Part one of this series.

When I began writing this in-depth analysis, it was sort-of-kind-of-fresh-but-not-really off of my initial playthrough of the game. One of the reasons it’s taken me so long to get this second part out is because my memory was not as fresh as I had thought it was, and therefore I decided to begin replaying it. Looking up YouTube videos wasn’t good enough for me.

However, I realized I should have begun doing this from the beginning, as I’ve caught a couple of items that I missed the first time around. As such, I’ll have to backtrack a bit.

As usual, if you haven’t played The Starship Damrey, I highly advise doing so before reading this series.

It turns out it is quite easy to forget little moments and details from the very start of the game, as it is not only so brief and condensed, but so different from the rest of the game. The player’s mind is also busy trying to figure out what is going on that many assumptions are made about what is happening.

Once the player gets the OS up and running, they are asked to input voice verification. I simply recalled that this didn’t work, and upon replaying the game the answer is obvious. It’s because you’re not a human. When first playing the game, however, it seems more likely that there’s some other error. After all, you awoke with amnesia in a stasis pod and there’s a photo of a woman at the foot of it. The assumption is that you have amnesia and are most definitely human. That your body is covered with a blanket seems like an insignificant detail rather than hiding your true identity.

The first hint occurs just after failing the voice identification twice. A chattering sound, insectoid, almost like the clicking noise made by the Predator in the films, echoes suddenly from the speakers. The first time playing the game my natural assumption was that there was an alien stalking outside of the cryo chamber. In actuality, this was the player character, the trapped alien, expressing frustration.

The following test, the one that grants the player access to the computer system as a guest, is designed not to see if the player is human, but if they are an intelligent life form. This is the next clue hinting that all may not be as it seems. Each question is based upon pattern recognition rather than language, knowledge, or any other sort of verification. As such, the alien is capable of gaining access easily. They are, after all, an intelligent species.

Within the first minutes of the game there is groundwork laid that reveals the ending twist.

Now then, as to where we left off, with the player now controlling a robot after having obtained a key card from a dead body. At this point all the player knows is that they are trapped in a cryo-chamber, most of the other maintenance robots seem to be down or inaccessible, and there is a dead body on the ship. Wonderful!

Upon leaving the room the player is first greeted with a white and purple door, signifying that it is important. It looks different from any other door in the game, after all, and uniquely designed items usually hint to some form of significance. In this case, it is to the elevator. A quick examination reveals that it is currently down, and that the player will need to use the switch board in order to reactivate it. This is the beginning to how most puzzles are presented in The Starship Damrey.

Following this, the game “opens up”. It’s still linear and claustrophobic, filled with narrow and dark hallways, but there is now greater access to the ship. The player went from being trapped in a stasis pod, to being trapped in a room, to now exploring the hallways of the starship. It’s a great way to get the player used to the environment without feeling too restricted. Each step provided new controls and challenges, and so the game is still feeling fresh and new. In addition, while the method of interaction has changed, the player is now mentally prepared for how to play the game. Progress carefully, observe all your surroundings, and examine everything thoroughly.

One of the first optional paths leads the player into a hallway containing two separate doors. One leads to the airlock, which the player is told can only be accessed by the captain. This begins to introduce a Metroid style exploration element. The player learns that they’ll need to seek out and discover more ID cards and passes, remembering these locations to gain further access.

The other door is accompanied by a window, peering into cold sleep chamber where the player is occupied. According to the Damrey’s computer, oxygen levels within the chamber are low and thus the door is kept locked and the cryo pods sealed shut. This is important for the player, because now they have a greater concept of how to achieve their goal. They know why the pod is shut, and that they need to get oxygen levels stable in order to unseal the pod. The player is able to piece together the mission without some disembodied voice informing them of their objective and marking a waypoint for them to follow.

Yet something else important happens here, too. Once again, as the player is informed of the oxygen levels, that chattering sound of alien frustrating occurs. I found it frightening the first time I played, checking my surroundings. I was left with the impression something was stalking me, or perhaps in the cold sleep chamber with me. There were already plenty of clanging noises that occasionally echoed through the ship, so it seemed completely plausible.

I had no idea that it was more likely to be the player character, exasperated at the situation, being so close and yet so far from their destination.

The next destination the player stumbles upon is the generator room. This room is important for two separate puzzles, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the game’s design. After examining the cryo chamber and airlock, the player may already have forgotten about the switch board requirement for activating the elevator. Well, that’s no problem, as it is one of many objects that stands out clearly within this room. A player could have been given no objective at all and the first assumption would be to switch the red button to green, matching the other two. Upon completing this objective, the player is then given access to the elevator.

This is the general pattern of The Starship Damrey. Introduce something important through dialogue or the environment, and shortly after the player will encounter the solution or the situation requiring that object.

Yet there is another important object in this room. There is an oil tank in the back of the room, but due to the poor lighting the player may never even see if after activating the switch board. In addition, you have to interact with it from one single spot. It seems like an insignificant piece of environment compared to the rest of the room, where a player is free to imagine self-destruction scenarios leading to the end game. Indeed, that is what filled my mind as I examined the various stations and displays controlling the ship’s power.

None of these stations are important, however, despite standing out more than the oil tank. The player’s mind must organize and prioritize this information, filing it away for later, and due to the presentation that oil tank could easily be forgotten.

Upon leaving this room the hallway continues down to a dead end. One door is locked and cannot be opened, and a fellow robot obstructs the way, unable to be moved. This leaves the player to turn back towards the elevator, going up to the second floor.

It is on the second floor that we discover we are not alone, and the Starship Damrey may, in fact, be haunted.

To be continued in part three.