The Operator Review (tom)
I don't think this game is quite what I expected. It's a style of game I'd love to see more of. But while I still mostly enjoyed my time with it, I'm left wanting more.
The story itself is interesting and has enough of those classic thriller movie twist and turns to keep you engaged throughout. Role-playing the "man in the chair" is pretty fun, and you have a few moments that deliver on that promise, at least from a narrative standpoint.
After playing this through once, you'd think the game had multiple endings. You are left wondering if maybe there's some way to correct your mistakes and change the outcome. That is not the case. The ending is pretty bleak, comes pretty quickly (the game itself only being a few hours long at most), and doesn't bring the story to a proper close. I can do without a "good ending", but there's a disappointing lack of closure here.
Broadly speaking, The Operator fails to deliver on the use of "detective skills" it says you'll need in the game's description. You definitely interact with a computer and run a few faux-terminal commands, but most of the time you're just finding a name or a face by clicking the a button that Zoom-Enhances a video CSI style. It sure looks like you're doing the work, but none of it is very challenging and it all feels a little superficial.
There's maybe one section that raises the difficulty and that's because it puts you on a timer and forces you to read an instruction manual. It's the first and only challenging moment the game offers. It was actually a pretty good moment, and the game could have done with a few more scenes this.
I'd not recommend this game to fans of puzzle games who are looking for a challenge, but it's still a fun journey if you want to spend a few hours in the world of a thriller movie. Just don't expect a satisfying ending.