutely want to solve this puzzle to completion (it took me half a day, using the in-built progressive hints only a couple of times).

This is a deduction game — you read about what’s happening, and then you determine where information should be placed to reveal the next part of the story. The interface has you dragging and dropping details to complete your research, and I think there was only one point where I used the keyboard (even that might have been avoidable).

The story, which tracks a battle between Earth forces and unknown alien spacecraft, was interesting. And the systems that you use to uncover the unfolding events are mostly understandable, although I was frustrated at least once when I received a new tool and didn’t understand how I was supposed to use it. Because the help system gradually nudges players in the right direction (using invisiclues-style prompts that gradually get more explicit), I never got completely stuck.

I appreciated the level of polish that went into creating this game. The background music was suitably atmospheric and the visual displays contributed appropriately futuristic vibes. It’s free, it can be completed in a few hours, and I recommend it without hesitation.