The Operatoris the first release from French studio Bureau 81. Bureau 81 acted as both developer and publisher for the game, which is available on PC beginning July 22. The studio has confirmed that the game will be released for Steam and GOG soon, although no specific date has been provided. The game is an amalgamation of multiple genres, including mystery, detective, investigation and simulation. Bureau 81 is currently offering a 10% launch discount, so it’s the perfect time to be one of the first to nab the game.
Review: Anger Foot
It’s just you, a city full of cartoonishly-vile scum, a ton of guns and legs that won’t quit in this terrific FPS.
Working Behind the Scenes of the FDI
The story inThe Operatoris the meat and potatoes of the entire game. The premise is simple: your name is Evan Tanner and it’s your first day at the Federal Department of Intelligence (FDI). As an Operator, you have to work with field agents to assist in solving crimes; this typically looks like using proprietary FDI software, including stuff such as facial recognition, voice matching and a searchable citizen database. Now, this seemingly basic concept isn’t so one-note once you start getting into the thick of the game; you’re thrown into some big cases on day one.
Stuff starts going down quickly – as soon as that first call comes in, you’re on the ropes. It all stems from your classic cold case and true crime elements: unearthed corpses, strange occurrences, missing evidence, etc. Once you get settled into the pace and routine, it all gets ruined when your machine is shut down by a rogue hacker named Hal. Hal somehow knows more about you than should be possible, yet they try to work with you to compromise in order to reach their goal. If the hacking on top of your previous duties isn’t enough to stress you out, there have been some UFO sightings in a missing persons case. I won’t spoil anything else for you, but it’s a short and sweet ride that you don’t want to miss.
Repetition Somehow Doesn’t Feel Repetitive
The gameplay inThe Operatorcan appear to be monotonous, but don’t let that turn you off of it. At first, it seems like all you do is click around on a computer terminal and answer calls from supervisors, agents and (sometimes) friends. There’s a bit of choice in how you answer the phone, as there are typically two-to-three options to pick from in each conversation. Since I only did one playthrough, I’m not entirely sure whether your experience noticeably changes based on what you pick. The latter half of the game picks up and allows you to have more variety in what you do, gameplay-wise. There are some events that you’re able to fail, which raises the stakes and spices things up.
Office Sounds, Eerie Vibes and Interesting Characters
The Operatordoesn’t have much in the way of sound design. Since the game takes place on a desktop screen, it’s hard to add in much ambiance. The sounds we do hear, however, are realistic and effective: phones ringing, cursors clicking, digital scanning beeps, etc. The only unusual sound appears in blurry cutscenes breaking up gameplay. The sound is difficult to describe sonically, but the haunting, suspicious and mysterious vibes come through.
The voice acting is great inThe Operator.Sure, a few enunciations sound a little over the top (I’m looking at you, Agent Walker), but overall it’s realistic. A few of the voice actors voice multiple characters, making the individuality and characterization even more impressive. The characters all have specific intonations and lifelike reactions to events in the game. Overall, this was one of the standout elements in my playthrough.
Intertwining Community and Art
Just like with the sound design, there isn’t much to say about the art direction. It looks just like a desktop, complete with applications, folders and a terminal. The character portraits look fine, although Bureau 81 has confirmed that they were crafted using artificial intelligence. If you’re not a fan of artificial intelligence, don’t worry! The studio will be replacing all portraits with community submitted photos, but there’s one caveat: any characters with ages below eighteen will continue to display the generated images on their portraits. Community involvement plus more detailed gameplay? Sounds like a win-win!
Closing Comments:
The Operatoris a thrilling and fast-paced debut into the indie simulation scene. While the game may initially appear to be a simple investigation simulator, its snappy pace and intriguing narrative quickly draws players in within the first thirty minutes. While the alien parts of the game feel disconnected from the rest of it, it’s not enough to draw away from its better elements.
The Operator
Version Reviewed: PC
The Operatoris an investigation game where you, Evan Tanner, slowly unravel conspiracies at the Federal Department of Intelligence. Use the FDI’s cutting edge software to solve cases, investigate hackers, and uncover hidden secrets.
