Gametraders Live September Magazine

Repetition also infects the
game’s objective and level
designs. The Horus space
station has a samey look,
with Kubrick-esque tunnels,
bulkheads, hallways, and
doorways having a similar
appearance. Objectives tend
to repeat as well: locate
key card, insert fuel rod,
navigate across open space.
There are a few mechanically
interesting sequences,
like manually docking two
large parts of the station
or deactivating a large,
patrolling security bot, but
for the majority of the game,
players will settle into a
monotonous groove.
Objective design suffers not
only from uninvolving quests
but a general confusion
over progress and place.
As you hover around the
Horus installation, it’s not
uncommon to be unclear
about where you are in
proximity to other key points
in the station, what you’re
meant to be doing, and why
exactly you’re doing it in the
first place. There are maps
and monitors throughout
Horus that flash information,
but rarely do they provide
insight into how far you’ve
come and how much is
left ahead. Again, vague
instructions and oblique
storytelling can be a gift,
particularly in a cerebral
sci-fi setting, but 3rd Eye
Studios strays too far into the
incomprehensible.
In addition to the four-hour
campaign, which can be
played solo or in online coop,
and in one of two modes
— “engage,” a traditional
adventure, or “explore,” which
removes any hostile threats
— Horus Station offers up
deathmatch and horde via
online multiplayer, staged
in environments from the
story and populated with
its weapons. Unfortunately,
online lobbies were vacant
pre-launch.
A game like Horus Station
isn’t about graphical fidelity;
it’s about atmosphere.
Judged by that metric, the
game succeeds, even if its
textures and lighting are
merely middling. Valo’s
ambient soundtrack is the
real star here, anyway. It sets
the hazardous, unexplained
mood perfectly, and strings
you along to the final frame.
For all its atmospheric feats,
Horus Station struggles to
break orbit. Every good sci-fi
idea and engaging mechanic
is paired with a repetitive
process or confusing
narrative. Armed with better
enemy AI, more complex
puzzles, and a fleshed-out
story, the game could make a
mark on the genre. Hopefully
future titles in the anthology
series will succeed where this
game falters.
By Evan Norris