TR-49 from inkle brings us a narrative-driven interactive audio drama adventure in which a World War II-era computer will change everything. Learn more in our TR-49 review!
TR-49 from inkle brings us a narrative-driven interactive audio drama adventure in which a World War II-era computer will change everything. This particular machine was created by Bletchley Park engineers Cecil Caulderly and Beatrice Dooler, and it includes an archive of books, letters, and journals that were added to its database over a fifty-year span. You end up finding the device after hearing a voice calling your name, which is, in itself, extremely odd. Your name is Abbi, and the person talking to you is Liam. He interacts with you through a speaker and tasks you with locating a specific book that has been stolen.
All you get is the title of the book and an ominous warning about you needing to locate it as quickly as possible, or else! Oh, and its activation code is TR-49, hence the game’s name. The machine was created in order to be able to understand that which can’t be understood, to find the meaning in the obscure. As you locate the right code that can be matched to its source, the information it contains will be revealed to you. There are different authors, and their work must be reviewed within the machine as you manage to peel back more and more layers.
I’ve previously had a chance to review other games from inkle, such as story-driven whodunnit Expelled! on the Nintendo Switch, the charming hand-drawn coming-of-age journey through the Scottish Highlands A Highland Song, the quadrilogy of stories that is Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! The Complete Collection, adventure game Heaven’s Vault in which you get to rediscover a lost language, fun and clever race around the world adventure 80 Days, as well as reverse whodunnit Overboard! in which you’re literally trying to get away with murder as you make good use of a bit of a Groundhog’s Day cycle, so I was more than ready to see what TR-49 had to offer on Nintendo’s console.
You’ll be working on finding the book by exploring the archive as you link its texts and try to find out more about the device’s creators. The game can be played either by using the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con or by making the most of the console’s touchscreen when playing in Portable or Tabletop Mode, or if you’re taking on TR-49 using a Nintendo Switch Lite console. Do know that if you’re playing on a Nintendo Switch 2 and are using Handheld Boost Mode, then the console’s touchscreen will be disabled.
If you’re using the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con, then you’ll have to hold down the ZR button and use the left analog to interact with the machine’s lever as you try to find the first code you need. Hint: It’s TR-49. The activation code is TR-49. If you need to chat with Liam, activate the speaker by pressing the X button. Interact by pressing the A button.
Since a good chunk of the information you’ll find has been corrupted – or perhaps intentionally removed? – you’ll need to take on some trial and error as you locate the information that will allow you to slowly but surely start to link the different documents that you’ll consult inside the device. You’ll be reading a lot in this one as you use the D-Pad to scroll up and down on the screen to find the bits and pieces of information that will hopefully bring you one step closer to your goal.
You’ll be writing down important information in your notebook, so that you can review it as needed. These include the different machine codes you’ve managed to find, the title of the source, as well as various pieces of data that you’ll need to connect as you go. All of this is done automatically as you obtain new information, and you’ll only need to worry about applying the correct labels as you move onward. The game will save your progress at steady intervals, so you’ll be able to quickly get back to where you left off when you return to the game.
TR-49 brings us a narrative-driven interactive audio drama adventure in which a World War II-era computer will change everything. This particular machine was created by Bletchley Park engineers Cecil Caulderly and Beatrice Dooler, and it includes an archive of books, letters, and journals that were added to its database over a fifty-year span. You end up finding the device after hearing a voice calling your name, which is, in itself, extremely odd. Your name is Abbi, and the person talking to you is Liam. He interacts with you through a speaker and tasks you with locating a specific book that has been stolen.
The game features the voice acting of Rebekah McLoughlin, Paul Warren, and Phillipe Bosher, and is accompanied by an original soundtrack from Laurence Chapman. TR-49 launches today on Nintendo Switch with a budget price of only $6.99.
Disclaimer
This TR-49 review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by inkle.
