This review contains spoilers
I really enjoyed this game! Particularly loved the presentation and creative integration of gameplay into the storytelling: while Lewis' section was the clear, oft-discussed high point, the entire game - from the subtitles, to the unique perspective shifts (what other game would let you play as a toddler, an owl, and Cthulhu within an hour?), to the music and art direction - is oozing with love and creativity. "Edith Finch" also does a great job setting its atmosphere and mood. There's a real sadness hanging over the entire game, despite the pastel colors of the Finch residence, and I was quickly drawn into the story and its mysteries. Each family member's story was really engaging - I can't think of any that were bad, and the best ones will definitely stick with me - and I was really digging this game for the first 90% of its runtime.
I'm not sure if the ending entirely worked for me, however. The game did a great job building tension and intrigue around its central mysteries (is the Finch curse real? what happened to Milton?), but didn't really have any satisfying answers or conclusions; the game ends fairly anticlimactically, in my opinion. I'm warming up to the ending a bit now that I've had a bit of time to reflect on it, and I think "Edith Finch" does a good job concluding its central themes and highlighting the damage that Edie's delusions about the curse and intergenerational trauma has done on this family, but I still wish that there had been a bit more oomph behind the game's final minutes. While many of the family members' stories were emotionally affecting and powerful, the ending didn't do a lot for me, and, in my opinion, a lot of other games have done the whole "don't be preoccupied with death, accept it and make the most of your life" thing better (e.g. Outer Wilds, which tackles a nearly identical theme and has one of the most affecting video game endings I've ever seen).
Despite that, I enjoyed my time with "Edith Finch," and I think a lot of the small stories within it - Lewis' daydreams and tragic choice, Gregory's awful death, the tragedy of Edie and Dawn's relationship collapsing due to their different responses to familial trauma - will stick with me. I'm not sure if this game is worth the usual $20 it goes for, but I picked it up for about $5 during the winter sale and would definitely recommend it at that price!
I'm not sure if the ending entirely worked for me, however. The game did a great job building tension and intrigue around its central mysteries (is the Finch curse real? what happened to Milton?), but didn't really have any satisfying answers or conclusions; the game ends fairly anticlimactically, in my opinion. I'm warming up to the ending a bit now that I've had a bit of time to reflect on it, and I think "Edith Finch" does a good job concluding its central themes and highlighting the damage that Edie's delusions about the curse and intergenerational trauma has done on this family, but I still wish that there had been a bit more oomph behind the game's final minutes. While many of the family members' stories were emotionally affecting and powerful, the ending didn't do a lot for me, and, in my opinion, a lot of other games have done the whole "don't be preoccupied with death, accept it and make the most of your life" thing better (e.g. Outer Wilds, which tackles a nearly identical theme and has one of the most affecting video game endings I've ever seen).
Despite that, I enjoyed my time with "Edith Finch," and I think a lot of the small stories within it - Lewis' daydreams and tragic choice, Gregory's awful death, the tragedy of Edie and Dawn's relationship collapsing due to their different responses to familial trauma - will stick with me. I'm not sure if this game is worth the usual $20 it goes for, but I picked it up for about $5 during the winter sale and would definitely recommend it at that price!