With all the massive open-world adventures that have found a happy home on Switch so far, it’s equally nice to see indie developers crafting compelling experiences on much smaller scales. OPUS: The Day We Found Earth, a narrative-driven mobile port from indie studio SIGONO, certainly fits into that category, and it’s an excellent addition to the Switch’s library of smaller gems. Taking digital stargazing as its central conceit, Opus is a brief but lovable adventure that’s definitely worth a closer look.
At OPUS’ outset, you’ll meet Emeth, the sweet, WALL-E-like robot that you’ll control throughout the game. Emeth is getting his first lessons in Earth-finding from Dr Lisa, the kindly scientist who built him. This serves as both your introduction and tutorial: Dr Lisa is part of the Opus mission to find the mythical human homeland of Earth, and Emeth’s job is to search the cosmos meticulously, orb by orb, until he finds a match.
We won’t spoil anything that comes next, both because OPUS is quite a short game (our playthrough takes about an hour and a half) and because it's a joy to discover for ourselves. After a presumed-predictable opening and some below-par writing at the start, OPUS’ narrative blossoms into a tale that kept our attention to the very end, to the point where we become genuinely invested in its tale.
In terms of gameplay, OPUS is - for want of a better phrase - a ‘telescope-based adventure’ — the basic flow of play involves looking through Emeth’s high-powered telescope, scanning a two-dimensional representation of space, finding certain planets (based on their similarity to Earth), and naming them whatever you wish, before returning to the ship to watch more of the story unfold. Interacting with objects around the ship point-and-click-style leads to new insights and clues, and discovering new planets can likewise open up new areas of the ship, so there’s a pleasing cyclical rhythm that keeps momentum strong throughout.
The telescope itself is fun to work; the left analog stick pans your view around the beautiful vastness of space, and you can inspect and interact with any celestial body you see by pressing the ‘A’ button. You’ll unlock various filters and upgrades for the telescope as the story progresses as well, all of which are simple and satisfying to use and which can help you on your quest. Being able to name each planet also adds a surprising amount of personal investment to the expedition, and coming up with suitable names based on the brief descriptions of each planet is a real treat.
Our only gameplay complaint is that the transitions between the ship and the telescope feel like they take longer than necessary, but here the game’s length works in its favour; in a 50-hour RPG, that would feel incredibly tedious, but in this movie-length adventure, it’s much more forgivable. Aside from looking for Earth-like planets, there are also a small set of ‘sidequests’ which see you searching for galaxies, stars, and supernovas. We really enjoy these, because while the story objectives are generally quite straightforward (it’s hard to really ‘miss’ any important planets) the hunt for galaxies and stars embodies the needle-in-a-haystack we imagine of actual astronomy, and finally zeroing in on your goal after searching the endless starry sea is a real thrill.
Though the core experience doesn’t change or evolve much through the experience, OPUS is short enough that deep-space telescoping doesn’t overstay its welcome. And while we won’t spoil exactly how it ends, the final act features an extremely effective blending of gameplay and story — so much so that we spent the last 20 minutes absolutely glued to the TV, almost unaware of the outside world. It’s immersive and affecting in the vein of Attack Of The Friday Monsters — as a small, self-contained story, we felt fully drawn into Emeth’s adventure.
Visually, OPUS’ art style is simple but cute - almost Playmobil-like - and cutscenes and stills have a hand-drawn charm. Out in space is a different story, however, and we loved looking at the stars, galaxies, and empty quadrants that make up this Milky Way map. It’s a smart choice for a game such as this, because while it’s not doing anything to put the Switch through its paces, it’s still gorgeous to look at by virtue of space itself.
The music and sound effects are equally important to that atmosphere, and the soundtrack in particular is very well done; it’s subtle and carefully employed, staying in the background during exploration but swelling powerfully to the forefront during dramatic scenes. Overall, OPUS is a great example of how relatively low-budget games can still shine in presentation; not only through technical ambition or unique art, but also through smart themes, charming details, and thoughtful touches.
Conclusion
Opus: The Day We Found Earth is a lovely little game. At more or less the length of a movie, it’s not going to keep you entertained for the weekend, but it’s perfect for a quiet night in. Digital stargazing is a surprisingly compelling pursuit, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with OPUS - it’s charming, affecting and proof positive that the Switch can be a wonderful storyteller.
Comments 36
Sounds fun but $5 for an hour and a half? That's not an unfair price I guess but I think I'll pass. If only because I like my games to last longer.
I found Corot 7b.
@Kalmaro Well... Some of the best games ever made can be beaten in less than an hour and a half. $5 isn't too bad if the quality is there.
@Kalmaro I've grown quite fond of the one-day game. There's something nice about being able to experience the entire thing in one sitting, as with a movie or a short story.
@PanurgeJr @-DG If a game is that short I'd rather just watch someone else play it. Those game usually are more focused on story than gameplay anyway.
@Kalmaro you can't generalise like that mate!
@Kalmaro Not true. I have two games for Switch that I finished in one night--Bulb Boy and Pan-Pan--and both featured sufficient gameplay to justify the gaming medium. Simply watching them being played would not yield the same experience.
I think I might buy this tonight along with Oxenfree.
@PanurgeJr I said most games, not all of them. I'm glad you enjoyed those games, they don't interest me though.
@GrailUK Sure I can, it's my opinion
@Kalmaro If you don't play short games, how would you know how story-focused or gameplay-focused they are? If you don't play short games, how are you able to claim that the examples I gave don't represent the average experience?
Interesting and the price is right.
I downloaded this on my phone and played as much as I could for free. The gameplay is simple, but the story really brings you in. It definitely made me want to buy it on Switch so I can finish it and see what happens. You will get it for the story, not the gameplay, though.
Seems like a compelling game, especially for $5
Ah NL, you took too long with your review, I already bought and beat it
I dove in, being a sucker for visual novel/point-and-click adventure type games, and being a fan of space. The plot had me hooked and I felt compelled to find Earth as well. The game is literally as long or as short as you want it to be, meaning for astronomy fans, you can take your time scanning the cosmos freestyle, or you can just get right to the point, following the clues, and move right on to the end of the story. "Telescope based adventure" is a good way to put it, so you will be instantly put off, or if you're open minded, there's definitely something to like about this game. I do wish there were more real life, factual, celestial objects in the game, complete with background info, but perhaps someone else out there will do a "scan the cosmos" game that fulfills that. That's my two cents, and for what it was worth, I wasn't disappointed.
Tried it. Boring and kind of pointless. Wouldnt even call it a game.
I love OPUS, is one of my favorite games on the indie side of Switch.
The ending made me cry a lot. Also, a second part is coming soon and it will be a 3D adventure/survival game.
Sure. I'll fix it into my schedule. The review convinced me.
NintendoLife,
You should change that:
Switch eShop Release Date:
30th Nov 2017, $5.00 (US/Canada)
30th Nov 2017, £4.49 (UK/EU/AU)
to that:
Switch eShop Release Date:
30th Nov 2017, US $5.00 (US)
30th Nov 2017, CA $?.?? (Canada)
30th Nov 2017, £4.49 (UK)
30th Nov 2017, €?.?? (EU)
30th Nov 2017, AU $?.?? (AU)
Especially in the UK/EU/AU section the English pound certainly does not represent European and Australian currency.
@Kalmaro Good point. Little Inferno comes to mind. I paid $10 for it on sale and wished I had just watched a youtuve video instead since there really wasn't very mich gameplay at all.
@PanurgeJr Fortunately, there are websites dedicated to raising awareness about games. I tend to frequent them quite often. There's one Nintendo themed one you will see me on regularly. So it's pretty easy to know about games that I don't play myself.
A lot of games that last just a matter of hours focus first on story, second on gameplay. This is not to say that gameplay is bad, but rather that it is not the main focus.
@Kalmaro Again, that's simply not true, and I'm fairly confident that first-hand experience trumps second-hand information, no matter how voluminously acquired.
@PanurgeJr So what you are telling me is that I shouldn't take someone else's word?
Nevermind the fact that most short games have let's plays of them and they tend to fall in line what what I've said.
@Kalmaro Earlier your argument was that you take NL's word, and now your argument is that you shouldn't be expected to take my word. Impressive the way you pick whatever you feel justifies your opinion at the time.
@PanurgeJr That was actually a typo. Wouldn't make sense to bounce between taking the word of others like that.
Imagine spending hundred of years trying to find Earth only to find out you're living in it your entire life.
i have such a dilemma justifying spending $$ on short experiences like these only because i have downloaded (purchased) the game permanently and know i will have no reason to go back and play them again. I wish i could play a couple bucks less to "rent" or download temporarily to play through and not keep forever. I know i could just delete it but there's something weird about digital purchases vs a physical game i could trade or sell. I just played through Steamworld Dig 2 for $15 and while it was a great game and fun for a weekend i'll never play it again
Glad you guys reviewed the game. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't boring. Can't wait to try it out. Perfect for small hour or two.
Glad you guys reviewed the game. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't boring. Can't wait to try it out. Perfect way to pass and hour or two. $5 isn't bad at all imo for a quality experience.
Glad you guys reviewed the game. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't boring. Can't wait to try it out. Perfect way to pass and hour or two. $5 isn't bad at all imo for a quality experience.
@Masurao Perhaps it is. You're going to have a hard time proving it in court though.
@Masurao So you're saying that, morally, what I am doing is wrong. That's fair I suppose, if you can prove it.
This was an adorable little gem. To me, it was more a movie than a game, but it was very enjoyable. I really enjoyed the story from start to finish. Honestly the gameplay is just a means of moving the story along but that's fine by me. 5 bucks for a lovely little sci-fi story like this was well worth it.
Can't the first 2 Resident Evil games be beaten in under an hour? And those games were $50 each. I'd say $5 for a good story based game is a steal. That's less than a movie ticket at matinee price even.
@Masurao All in all, sounds like you're saying that morality is just based on popular opinion. If that's true then I have nothing to worry about. Opinions are subjective.
@Masurao Well if everything is opinion then it doesn't matter what I think of thier freedom, if we're being honest
Not that the believe that EVERYTHING is subject to opinion.
Late to the party, but just read this, and this has me intrigued.
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