Imagine a ship that was made out to be unsinkable and perfect in every way. But it wasn’t until that evening, on April 14, 1912, that the unthinkable happened, the Titanic sank in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The 1,496 lives would never have the chance to try and get off the ship as it and the souls sunk. And as tragic as it was, what remains is at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean. But if you had the chance to go back, would you go knowing what you know even if there was a chance that your fate could be a repeat of history? It becomes a really interesting topic of discussion when you think about it. But does publisher, BoomBox Games, and developer Globiss Interactive, give us a reality of time of going back? Let’s find out with Titanic: A Space Between for the Quest 3.
Titanic: A Space Between is a time-travel horror adventure where players get sent back to the RMS Titanic. With a focus on realism and immersion, this multi-layered horror experience provides an extensive mix of puzzles and escape mechanics interwoven in a riveting story. So before you get sent back, there are a few things you should know. First, have some space. You will need about arm’s length as you will be opening & climbing things and you want to make sure you are not going to hit anything or anyone. Second, make sure your headset and Touch Plus controllers are fully charged. You don’t want to get stuck in a situation because you forgot to charge, now do you? Third, things may not always be what they seem, so go into this with an open mind. Fourth, I will not spoil anything for anyone. And finally, just have some fun. With that said, let’s continue…
When you first start, you are given the option of what headset to select from. So pick between the Quest 2, 3, or Pro, and then select if you are going to be playing standing or sitting. Before starting, take just a moment to appreciate the music that is playing along with the smoke and light particle effects, and then when you select New Game and start to hear what is being said, it all just helps set the mood. When the game starts, there is a conversation with a doctor from the Cranor Gate Asylum and one Jane Williams who states she was born on June 6, 1842., but the year of this conversation is 2145, November 19, 2145 A.D. Jane states that is the year. Which, by simple math, makes her over 303 years of age. But she is asked, how is that possible and she replies that she was displaced and that God has awoken her in this time. When you think about it, that is kind of eerie. And this, while the conversation is going on, shows up on the E-Deck of the Titanic.
As you hear what Jane is talking about and start making your way, you can see the water inside the ship start to flood within the Titanic as you head down the steps. As you are making your way and hearing the conversation still proceeding, this will serve as your tutorial as you learn to crouch, move, turn, and interact with objects. But as you are moving, be on the lookout for things that cannot be explained as if that doesn’t add to you being on the Titanic while water is coming in. One thing to remember is that you can go into the settings at any time which you may want to do to adjust the turning if you do not like snap turning.
Part of the tutorial has you being one of two characters with the first one being Hendrik Van Eden who starts in the year 2163. While in your cabin on a different ship and close to the Titanic, you find that you have your Comm device, Marvin, that can talk and also will be on your shoulder if not in your hand. At this point, you have no idea what your mission is. As we learn, 20 years ago, time travel was created, however, the return trip home for many was not how they left. With the project being shut down, the one that created time travel left what would be our time and a 17-year-old woman named Jane just appeared and claimed she came from the Titanic. And this is where you get to learn of your mission.
Once you are transported back onto the Titanic, the mission part about time travel becomes a success, because you made it. However, things start to turn as you come back a little closer in time as things start to go bad for the Titanic. Just be thankful that you have Marvin on your side who can do a lot more than simply talk to you such as being a light source for the darker parts of the ship. But it’s not just you playing as Hendrick Van Eden, you will also be playing as Diana Simmons who was sent on the Titanic as well. Like Hendrick’s Comm device, Diana has her AI watch device that can do things such as taking pictures.
Now, of course, your devices are not going to run forever, so be on the lookout for any batteries that you may find to give them some power that they need for functions that you will want to use. Because I will say that things can get scary in the dark and you never know what may be around the corner or behind you. As move around, you do have objectives that your Comm device/watch will tell you, but if you happen to forget due to maybe things that you may see, you can find out your current objective by your Comm device/watch. But even with the objectives, there will be puzzles that you will need to solve, objects that will need to be broken & moved, clues that you need to find, and things to try and avoid to get to that objective. And sometimes things t
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. With the graphics, there are some really good parts such as just the decks of the Titanic to even being on the top deck with the night sky, looking up with fog passing through, and just seeing pieces of icebergs in the ocean becomes this beautiful moment in time if you allow it. I loved what the developer did with the darker side of things. Comin across some of the stranger creatures things and the expressions on the faces that come out of nowhere to provide the jump scares that you may have been missing in your life as you are trying to concentrate on what else is going on. And with how dark things can become when you do have a certain amount of light that gives you the feeling that you may never be alone. Even just the smaller details such as the pictures on the walls to even the lights on the ceiling hitting the wooden floors and showing this shiny side of things to even having lights on the wall have sparks and some that would flicker, were all done very well.
With the sound, you get to hear the different parts of the Titanic working in conjunction with other subtle sounds such as trying to open up different doors. Being on the top deck I took the time to close my eyes just to hear the Titanic talk during the night with the mist of the ocean dancing in the wind. There was just something innocent about it all. As you start to get really into the game, I like how at some parts, there would be sounds almost like a heartbeat to help change things of how serious the situation can be and then have this calming sound to this Sci-fi music playing. It’s interesting how the flow of sounds and music plays out here. Then when you add the narration between the characters and the communication trying to keep you engaged with the story that is being told becomes an interesting tale that I just wanted to know more about.
There are some things that I would love to see. First, more pushing of the graphics. As I mentioned, the graphics do have some detail, but it would be nice to see the stars twinkle in the night sky and see some waves in the oceans as the Titanic is moving. Even though the top speed of the Titanic is little more than 26 mph, that is still movement and would just add to the experience. It would also be nice to have objects move based on what is going on. For example, if water is coming onto the decks, seeing pictures on the wall start to move or fall off, or even having the lights start flickering even more due to what’s happening with and where you are on the Titanic, would give more immersive to the desperate moments of the atmosphere. Second, glitches. I did run into some glitches such as not being able to properly open doors, dropping items and not being able to pick them back up without really trying to, climbing, or even having things come through doors and walls. Sometimes when I would climb, I would fall without doing anything. I am sure things can be fixed to have the game updated, and the game even states that this is a work in progress build and not all features and levels are included, but I did not run into game-stopping glitches which is always a good thing. Third, exploration. This is the Titanic and it would be amazing to visit everywhere on the ship. The good thing is that an Explore Mode is coming where you can learn about the historical facts as you roam around the ship. And finally, more time travel instances. I am not going to give anything away, but it will be interesting to see what the developer, a team of two, can do with time travel, horror, and multi-layered narration in the future.
Titanic: A Space Between provides an ability to travel back in time to an important part of history while adding to the subject of time travel and what could be the dangers from it in an interesting, but engaging way. It sets out to tell a story from different perspectives. Sometimes in life, we may encounter a situation that we may not be truly prepared for. Sometimes, no matter how hard we may try, the situations are already set up to sink. Sometimes, others may not have faith in you and what you can bring, but it’s when we can strive in those situations, rise to the top, and believe in ourselves to have the faith that is needed that others will start to believe.
Titanic: A Space Between is out now for Quest 2,3, & Pro via App Lab on the Meta Store and will be coming to PlayStation VR2 and Steam VR later this year. A review code was provided.
To learn more about BoomBox Games, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
To learn more about Globiss Interactive, please visit their site, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I am going to go back and enjoy my view from the Titanic.
