I finished this game at 3am and it definitely made me feel some type of way. Playing this after beating DOOM Eternal twice in a row was a huge pace switch, but a much needed one to be sure.
The thing that intrigued me about this game from the get go was the incredible introduction to the house, poking out of the forest in the distance. It's such a striking silhouette, and that, accompanied by the beautiful orchestral soundtrack and the journal-like narration got me hooked from the get go.
"What Remains of Edith Finch" is a narrative-focused walking simulator that tells of the mysterious Finch family, who believes they have been cursed. You play as Edith, the only surviving Finch family member, as she returns to her childhood home in search of answers to the many questions she had growing up.
What follows is a recountal of the family's history, stretching all the way back to the 1930s, when the Finch family sailed to America with their house in tow, only to have it sink offshore of Orcas Island, where they rebuild and settle, allowing the rest of the story to unfold.
The game is centered around death, and one of the main themes seems to be generational trauma, and how buying too much into stories and tales can have real-world repercussions. It's a pretty heavy subject matter, and it's an emotional experience for sure. I got teary-eyed at the end.
Technically, this game is astonishing. Though it may be a walking simulator at its core, it contains ingenious mechanics that weave seamlessly into the storytelling, the most stunning of which happens late-game (no spoilers). Graphically, it's incredible. There is so much detail put into the environment. It's genuinely one of the most immersive home environments I've seen put together in a videogame. It feels lived in, to be sure, but there's also this constant mystery tugging at every nook and cranny. Secret crawlspaces, sealed up rooms...hell the outside of the house itself is crazy, seeing rooms built haphazardly atop the existing structure. It really feels like you step inside of a storybook, and you come out feeling like you've lived through an entire REAL family's history (even though they are entirely fictional) in just two hours.
This game is truly something. The story, the writing, the characters, the music, the aesthetic...it's a masterpiece.
Only gripes that take a star off is that some parts feel a little jarring and the balance of story and gameplay gets a little too far into the gameplay side to be fully immersive as a story. Overall, it's put together very well. But even masterpieces have flaws.
If you have an evening to yourself, definitely pick up this game. It's easy, and a really cool experience that anyone can get into.
The thing that intrigued me about this game from the get go was the incredible introduction to the house, poking out of the forest in the distance. It's such a striking silhouette, and that, accompanied by the beautiful orchestral soundtrack and the journal-like narration got me hooked from the get go.
"What Remains of Edith Finch" is a narrative-focused walking simulator that tells of the mysterious Finch family, who believes they have been cursed. You play as Edith, the only surviving Finch family member, as she returns to her childhood home in search of answers to the many questions she had growing up.
What follows is a recountal of the family's history, stretching all the way back to the 1930s, when the Finch family sailed to America with their house in tow, only to have it sink offshore of Orcas Island, where they rebuild and settle, allowing the rest of the story to unfold.
The game is centered around death, and one of the main themes seems to be generational trauma, and how buying too much into stories and tales can have real-world repercussions. It's a pretty heavy subject matter, and it's an emotional experience for sure. I got teary-eyed at the end.
Technically, this game is astonishing. Though it may be a walking simulator at its core, it contains ingenious mechanics that weave seamlessly into the storytelling, the most stunning of which happens late-game (no spoilers). Graphically, it's incredible. There is so much detail put into the environment. It's genuinely one of the most immersive home environments I've seen put together in a videogame. It feels lived in, to be sure, but there's also this constant mystery tugging at every nook and cranny. Secret crawlspaces, sealed up rooms...hell the outside of the house itself is crazy, seeing rooms built haphazardly atop the existing structure. It really feels like you step inside of a storybook, and you come out feeling like you've lived through an entire REAL family's history (even though they are entirely fictional) in just two hours.
This game is truly something. The story, the writing, the characters, the music, the aesthetic...it's a masterpiece.
Only gripes that take a star off is that some parts feel a little jarring and the balance of story and gameplay gets a little too far into the gameplay side to be fully immersive as a story. Overall, it's put together very well. But even masterpieces have flaws.
If you have an evening to yourself, definitely pick up this game. It's easy, and a really cool experience that anyone can get into.