Congratulations! You are the FDI’s newest recruit, Evan Tanner. Your friend Mike, the director, secured a position for you on the “operator programme”.
Your job is simple. Use pre-installed applications to aid detectives from the comfort and safety of your desktop. From audio files to facial recognition, you’ll do it all! (Even some lab work).
The Operator’s Naive Beginnings
To begin, you are introduced to your supervisor. He is responsible for matching detectives to their operators. This is the game’s way of guiding you on how to use the interface. Your paired detective will come to you with their information and specific requests, which you need to resolve. Should you get lost, you can simply ask your supervisor for help.
This is the bread and butter for The Operator. Everything is on your desktop, and items you receive from detectives are automatically filed away into folders you can go back and forth to, like a memory puzzle.
In-Between Worlds
It isn’t all fun and games, however (pun intended), as things start to seem… off. You are suddenly taken over by a hacker, who tells you that things are not all what they seem. With some teaser evidence provided, you have a choice. Work with the hacker to uncover the FDI’s secrets, or continue being the internal cog you started your day as.
Or so the game would have you believe.
Calm Experiences
In actuality, The Operator has a strict linear path. Although you are given response options in the form of multiple choice during conversations, the game will always lead you where it intends you to. So you could deny the hacker, be rude to the detectives, etc. They will give their formatted response to whatever you decide, and the storyline continues thus.
This is probably the most infuriating part of the game, as some responses sound like throwaway lines, intended to ignore your choice. Luckily, it’s not enough to dampen the storyline and the adventure. You still need to pay attention to all the details around you, learn how to use the interface, and problem-solve.
It’s almost a relief that with everything to do, there is only one ending and one pathway to get there, so you can enjoy being a quick-thinking operator.
Twists and Turns
Let’s talk about the ‘one ending’. Without giving spoilers, I was invested in what was happening and admittedly did not expect the twist in the story, which I enjoyed the reveal of. However, that was vaguely diminished by how it all ended. I felt it was a little disappointing, given the entire journey I had taken. Although, the ending does give an opening for a second game, which could be interesting.
Inclusive Experience
Your entire communication with others is through computers, which allows all conversations to be transcribed. I thought this was a great feature, especially for those who are perhaps hearing impaired. The characters are all quite different, and their voice actors match their characters rather well. You can see the working relationship change the interaction between yourself and the detectives, giving you a sense of connection and feel like what you are doing really matters. Your character has no voice lines, which submerges you into feeling like you are truly in the hot seat.
As for audio, The Operator contains sound effects of the desktop work and every evening we see glimpses of ourselves returning home from work. The game features specific build-up when the atmosphere calls for it. There are a few moments when we are in a tight spot and need to make quick decisions, which allows for the tempo to match the situation.
Overall Conclusion
Overall, The Operator is very enjoyable. It isn’t long, something you could finish within a few hours. The gameplay is just enough to keep you thinking, but it is not impossible, and it has ways to handhold if that is what you need, with a help option. The information is easily accessible, and the twist is unexpected.
My only real issue with The Operator is that the player has no agency. Everything is so strictly planned that you cannot stray from the plot. The game gives you options to make different choices, but the characters will pick you up and place you back on the intended path. My other issue is the ending. Everything goes from 0-100, and you end up left sitting, grasping some understanding of what just happened. The Operator seems to tease an option for a second, but at what cost?
Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch
Genres: Indie, Adventure, Simulation
Developer: Bureau 81
Publisher: Bureau 81, Indienova
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