Times & Galaxy Lets Players Travel The Galaxy As A Plucky Robo Reporter
Times & Galaxy is a visual novel that allows players to report on mysteries while shaping public perception. It’s a balancing act since being antagonistic will have NPCs walking away. This limits your options for the final article. In some cases, putting together a story that’s filled with exciting details but is vague may garner a more positive reaction. However, being too sensationalist can harm your reputation (and the papers) in the long run. The cutesy art style keeps the mood light-hearted rather than a gritty critique.
Gameplay is tied together through assignments. Some are exciting enough without any embellishments (like potential cover-ups), but some are mundane (like reporting on a cat show). This adds a level of realism to a game with aliens and humans alike. There are also enough interesting characters that the more boring stories aren’t too painful to sit through. Times & Galaxy has a feature that takes what NPCs have said & tells players how each choice will raise or lower their rating. As long as enough information has been gathered, readership will go up.
Players can also walk around their ship, so that does add a level of immersion not typically expected from a visual novel. This can be broken by frustrating bugs. From replaying conversations, missing items, game freezes, etc. The game also doesn’t appear to punish players if the article is randomized for the best results. It starts to seem as though paying attention isn’t necessary to doing well.
Despite technical issues Times & Galaxy is fun while shining a light on how media can be used to inform or be abused. Players can also romance NPCs on the ship, which introduces an office politics angle into the balancing act. So the moments between assignments are still interesting filler. “Journalism simulator” may not give the impression that there’s much beneath the surface. This is a gem that could go even further with some polish.
