• Log In | Sign Up

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Top Games
  • Search
  • New Releases
  • Daily Deals
  • Forums

Review for The Vacuum

Vacuum
Vacuum

One day in the not-too-distant future, travelling around the galaxy will be available to everyone. Of course, first-class passage will still be exclusive to the rich elite, who, after parting with their financial billions to make it all happen, will naturally want to have the prime bite of the outer space cherry. Travel for the ordinary man will be feasible as well, but space flight for Joe Citizen won’t be all peaches and cream. It is sure to have some drawbacks, like travelling on a discount ship with cheap meals, cramped seating and possibly a sense that that not everything is completely under control.

And so the story begins in David Proctor's first freeware adventure, The Vacuum, which is the tale of two students heading home for summer break on a budget cargo space liner, only to have their journey rudely interrupted by an emergency. You play as Leo Wallace, who along with his girlfriend Averie Piper, is confronted mid-flight by the sound of a large explosion and the disappearance of most of the ship's crew. Summing up the courage to seek out the cause of the explosion, Leo and Averie soon find others on board and begin to form a search party to look for anyone who may still be alive.

As the search progresses, you meet a variety of characters who appear to have different attitudes about how to manage the situation and their survival. Initially you come across three passengers occupying the same ship level as Leo and Averie, soon followed by the discovery of a stowaway and a surviving member of the crew, who seems determined to take control of the situation and not have any of the passengers interfere. Each character brings some uncertainty as to their motives; whether due to the choices they make during the search or their attitude towards each other, everyone creates a level of suspicion (even if it's minor) that leaves you wondering if they've played a role in the ship’s current dilemma.

Along the way, you are given a number of carefully placed clues and decisions to make. Your choices will have an impact on the interactions offered and even the type of clues that may become available at different times. This adds a slightly non-linear quality to the adventure, and whilst the overall story doesn't vary significantly, how you proceed and the conclusions you arrive at will subtly change the experience over the entire course of the game. Rather than having just one critical moment that gives you either a good or bad ending, here it’s the sum of your ongoing choices that helps determine the different scenarios you encounter and which of the many potential outcomes you may end up arriving at. There are at least four major plot endings that I've managed to uncover, with multiple variations of those, and there may even be more that I haven’t yet discovered.

The story itself is mostly focused around character conversation, which plays an integral part in the game. It's the interactions between characters, exploring their thoughts, feelings and suspicions, that go a long way to establishing the mood through the many group discussions. The majority of the dialogue is well written and believable, some of it spiced with profanity for a grittier edge than most adventures. Some of the best moments of discourse come on the ship's bridge, where the body of a dead crew member is discovered early on. An evident murder unrelated to the ship’s explosions, this quickly leads to a number of confrontations and tense situations.

The remaining gameplay is quick-paced and logical, guiding you through the story quite easily. The Vacuum's real strength lays in its almost movie-style narrative, with many scripted scenes that draw you deeper into the characters and their various conflicting interests. The game design intentionally focuses more on story and less on puzzle solving, the result being an interactive drama rather than a series of roadblocks to be overcome by applying the right item at the right time, though you’ll occasionally need to do a bit of that as well. The majority of time is spent looking for obscure clues littered around the ship, which in most cases further highlight the motives of those on board. The downside to this type of structure is a lack of challenge, as there just aren’t many obstacles along the way, and the few actual puzzles offered here are easily solved. Whilst it's great that the story flows so smoothly, this kind of gameplay experience may not offer enough substance for experienced players and will be over fairly quickly. Fortunately, there is a fair amount of replayability, allowing you to try out alternative paths and different dialogue choices if you feel so inclined.

In keeping with the gameplay simplicity, the interface consists of just two main interactions: the left mouse button lets you observe, and the right automatically activates the appropriate interact, pick up, and talk options. The inventory is controlled via a drop down menu at the top of the screen and is very easy to use. There are no objects that need to be combined, and the game offers no response to any attempts to do so. Most of the environmental interactions are fairly intuitive, from activating door panels to operating computer equipment, and the interface takes care of the rest.

Graphically, The Vacuum utilises lo-res pixel art that is more clean and functional than attractive. The ship backgrounds have a minimalistic look and use a considerable amount of greys and silver to give a metallic feel. Distinct areas such as the bridge and the recreational area are somewhat sparse looking, using only a few props to fill each scene. Many of the ship’s other rooms and hallways are very generic in design, with less emphasis on detail to provide personality and more geared towards the use of colour and shadows for effect. Sprites are equally low in detail, and this is an area I found particularly disappointing. The game's primary focus is based on the dramatic interactions between characters, and the lack of detail really hinders its impact. More effort could have been put into some facial expressions, or perhaps at least adding close-ups during the many conversations, which would have really helped bring them to life.

The use of sound has been employed in an intelligent way, as the game doesn't rely on a soundtrack per se, but rather uses an undercurrent of background noise to help establish atmosphere. You will immediately notice the sound of the ship humming and air ventilating throughout, which changes at different points, most notably when you don a space suit to explore areas with no oxygen. At this point, the sound of Leo’s breathing becomes quite prominent, adding an uneasy stress to the scene. The Vacuum does utilise some music, but it rarely plays and is mostly reserved for the introduction, critical in-game moments and the finale. Whilst initially this might seem a little limited, there are moments when the tension really begins to rise as crucial information is revealed, and a heart-pounding track kicks in while your nerves slowly begin to fray. Sadly, there is no voice pack included, but whilst it would have been welcome in such a character-driven game, its omission is equally understandable for exactly the same reason. And considering the overall retro feel of the game, its absence doesn't particularly seem out of place.

It may be a little short, a little light on gameplay and doesn't achieve much visually, but The Vacuum succeeds admirably in being an engaging sci-fi title with an interesting narrative and multiple story threads. It also makes good use of sound to enhance the tense and nail-biting mood at critical points. It’s a relatively small download (3.8 MB), so if you’re a fan of story-heavy adventures and are able to look beyond the lo-res graphics, you will find a rather enjoyable freeware mystery adventure. Just remember that in space, no one can hear you scream.

The Vacuum is available at the Adventure Game Studio website.

continue reading below
continue reading below

Adventure Gamers Community

Community reviews for more Adventure Games  (randomly selected)

review
Back to the top