Experiencing horrifying moments in Titanic: A Space Between | Review

Titanic: A Space Between is the newest release for Oculus VR, promising great moments of time travel and terror in a very nostalgic environment for various generations. After all, who hasn't seen and rewatched the impactful scenes from that momentous event in world history? That's right, the game's setting is none other than the Titanic itself.

Released on February 14, 2024 by Boombox Games, a studio focused on developing 3D games, and developed by Globiss Interactive LLC, Titanic features a single player style and has already received excellent ratings in the gamer community forums. What's most interesting is that you may be surprised by what you'll find here, especially considering that it was a project worked on and completed by just two people, two brothers residing in Chicago, USA.

We will play as Hendrik Van Eden, a specialist who is sent back in time to the massive Titanic to uncover the truth about the disappearance of one of the crew members, Diana. Our adventure will involve an investigation that will require intelligence and (a lot of) courage from players, as there will be puzzles and various moments where we will have to battle against the rising water level inside the ship, all while remembering that it's the TITANIC! A huge environment to explore.



Titanic in all its glory

One of the first points to highlight is the incredible graphic quality provided by these developers, especially considering it's a console that is not widely explored by major companies. Here, we will see details of every part of the gigantic Titanic, which greatly enhances the player's immersion, potentially sending shivers down their spine at every moment.

Furthermore, this thematic element is greatly enhanced by the high-quality graphics, complemented by a strong auditory feedback style, with tension-filled sounds that strongly immerse the player in the game. In fact, sound communication will be of great importance in gameplay, as our character will be guided at all times by a member of their team (the same one who sent them on the time-traveling journey).

Therefore, these details will matter a lot to all players, especially those who love the real history behind it all. To give you an idea, there were moments where I felt nauseous due to the culmination of events. Of course, the game is not exempt from criticism, as there are still details and some bugs to be fixed, but it's worth noting that there are only 2 developers behind this work.



A dual story

Our journey, as mentioned earlier, begins with a male protagonist, but later we experience moments with a woman (who also traveled through time). I'll avoid talking too specifically about this character to prevent spoiling the experience.

Basically, we are time-traveling to investigate a total of three disappearances, so it's important to listen to the communicator, who will provide all possible instructions and help us navigate through the exploration missions. The first disappearance involves an original Titanic passenger who, due to an anomaly, appeared in our time, leading to time travel being strictly prohibited and the inventor of the technology 'disappearing.' Finally, the other protagonist, who was also sent previously to investigate the ship, vanished, totaling the 3 disappearances that our hero is determined to uncover, even delving into the paranormal world to find the truth.

Thus, we will experience a story in chapters, alternating between the protagonists, slowly and calmly unraveling both the calm and physical aspects, as well as the unreal and supernatural elements.
One thing that piqued my curiosity and for which I couldn't find an answer was how our protagonist's hands ended up in the state they were presented in, all injured and clearly frostbitten. At some points in the progression, I must mention, my game crashed and I had to backtrack a few steps.



Exploring console features

We know how important a good story and immersion are for any type of gamer, especially in horror games, but there are key features that a game should always extract from its console, such as the techniques made possible by the unique features of Oculus VR.

One of the main aspects is the 360-degree exploration, with details and objects of importance to our mission spread throughout the locations, promoting curiosity and interactivity with players. For example, in one part of the game, a hammer was provided to break a glass with a key inside in two previous scenes. Therefore, if I hadn't paid attention to the environment, I would have likely taken longer than usual to understand the need to return to complete the mission.

It is clear that the developers sought exploration in all possible spheres of virtual reality, with great success in various areas, despite some basic mechanics, such as holding a shovel, feeling a bit rusty. That is, picking up and moving objects, retrieving items from the inventory, everything becomes very intuitive as we progress, showcasing successful immersion to the extreme.

We thank the publishers at Boombox Games and the developers at Globiss Interactive LLC for making Titanic: A Space Between available and creating this content.