Peter Vogel – Google

As a lifelong fan of Lovecraftian horror, I'm very torn on this game. In terms of atmosphere, character, and themes, it nails the vibe very well. It was clearly made in close cooperation with Chaosium, by people who knew the beats that you have to hit to make it feel like something out of the Mythos. However, a lot of that potential is very much undone by what seem, to me at least, to be some very inconsistent and poorly implemented mechanics. Again, I'm torn here. I don't expect a horror game to hold your hand, and I can understand how one might arrive at certain design choices (not telling the player how many bullets they have left, for instances) as a way to reinforce the danger and tension. Where it fails is in the implementation. There are multiple puzzles and "tense" sequences in the game that cannot be resolved unless one dies and reloads repeatedly, finding the "true path" by process of trial and error. "Die and Reload" kills tension faster than any eldritch horror, and what was meant to be a creepy, sanity-bending experience quickly morphed into annoying tedium, i.e., "Okay, let's try Door Number Five this time." There are also a number of important, destiny-altering choices at various points in the game, which will be familiar to anyone who has played the PnP game or enjoyed the mythos in other media. The problem is, some of the most important ones are hidden behind split second reactions in particular sequences, that a) are difficult to discern from a scripted cutscene, and b) have solutions that are not consistent with previously established gameplay. This is possibly meant to encourage replay, but alone they don't offer enough variety in story (they only affect the very end options) to be worthy of it. I do see potential in what Cyanide tried to do here, and I hope they get another crack at the apple - if they take notes and make the necessary improvements the next time around.

I’m substantially older than the target audience for this show, but I’m happy to say that this is truly some thing that parents can enjoy just as much as their children. The animation is gorgeous, the characters are well acted and written, and the stories have a balance of action, emotion and creative problem-solving that represents Star Trek at its best. Something that really stood out to me is that, while the main protagonists are children, the universe around them is not “dumbed down” in any way. The supporting characters, including the villains and various aliens encountered by the crew, would fit right in as part of any other Trek series. The same can be said for the mysteries and ethical choices the kids must face. The score, including the main theme, is inspiring and top-notch, as good as anything we’ve heard in the movies. Also, the Protostar itself is simply a gorgeous ship inside and out. Finally, there’s something in the show that we haven’t really seen in a long time: to these characters, the Federation is a dream, a hopeful legend that at first seems unrealistic and unfathomable, but one the characters gradually come to believe in, under Holo-Janeway’s guidance. There’s something truly wonderful about that, and I hope we see more of their adventures in the years to come.