No Code is the Scottish video game developer responsible for innovative indie hits Stories Untold and Observation. Released in 2017 and 2019 respectively, the two titles are renowned for their intriguing and disturbing storylines, as well as their creative game mechanics that pay homage to classic text adventures, or that cast the player as a computer onboard a stricken space station.
Fans of Observation will be delighted to learn that the studio is hard at work on its next title, which is being developed in partnership with Annapurna Interactive. Although No Code claims the game is its “most ambitious title yet," the studio remains tight-lipped about the specifics, leaving fans plenty of room to ponder what could be in the pipeline.
Stories Untold and Observation Cemented No Code’s Reputation
Stories Untold started life as a free-to-play game entitled The House Abandon, released for PC in August 2016. Written and directed by Jon McKellan, the game was an old-fashioned text adventure, utilizing a clever graphical interface to break the fourth wall and provide a chilling ending to its relatively brief story.
After the success of this release, it was adopted as the first episode of a quadrilogy entitled Stories Untold, whose four narratives at first seem unrelated. The anthology encompasses a variety of genres, featuring puzzle-solving and first-person exploration alongside the text adventure format of the first installment.
The final part of Stories Untold reveals that the previous stories were all cleverly interconnected and that the player has been controlling the same character throughout, a man named James who is recovering from a coma after a car crash. The game’s compelling story, as well as its clever and original gameplay, helped it to earn positive reviews, as well as being nominated in Eurogamer’s top fifty games of 2017.
Like Stories Untold, No Code’s next game, Observation, was also published by Devolver Digital. It was based around a clever twist on the puzzle mechanics of the developer’s previous game, where the player had to follow complex instructions in order to operate machinery and computer programs. This time, the protagonist was not a human character but was instead the integrated AI of a multi-national space station named the Observation.
After an unknown and destructive occurrence that significantly damages the station’s systems and structural integrity, the adventure-puzzle game requires the player to assist the surviving astronauts on board the Observation. This includes unlocking doors, extinguishing fires, and unraveling the mysterious events that have placed the station and its crew in grave peril.
Observation received more mixed reviews than Stories Untold but still received high praise from some critics. Not only did it appear in The Guardian’s list of top 20 games in 2019, but it was also nominated by Zero Punctuation as his third best game of the year.
How No Code’s Next Game Could Build on its Predecessors
A new release from No Code is likely to feature more of the adventure-puzzle gameplay that has been the foundation of the developer’s games to date. This could mean players are once again cast in the role of a protagonist that must operate or repair complex systems, allowing them to progress only when challenging but rewarding puzzles are solved.
However, the studio has stated that it has doubled the size of its development team since Observation, which means its next game could be more complex both in terms of structure and visuals. While the additional resources and bigger budget could enable the developer to experiment with its established formula and attempt things previously impossible, No Code will be keen to ensure it does not lose the focus and simple, ingenious premises that its games are renowned for.
The new game is also likely to feature elements of a detective story, offering an original and unsettling plot that players will slowly piece together as they progress through the game. Observation’s protagonist, an AI named SAM, gradually learned the reasons behind the catastrophe that had crippled his ship and killed many of its crew, rewarding observant players with additional details.
The game’s script and voice performances were also universally excellent, greatly enhancing the game’s immersion and disconcerting, claustrophobic atmosphere. Fans will expect more of the same top-tier storytelling, once again enhanced by the increased resources No Code has at its disposal.
However, the developer might choose to take a different route and return to the text adventure roots of Stories Untold’s first episode. That title proved that clever presentation can transform an archaic text game into a modern horror experience, and a full-length game similar to The House Abandon would be immensely popular with its fans. Other indie developers have experimented with text-based games in recent years, such as the mixture of search engine mechanics and live-action footage that made Sam Barlow’s Her Story such a critically-acclaimed success. The enhanced budget could enable No Code to improve the game's text parser functionality to allow it to respond more effectively to a wider vocabulary of inputs and instructions.
Whichever approach No Code chooses to adopt in its next project, fans of its previous titles will keenly await any updates on the new release. If the developer is able to infuse the game with the same blend of innovative game mechanics, imaginative storytelling, and polished delivery as its predecessors, the new title is certain to find itself appearing on more game of the year lists.
Observation is available now for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.