Between Horizons is my type of game: a narrative-driven adventure with consequences for your actions. Unfortunately, I could not cover this on PC when it launched, but now that it's heading to the PS5 this week, I graciously accepted the review code.
Announced in 2022, this is the follow-up to DigiTales Interactive's excellent Lacuna. Bear in mind that this isn't a sequel but further explores ways to break genre tradition with player choices that feel far more immersive than most. Though you won't be wearing a deerstalker, the detective elements are thought-provoking and require a train of thought.
You play as security officer Stella, who works alongside her father, the Chief of Security, on board the space station Zephyr. For the sake of humanity, the 1300 passengers aboard have volunteered for a 100-year trip to colonise a potential new home. The population is managed through an on-board reproduction unit where everyone is assigned a role from birth until their destination. Stella's destiny is to follow in her father's footsteps.
Between Horizons PS5 Review
The journey is going as planned until one day, Stella must check on a disturbance in her father's absence. What follows is an apparent plot to sabotage the Zephyr's mission, and now Stella must uncover the clues in a race against time to stay on course.
It's hard to pinpoint Between Horizons in terms of a genre, as the initial gut feeling is a point and click, but that's not how it plays out. It's more a side-scroller and object-orientated, where you literally run around in circles on the ring-like vessel, interrogating subjects, gathering evidence, and using your intuition to make conclusions to propel the story forward.
There will be a couple of objectives, such as identifying a culprit or discovering locations to investigate unknown servers. The ship's captain will often set these tasks, and as you gather evidence, you can choose from the available clues. Said clues appear as legends within the menu system of cases, evidence, and past conversations - which can be recalled at any point and are a real bonus if you experience interruptions while playing.
Go With Your Gut (After Thinking For Some Time)
Fellow over-thinkers might come unstuck early on when interpreting both the objectives and clues provided. For the first, I'd spent a good deal looking at images and making comparisons until my brain turned to porridge. Leaving the room (in-game) and speaking with an NPC gave further clarification that injected a bit of Columbo confidence in my assessment. Submit... ok, Captain says I was right. Phew!
Later in Between Horizons, there are a couple of cases on the go simultaneously, and unless you focus on one at a time, it's easy to get bogged down. In my first playthrough, I ended up guessing on two. One was right, though there was still outstanding evidence; the other, well, that's for another playthrough. That's on me. No, Stella.
Unlike that point and click comparison, the game has no pixel hunting. Pressing the square button emits a scanner highlighting all points of interest with a blue outline so nothing is missed. However, it's surprisingly easy to misinterpret the evidence, let alone make the 'right' decision for a satisfactory conclusion.
The End...?
Thinking Between Horizons would take some time to finish, it was unexpected to see a dialog box after a few hours saying, 'This is your final case; finish up any outstanding arcs'. This was disappointing that the end was near as I was enjoying myself. To top that, the game crashed a second time and resumed after a pivotal scene. Undeterred (almost), I stuck with it but was satisfied with how it concluded.
Now, here's the flipside: there's a summary of your playthrough. Oh, I'm a pretty shitty detective and failed some tasks. Wait - there are more endings? In hindsight, the game duration is spot-on, as repeat playthroughs are neither too long and monotonous nor too brief to be a chore. That said, manual saves would be an absolute godsend. Going back to the beginning and looking at things in a new light was refreshing, as were the subsequent endings.
Between Horizons Review Summary
Yet again, the developers have created a believable sci-fi world, fusing 2D pixel art with 3D modelling, and overall, Between Horizons is a pretty experience. However, the sleuth-like elements stand out most with their branching paths. At the time of writing, I am unsure how many endings there are, and that warrants further playthroughs and not put off about starting again from scratch. Do we have control over fate? It's time to find out.
Between Horizons is out on the PS5 from the 19th of September, 2024, as well as the Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.
