The Message from Deep Space

Did you watch the scene from Project Hail Mary where Grace and Rocky first begin to establish translations for each other and think "Wow, that was so cool"? This game is basically that. Its a puzzle about establishing basic shared concepts between you and an alien species using STEM subjects. Currently I am still on sections only involving math, but I know that as the game goes on, the questions begin to reference other fields. If you are a bit of a nerd and like puzzles, problem-solving, and sci-fi then I would definitely recommend this game. I mean I would recommend it to anyone, but you especially.

Making friends with a meteor can be surprisingly hard work, but I know that it believes in me! Building on speculative real world theory crafting and mirroring some of the ideas explored in Sci Fi over the years, this game puts you in a believable first contact scenario with an alien race. Not frantically shooting down waves of ships from behind three crumbling shields, or hooking up with some blue skinned beauty... But staring at a radio signal broadcast from a meteor for hours at a time, trying to build some meaning out of a series of fluctuating frequencies. Using a really well balanced learning curve, (and the support of a small team of NPC characters), you start to follow the path that this meteor has laid out for you. It's obvious that this learning curve has been set out by an intelligent being who wants you to succeed. But you are also expected to prove your understanding of the concepts it is trying to communicate before it will move on to more advanced topics. Of course this describes both a believable alien contact situation, and a great premise for a puzzle game.. so here we are! Hundreds of individual steps split up into multiple larger groups, covering several different fields. All building up from a foundation of basic Mathematics and Universal Constants, with the promise of a fully translated alien message being our ultimate goal. At this point I am still working through the relatively early game, so I have barely learned how to describe a triangle.. but those flying cars and teleporters are just around the corner, I can feel it! Or maybe we'll be told the planet is being demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass. I'm a long way from finding out, but I have to believe that my meteor friend has our best interests at heart. As mentioned, we are provided with a small team of NPC characters who provide commentary on the situation -and can function as a gentle hint system. They are characterised quickly, and written well enough that you can appreciate their personalities and input. One of them provides updates to your system, based on your progress. This adds tools which allow you to assign specific translations and formatting rules to certain signals, and an in game calculator among other things. These upgrades are handed out in a predefined order, and are believably tied to the progress you are making with the signals in a way that doesn't break immersion. Using these expanding toolsets, and tackling the increasing complexity of the puzzles has been a real treat so far. It feels like I have taken my brain down from the shelf, and given it some real exercise. Other puzzle games out there have provided really satisfying worlds to explore, with incredible mechanics and narratives, or imaginative scenarios based on otherworldly technology, or increasingly complicated ways to move around the environment. I've enjoyed and recommended lots of them over the years, and I wouldn't have it any other way. In this case though, it's taken back to the basics. Just you and your brain versus a daunting procession of satisfying puzzles. You are given the tools and the context you need, and if you are the kind of person who is motivated by a mental challenge, this might be just the thing for you. Now if you'll forgive me, my meteor is getting impatient.