Adventure Corner ~ Times & Galaxy

Welcome to Adventure Corner, a column where members of the RPGamer staff can give their thoughts, impressions, and pseudo-reviews for various adventure titles that don’t come under our usual coverage. Adventure Corner is aimed at delivering opinions on a wide range of titles including visual novels, point-and-click adventures, investigative mysteries, and so forth.

In this edition of the column we take a look at Times & Galaxy on Steam.


Times & Galaxy

Platform: Steam
Release Date: 06.21.2024
Publisher: Fellow Traveller
Developer: Copychaser Games

 

Writing isn’t easy.  Whether it’s crafting a story that engages readers, making sure an article fits within the guidelines, or making sure multitudes of grammar lessons sink home.  There’s a lot that goes into crafting any work with words.  Times & Galaxy by Copychaser Games captures the feel of being a journalist without any of the stress that goes into actual writing.  It focuses instead on the joy of crafting a story and the camaraderie between the staff.  This cast of characters could feel at home in any office space.  It’s a lovely sci-fi romp that serves as a time capsule for how a writing staff full of friendly rivalries and helping one another, which is ideal at anyone’s workplace.

Times & Galaxy is an intergalactic newspaper that reports on all things happening in the known universe.  There’s the typical arts, sports, politics, law, crime, business, and special interest columns already established and being printed.  That makes things difficult for the new re-nameable intern Reporterbot, to find a niche that fits at the most trusted news source in the galaxy.  Reporterbot has seventeen cycles to prove they belong as a member of the writing staff.  Cycles are vague measurements of time that equate to one news story.  Each cycle begins aboard the spaceship Scanner that takes the journalists to their assignments.  This transit time means Reporterbot can bond with the other staff and crew aboard before getting the new assignment from the editor and heading out.  The job is rather routine but the heart put into the comedy, camaraderie, character designs, and the joy of journalism, makes it feel like something special.

Flying the galaxy by VCR navigation is a novel concept.

The characters and races steal the spotlight easily in Times & Galaxy.  Humans, originating from Atrebla, or Humania as the aliens call it, have already passed first contact with the alien races of this universe and everything is peaceful.  The most shocking thing happening in court is a case of using telepathy to push their political agenda too hard, causing innocent bystanders to drop their lunches in shock.  It is possible that Reporterbot is just sheltered from the worst of it, but it is at the very least an all ages newspaper that has minimal violent conflict.  There are still differences of opinion and some assignments get into politics and school curriculums, however, things are kept relatively tame.

Alien races have fascinating designs and backstories.  The Xeel are basically sentient lava lamps that run on electricity and inhabit mechanical bodies to move around.  The Verge are if lizards grew horns and name themselves based off of a ceremony in which titles are added to their birth names that dictate their future such as a lawyer with the title “The Cross-Examining One”.  The auger look-like four-armed bipedal buff rhinos with hard exteriors and soft interiors.  Grounding these alien races are humourous sentient robots and humans with a whole host of foibles that are easy to relate to and laugh with.

Reporterbot is given ample time to connect with and learn from the other members on the Scanner.  There’s new dialogue with bits of backstory or threads that weave together members of the staff with one another.  These personalities shine through how they all have a passionate connection with one form of storytelling, whether it is subject, style, or presentation this is a cast that enjoys what it does.  There’s a heartwarming story or smile behind every relationship that Reporterbot builds, which indeed, can lead to romancing practically anyone on board should they so choose.  With only a few dialogue pieces these romances can feel tacked on at time.  However, it is easy to get lost in the ever evolving cast as more characters are introduced and their stories are told.  Each character feels integral though and while only some interact with one another they do still all feel like part of a fun work environment.

Puff Piece really is the best goo dog.

There’s a joy in the little details from each assignment and cycle spent on the Scanner.  There’s ways to only focus on what the player finds important, or just clocking in to report on the news.  But, that’s selling these characters and the camaraderie that can be brought short.  As an allegory to a real workplace, there’s something that can get in the way, envy, anger, resentment, too little time, or just not having their coffee yet, but putting in the effort, at least in this fictional sense, can lead to a lot of fun moments.  Those that do the bare minimum will still find an amusing look at how journalism is made, but the real beating heart of the game is in the interpersonal connections.

Intern life isn’t just spent aboard the Scanner though.  Reporterbot is sent out to cover the news on almost every cycle.  Reporting is a series of multiple choice questions that Reporterbot asks of those at the scene of the story that provide key information to build that story.  Some witnesses are harder to get to open up then others, and there’s no repeating.  Reporterbot has one chance to gather as much information from statements, viewing the surroundings, and a recap of the events.  It is impossible to get every option, but by searching the surroundings and talking enough information can be gathered for more than one way to report the story.  A story will always have five components to it: a headline, lede (opening summary), nut graf (the crux of the story), key quote, and colour (fleshing out the story) will be chosen from what’s been obtained.  The story presented doesn’t always have to make sense to be completed.

Everything is left to player choice while on assignment.  Every unlocked component will have two scores and one reporting type assigned to it.  The scores affect reputation and readership, while the reporting type boils down to informational, alien interest, or sensational.  The editorial staff of the Times & Galaxy would prefer things to be informational, but that doesn’t always get readership, so it becomes a balance game to gain as much reputation and readership for the paper.  Deciding what aspects of the paper to promote in attempts to be the best reporter around can be fun.  But, honestly, following the scoops is simple, there’s nothing holding players back from reporting poorly, it won’t be because of being locked out of answers though.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it does plant Times & Galaxy firmly in a getting lost in the journey form of storytelling.

Humania’s contribution to the intergalactic sex-ed curriculum being unveiled.

With a lack of difficulty or stakes, the enjoyment of Times & Galaxy comes from connecting with the crew and stories of this oddball sci-fi universe.  There are a few different ways to bond with each crew member, as well as various stories to be shipped out to.  It is impossible to cover everything in a single playthrough, making the game replayable just to see the different stories or how the characters progress under a different set of choices.

There’s some aspects of Times & Galaxy that resonated specifically with those that write in a team.  RPGamer can feel, at times, like a newspaper office in the best of ways.  Like the cast and crew of the Scanner, there’s a lot of colourful characters in front of the camera and behind the scenes at this beloved website.  That’s an aspect that the game hits perfectly.  How easy it is for everyone to get lost in their own little worlds, but have one thing that connects everyone: passion over a shared interest.  Passion that is seen everyday and comes out in bursts of creativity and in a variety of opinions.  Passion that hopefully never dies, and like the cast of Times & Galaxy, can find friendly rivalries, great friendships, and an open forum, as talks about entertainment can be introduced with heart and soul, not with anger and fear.  With questionable media presentation these days it can be hard to remember the integrity and passion that writers, journalists, editors, photographers, and everyone working in the profession all can have for their business of sharing stories.

Some parts just had to be too crazy to be believed. No writer has ever gotten notes from an editor…

Times & Galaxy has a very striking visual style.  Every character stands out in their own way against the colourful backgrounds of spaceships, press conferences, or on planetoids.  This makes figuring out who remains to be interviewed very easy, since everything is so striking.  Musically things fall flat, almost like the newspapers that the game harkens to, there’s no real sound to make things feel connected.  The importance is on what can be shown and experienced through the written word.  Except for the intro theme song, that’s one catchy tune that captures the essence of things perfectly, whimsy with a side of camaraderie.

Times & Galaxy is a delightful time for a specific audience.  It is an ode to the newspaper, telling a story through a specific word count to meet a deadline.   Beyond that there’s only heartwarming moments with adorably entertaining aliens and amusing fluff pieces, but no real stakes.  It takes a specific mindset to enjoy and perhaps recognize that banding together and talking about news, big or small, has passion to it.  There’s enough comedy and fun characters to pull the story along, but getting lost with the characters is the true gem here.

 

Disclosure: This article is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.

Dalandar

Ryan Costa

Friendly neighbourhood reviewer that thinks every RPG should be discussed, because one never knows where a hidden gem can appear.

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