Florence

I don't know how to feel about this one. I love the artstyle; the music works well to fit the mood; I adore stories that are told without words .. but they're also hard to pull off. There were moments where I connected with the story, but overall .. it all felt pretty, light. I was hoping for more depth, something with higher highs and lower low points; maybe a story where you could make meaningful choices. The interactive elements usually work well to convey what the story wants to say, but some interactions are repeated. The first time it's clever; any time after that it's a slight variation and it gets a bit predictable. I would've liked that the story played more with my expectations to surprise me. I don't mind that Florence was a short ~30 min. experience .. yet I couldn't help but think at the end: "Wait, that's it? It just ends here? .. All this seemed like the prologue, and *now* is when the real story begins!" .. and then the credits rolled. I imagine this is because Florence was initially developed for mobile, which is less suited to deliver a more in-depth experience. All in all, Florence is an enjoyable light short story with beautiful artwork and clever ideas. I do think there's a lot more room to explore this type of storytelling, so I look forward to whatever the Mountains team is working on next!

This is a simple game. It won't last more than one hour, and the story is an everyday one. But if simple describes this game well, the word Impactful does it even better. In a delicate and cute art style, and with very simple gameplay mechanics, it manages to convey all the emotions the characters are feeling without telling a word. It knows how to hit you, even if you know what's going to happen from the start. If it takes you, even a little bit, it will move you on more than one occasion, sometimes with the classic image showing the story, but more often with a clever mechanic or the return of an old one but twisted. Don't get me wrong, it's just a glorified slideshow, yeah, but you can feel its made with love all throughout. Every single bit of this story can make you connect more and more with the protagonist and her experiences in life. A special mention is worth for the incredible soundtrack that guides you through the game. Without it there wouldn't have been moments so powerful. I don't really agree with the negatives in the comments, actually. It is more in the style of an experience more than a traditional game, but even if so, the price reflects this perfectly, and the game never drags too much. It is simple, if not humble, and I find it beautiful for this very reason.

This little gem is a great example of telling a (small) story with game mechanics only. I loved that I could play it in one go (1-2 hours). On top the game is just beautiful to look at with all those handdrawn visuals. Also the music is really lovely. You can see that it's a passion project.

This game, albeit short, is masterfully crafted. Music, sound effects, artwork, UI elements and scene transitions: everything in it reinforces the beautifully designed story. This is especially true for the interactive elements, which dont' require much skill on the player's end, but work so well to convey the current state of mind of the protagonist, and they do so in simple and clever ways. It may have taken me only half the time it would have taken me to watch 'Amélie' again to finish this game (and it put me in a similar mood), but it was the most fun I've had with a game in a long time. This is a peace of art.

It's a very short game and although it is a sweet short story and the art is beautiful, there are much better games to be had for 5 euros at GOG. If you find it on discount you should get it if you are after a short and sweet "interactive" story. There's not much of a game to be found here though...