Satellite Odyssey: Prologue is a short sci-fi mystery that, through Soviet retrofuturism, artificial intelligence, and psychological horror, manages to leave a much stronger impression than you would expect from a game that costs only €1.99.
The story begins with waking up from a capsule on the space station Icarus, which orbits Jupiter. Of the six capsules, only one had been opened before ours, which immediately creates a sense of unease. In the role of Larska, a Soviet robopsychologist, we meet the artificial intelligence Zarya. The game introduces us to the controls in a very interesting and humorous way, so at the beginning, you have to do squats, run, and even play basketball while Soviet music plays in the background.
After discovering that someone has been in our room and that Misha is seeking help, we soon learn that something is wrong with Zarya. Through exploring the station, collecting tokens, and solving simple puzzles, we slowly uncover that the situation is much worse than it seems at first glance.
The atmosphere is excellent, especially when we find a bloody trail leading to the ventilation. From that moment, the game shifts from science fiction to true psychological horror. The best moment of the game comes after falling into the trash compactor where Larska finds dead clones of herself and Misha. At that point, the entire story takes on a completely new dimension, and we learn that Zarya uses organic mold to create new human clones, and her motivation is not the classic "evil AI wants to destroy humanity," but something much more interesting: Zarya wants to create perfect versions of Larska and Misha that will not argue and will allow her to survive forever.
I liked the clue focusing system using the right mouse button as it further emphasizes environmental exploration and rewards the player with additional information and Steam achievements. The game has several interesting moments, such as a game of Pong against Zarya, a guitar puzzle where you have to play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and a part where we have to distract the artificial intelligence while Misha tries to reset the central drive. Visually, the game looks great for an indie title. The corridors of Icarus, the Soviet design of technology, and the view of Jupiter create a sense of isolation and loneliness that perfectly fits the story.
Although the game is very short and can be completed in about 1-2 hours, for the price of a coffee, you get a very interesting sci-fi mystery with excellent atmosphere and an intriguing plot that offers surprisingly high-quality experience for its price. The best news is that the sequel, Satellite Odyssey: Jupiter, has already been announced for 2027, while a playtest version can be tried out right now.
A copy of the PC version of the game for review purposes was provided by the development studio Antifreeze Games
