“What was supposed to be a glamorous opening of a luxury space station on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, has turned into a disaster. Service robots have become violent, mutants roam the hallways, and the bodies of the elite members of the Solar System are scattered across once lavish rooms. At the center of it all is May, a woman who wakes up with no memory of her past and no answers to the most important question: who is she really?” This is how the developer, Antifreeze Games, would describe the second installment in the Satellite Odyssey series.
Unlike the previous game, Satellite Odyssey: Jupiter, which is currently in playtest version, immediately feels more ambitious. The setting changes, so this time we are not on a Soviet station but on the space station Europa. Exploring this space is one of the game's biggest assets because it is well-designed, unique, and full of details. The club where May is located, as well as the hallways, side rooms like restrooms and kitchens, are well thought out and have a lot of potential, and the lighting and atmosphere are very interesting. On the other hand, it is noticeable that some models and assets have been reused from the previous game, but the game is still unfinished, so there is a high likelihood that they will be replaced with new and better models.
The biggest change compared to its predecessor is the shift to a third-person perspective and the addition of shooting, so the focus has shifted a bit to the action type of game, but above all, it is still a psychological horror like the first part. The enemies that attack you look like monsters from old episodes of Dr. Who, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but their appearance sometimes seems more bizarre than frightening.
Exploration and puzzles are still among the strongest elements of the game. I particularly liked the animations like unscrewing screws when entering the ventilation and unlocking hidden rooms, and it should be noted that the game has retained the token collection system from the first part, for which it has not yet been revealed what they are for.
Although it is still an unfinished version of the game, Satellite Odyssey: Jupiter already shows great potential. This indie psychological horror that successfully combines exploration, puzzles, and combat looks like an ambitious sequel in the Satellite Odyssey series, and if you want to try it out, a free playtest version is available for download on Steam.
