The Operator is a narrative puzzle game where you play an intelligence operative assisting agents in the field. By analysing photos and videos and sea

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2024-11-12 15:00:04

The Operator is a narrative puzzle game where you play an intelligence operative assisting agents in the field. By analysing photos and videos and searching databases, you discover clues, solve crimes, and unravel a conspiracy. All gameplay happens on a simulated computer desktop, which is why I like calling this genre “desktop/phone simulators”.

Like alternate reality games, desktop simulators promise highly intuitive gameplay: if you want to check your email, you open the email app rather than digging through game menus. They’re also meant to be more immersive because they include fewer non-diegetic elements like inventories or scores. Unfortunately, I’ve always found this genre to be more fun in theory than in practice.

It turns out that many desktop simulators, especially ones with linear narratives, benefit from things like hint systems and cut scenes; they can reduce players’ frustration at not knowing what to do next, and save writers from having to twist themselves into knots because they have to tell the entire story through emails and photos and voicemails. The allure of total immersion is too strong for many designers to pass up, which is why I’ve tended to steer clear, despite having enjoyed games like A Normal Lost Phone, Her Story, and Digital: A Love Story.