A deeply intimate delve into the lives of a fictional family that is so well written and the world so meticulously built that they almost seem real. The finches are an eclectic bunch of which the majority lived very short lives. Rumored to be struck by a curse, most of the family met tragic if somewhat comedic ends usually at a very young age. We get to explore the whole family and their stories by investigating Edith's childhood home which is a beautifully designed creation functioning as the architectural equivalent of a family tree. See in the Finch household each family member gets their own room, and when a new Finch is born, the house is expanded upon building a new room on top of the existing house rather than recycling an older room of a departed older family member. This magic idea creates the feeling of travelling through time as we climb further up the house learning about each family member in chronological order.
Exploring the Finch house in the game reminded me of my teenage years when sometimes I would sneak into old abandoned houses and poke around, sometimes I would come across one that was left somewhat furnished. I would scan through their things and sometimes I would get the feeling that I was beginning to get to know who these people were, creating a story of their lives by looking through their belongings. What movies they owned, books they read, drawings, pictures, clothing, etc. Ignoring the morally questionable invasion of privacy, I felt that I gained a sort of personal connection with these unknown people through the objects in their rooms. I imagine a lot of people can relate if they have ever rummaged around in the attic of an old house or maybe had to clean out a storage locker of a deceased family member. This feeling of getting to know someone through their belongings is nailed perfectly by this game.
The story unveils itself through learning each family members interests and ultimately how they died. As you would expect, many of the family members stories are intertwined and thus as you learn about one family member you can usually glean some information of others. At the beginning there is an emotional disconnect as Edith has only heard about her older family members through possibly embellished stories. As we get closer to Edith's room however, we feel the emotional tension grow as we start learning about the fate of her immediate family. This all culminates in an ending that is truly sad yet hopeful, and is sure to pull a tear or two out of most peoples eyes. Digging a little deeper you can piece together that Edie, the great grand mother of our protagonist, and her infatuation with fantastical stories about the curse might be the root cause for a large number of the deaths in the family rather than anything actually supernatural. At the very least Edie uses the curse to explain away generally neglectful parenting and enjoys the popularity it has garnered the Finch family.
If you like a good walking sim every so often and value creative ideas and compelling stories then give this one a go. Judging it based on what it is, I'm not sure if I have played a better game in the genre.
Exploring the Finch house in the game reminded me of my teenage years when sometimes I would sneak into old abandoned houses and poke around, sometimes I would come across one that was left somewhat furnished. I would scan through their things and sometimes I would get the feeling that I was beginning to get to know who these people were, creating a story of their lives by looking through their belongings. What movies they owned, books they read, drawings, pictures, clothing, etc. Ignoring the morally questionable invasion of privacy, I felt that I gained a sort of personal connection with these unknown people through the objects in their rooms. I imagine a lot of people can relate if they have ever rummaged around in the attic of an old house or maybe had to clean out a storage locker of a deceased family member. This feeling of getting to know someone through their belongings is nailed perfectly by this game.
The story unveils itself through learning each family members interests and ultimately how they died. As you would expect, many of the family members stories are intertwined and thus as you learn about one family member you can usually glean some information of others. At the beginning there is an emotional disconnect as Edith has only heard about her older family members through possibly embellished stories. As we get closer to Edith's room however, we feel the emotional tension grow as we start learning about the fate of her immediate family. This all culminates in an ending that is truly sad yet hopeful, and is sure to pull a tear or two out of most peoples eyes. Digging a little deeper you can piece together that Edie, the great grand mother of our protagonist, and her infatuation with fantastical stories about the curse might be the root cause for a large number of the deaths in the family rather than anything actually supernatural. At the very least Edie uses the curse to explain away generally neglectful parenting and enjoys the popularity it has garnered the Finch family.
If you like a good walking sim every so often and value creative ideas and compelling stories then give this one a go. Judging it based on what it is, I'm not sure if I have played a better game in the genre.