GameLog Page

Please sign in or sign up!

...blogs for gamers

Find a GameLog

... by game	... by platform

[ advanced search ]

HOME	GAMES	LOGS	MEMBERS			ABOUT	HELP

dkirschner's The Operator (PC)

[February 26, 2026 11:33:01 AM]

This game is SO COOL! Like, must play. It was a random freebie from Epic last summer that sounded interesting. I'd never heard of it. It's got a sort of Orwell feel, but is its own thing. You play as Evan Tanner, a new Operator at the FDI (basically the FBI). Operators have access to FDI databases and their job is to retrieve information for FDI agents in the field. So, an FDI agent will be working a case, find some evidence, call an Operator and ask them to ID someone, for example.

It's basically a detective game. You respond to agent queries by going through text/audio/video files, puzzling out how to get information and how to solve various problems. But an intriguing mystery quickly emerges. A mysterious hacker contacts you. There is a mole in the FDI. There are interlocking cases with a few different field agents. An unidentified killer. A cover-up. You end up doing way more than just reading through files to find information, but you interact with agents over the phone helping them through dangerous situations like guiding them through defusing a bomb or helping them break into buildings. It's really exciting!

The writing is solid. The voice acting can be a little corny, but it does the job. There are some really funny parts. In one part, you are trying to get an FDI employee away from their computer, so you call them and pretend to be IT. This is the kind of employee who would fall for a phishing attempt or have their identity stolen. You call and are like, "Hi I'm...Mike...Smith...from IT." She replies, "Hmm...I don't know a Mike Smith in IT. It says here on the caller ID that you're Evan Tanner, an Operator." "Well, I don't know about that. I'm Mike Smith." "Hmmm...then why does it say you're an Operator?" "Because...I'm...also an Operator! Yeah, that's it...Operators sometimes also help with IT." "Hmmmm. I thought Operators just worked with agents? I don't know about this. But...okay, what do you need me to do." "Just leave the room and I'll take care of it." "Hmmm...how long will this take?" "It shouldn't take but a few minutes!" "If it'll just take a few minutes, then I'll sit here and read my magazine." "Actually...It will take a long time." "But you just said it would take a few minutes. This is suspicious!" "No, yeah, it will definitely take like an hour." "Hmm....Okay, I'll leave, but I don't like this!" It was a really funny interaction and reminded me of those information security videos you have to watch for work. There were a few other parts that made me laugh too.

Also, a nod to the minimalist visuals outside the Operator screen. The sound design is great, too. I was able to guess a solution to one puzzle immediately because I had heard what the inside of a particular apartment sounded like a few times. That was cool.

The downsides I can think of are: (1) the bomb puzzle had some confusing terminology; (2) the part where you guide someone through a floor of a building was silly, as if someone couldn't walk through a small office floor and find the stairs on their own (there would be signs!); (3) I'm not sure your choices really matter.

So yeah, this surprised me. I loved it. There is a sequel in development! Hopefully it's longer and more involved, perhaps with some branching narrative (this game was just a few hours).

This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Feb 26th, 2026 at 11:35:29.