What Remains of Edith Finch is a very charming narrative experience. It isn't anything exceptional or groundbreaking, but it's very enjoyable and a well-enough written storyline combined with some captivating visuals. A very fun magical realism experience that would feel almost equally as fun on Netflix as it does on console.
I've spent some time with Annapurna games in the past, and Edith Finch has the same set dressings and trimmings. Having played Maquette early on in 2021, you can see many of the same aspects in What Remains of Edith Finch. But thankfully, What Remains of Edith Finch is a much better gaming experience than Maquette was. Unfortunately, that's because What Remains of Edith Finch is a far less interactive gaming experience.
Ultimately, you walk through mostly linear areas interacting only with exactly what the game allows you to. You'll finish the game in about two hours just by walking through and clicking/pushing x. It's a fun ride in the process though. You go by and allow the story to happen to you. And it's a good story. It's quite cute, with nice little twists. None too hard to see coming but still feel engaging when you figure out where it's heading before it tells you. A family riddled with bad luck, or a self-fulfilling prophecy, sees many of its family members die. You return to a mansion as a 17 year old girl and the last remaining living member of your family. Each room in the mansion is a shrine dedicated to a deceased member of the family and you're going to reveal how they all met untimely ends.
It's dark and morbid and surreal and heartfelt. It shares with you the lives of the Finches and what it meant to be a member of this family over the century. You feel connections to characters you never directly meet, knowing that you will never truly meet them. And it's still satisfying to consume.
I found myself disappointed by the lack of any real gameplay. You do nothing other than push a single button or two. You never solve any puzzles. You never have to make any real choices or even pretend choices. You just traipse through the game as it happens to you. But it's so well written, so well voice-acted and so well orchestrated that the experience is thoroughly enjoyable all its own. I wish there was more of a game in here. But I am very happy with what I've gotten anyway. I just couldn't help but think that with just a /tad/ more to it this game could've been an absolute all-timer.
I've spent some time with Annapurna games in the past, and Edith Finch has the same set dressings and trimmings. Having played Maquette early on in 2021, you can see many of the same aspects in What Remains of Edith Finch. But thankfully, What Remains of Edith Finch is a much better gaming experience than Maquette was. Unfortunately, that's because What Remains of Edith Finch is a far less interactive gaming experience.
Ultimately, you walk through mostly linear areas interacting only with exactly what the game allows you to. You'll finish the game in about two hours just by walking through and clicking/pushing x. It's a fun ride in the process though. You go by and allow the story to happen to you. And it's a good story. It's quite cute, with nice little twists. None too hard to see coming but still feel engaging when you figure out where it's heading before it tells you. A family riddled with bad luck, or a self-fulfilling prophecy, sees many of its family members die. You return to a mansion as a 17 year old girl and the last remaining living member of your family. Each room in the mansion is a shrine dedicated to a deceased member of the family and you're going to reveal how they all met untimely ends.
It's dark and morbid and surreal and heartfelt. It shares with you the lives of the Finches and what it meant to be a member of this family over the century. You feel connections to characters you never directly meet, knowing that you will never truly meet them. And it's still satisfying to consume.
I found myself disappointed by the lack of any real gameplay. You do nothing other than push a single button or two. You never solve any puzzles. You never have to make any real choices or even pretend choices. You just traipse through the game as it happens to you. But it's so well written, so well voice-acted and so well orchestrated that the experience is thoroughly enjoyable all its own. I wish there was more of a game in here. But I am very happy with what I've gotten anyway. I just couldn't help but think that with just a /tad/ more to it this game could've been an absolute all-timer.