Review for Between Horizons
Science fiction mystery games are a unique genre that can be hard to pull off. When someone hears the word “detective,” they think of Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, or a contemporary cop show. With sci-fi, there are considerations such as “How do we create a compelling whodunnit where advanced technology could solve the simplest of conundrums,” or “How can we hook players in without confounding them with futuristic jargon?” Between Horizons manages these hurdles well, creating a compelling narrative that tests your brain not with puzzles but the ability to piece together the solution and make quick decisions that players cannot undo.
Developed by DigiTales Interactive and published by Assemble Entertainment, Between Horizons takes place in the far future on a ship called the Zephyr, which is bound for a far-off planet in the hopes of expanding humanity beyond the Milky Way Galaxy. Players take control of Stella, the new Chief of Security after her father, William, is murdered attempting to stop a saboteur. What starts as a hunt for the killer soon turns into an attempt to prevent a possible sabotage of the Zephyr’s mission.
However, this is just one of a few mysteries. Optional investigations help bring greater context to the setting, getting glimpses behind the scenes and discovering why these people would commit even the most minor crimes. It’s a game that profoundly integrates players into the ship’s matters and the people’s lives, both by the investigations and the choices made along the way. The brilliantly written dialogue fleshes out the characters despite not being voiced. Only one actress in the game narrates Stella’s monologues throughout. Still, players will come to sympathize with many of the characters Stella encounters.
As for the presentation, the art direction is an excellent example of environmental storytelling. The whole ship is in a 2D format, though it is a large ring, which means the various areas are connected. The interiors are well-crafted and have different atmospheres—the dirty inner hull houses the ship’s power, digital networking systems, and recycling center; the cleaner, more crowded residential and public areas also house a museum of Earth’s history, an activities center, and even a school plus arts and crafts; then there’s the bio area with not only a hospital and a sort of nursery but also an indoor garden for growing food and fauna. Players quickly discover that the ship has a hierarchy and a system that keeps everything running smoothly. All the areas detail this hierarchy well through the purposes of each room. It makes the cruiser more alive, like a well-oiled machine.
However, the graphics and character sprites have a couple of drawbacks. Both are pixelated, but the environments are more of a 2.5 Dish plane, which isn’t noticeable except when the 2D sprites sometimes clash with said plane. What also brings the character sprites down a peg is that, besides the core cast, NPCs have reused designs. You may see the same non-essential NPCs in crowds quite a few times.
The soundtrack is about what sci-fi fans would expect, but it is skillfully composed. The prominence of electronic instruments mixed with piano, strings, and an occasional chorus and percussion fits well with the environment players will be running through. However, a few themes are the most common and sound similar. It can be hard to tell whether the music transitioned or not at times. The most variation players will hear is during cutscenes. While they are good music tracks, most are not very noteworthy, especially when listened to repeatedly.
The gameplay is the highlight since it is engaging and unusual for a mystery title. Players traverse the world with the A and D keys, interact with the E key, and can scan for essential objects with the spacebar. There is a menu containing tabs for the current cases with relevant information; evidence that occasionally updates as investigations go on; a log with all of the conversations with relevant characters; and a map that allows for fast travel, but only to specific train terminals. When players are confident in their conclusion, they must answer the question presented in the case.
The real challenge lies within the player’s capacity to solve conundrums rationally. A few puzzle sections aid the investigations, and most are relatively straightforward. However, players must think carefully about their choices using their intuition. There is no mind map or method to connect evidence manually. There is also precious little direct information you are given for each case. It is not just testimonies and evidence collected, but also finding patterns in the Zephyr’s procedures and protocols and the discrepancies that pass people by; it is looking past the sabotage done to the ship that even advanced technology could not account for, that only the human eye and ingenuity can discern. The game promotes careful decision-making because there is a chance of getting it wrong and affecting a playthrough for the worse. Optional side investigations can help narrow down suspects in the primary investigation. Most are discovered quickly and tracked, but players must seek out and remember a couple of others.
Dialogue also reflects the pressure of careful decision-making. Players must make split-second determinations throughout the game that will affect their playthroughs, similar to those in a Telltale game. However, there is no trick to undo the choice. The game runs on autosaves, so the only two options are to continue on or restart the game. Not even the likes of Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments dared to try this. However, the game allows you to tweak aspects like turning off timers for decisions. The game logs all the players have done via an assessment at the end, telling players which ending they’ve triggered, the individual choices made, and what has been completed or missed.
That being said, not all of the choices are easy to make. Nothing is truly black and white. Players must choose what is best for the ship and its crew. They will also have to define Stella as the kind of security chief and person she turns out to be.
Between Horizons is not just a mystery to solve. It is a tale of a people and their complex reactions to the mission they signed on for. The game presents a complicated dilemma that requires hard choices as it unfolds. With most of the mysteries solved, both primary and secondary, this can take about nine hours to complete, and it is an engaging nine hours from beginning to end.
