What Remains of Edith Finch

A full playthrough takes about as long as a movie, and you can play it like one. Cuddle up with someone special, and this game on your laptop, and enjoy. This game evoked so many emotions in me, and actually brought me to tears.

I loved this game and played it for about three hours before the entire experience was irreparably ruined. The scenery is gorgeously rendered; the story is engaging; the pace is just right; the lack of real puzzles didn't bother me in the least. I was having a great time until I found myself in a bathtub, forced to endure an endless serenade of "Waltz of the Flowers" and forced to make a stupid frog hop to EXACTLY the right position to get things moving. I play adventure games for cerebral enjoyment because I am an uncoordinated clod; I HATE shoot-em-ups and platformers because I stink at them. I played the stupid frog scene twice, two bouts of 15 to 20 minutes apiece, because I really wanted to continue playing. I finally gave up with real regret; I'll never experience the rest and I am extremely disappointed in this game and its developers.

This game feels more alive than any action-packed game, it has nicer drawn graphics than a AAA game and more creative game mechanics than a one person indie game experiment. You won't shoot things. You won't change a kingdom, go to space or even solve murder. You will follow a story as it unfolds, to be hit right in the feels, multiple times, and cry with the families members as you get to know what defines them. There is mostly inner monologue, snippets of memories as told by witnesses, insights by people who knew some of the family members, all located in the house you are revisiting. In this game you navigate a maze of sorts, crammed full of little things, each telling of a life themselves, but your path and what you can do is never far off or hard to see - everythings just has a certain flow to it. I can heartily recommend this game if you like feeling things or have ever played and liked a game where you did not make things go boom. It is not a game for everyone. It is not long, it is not hard, and you won't feel clever, fast or strong for having played it. It is an experience to see things from different perspectives, lovingly arranged.

A beautiful story told economically and steeeped in a a near-perfect mixture of sorrow and wonder. The mechanics of the game serve that narrative exceptionally well without detracting from it or prolonging the experience past the point when it would no longer be effective. This is not the type of game where the gameplay itself is the focus--the well-told story is the star of the show.

This game is a rare treat! If you are the kind who enjoys an engaging narative set in a well-designed and thoroughly interesting world, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy. Bravo!