or something like that! Yes, it's short but the story and thought that has gone into this is incredible. The attention to detail in each 'chapter' is stunning and totally original. Very emotional, thought provoking game, although perhaps better described as a interactive story? No great skill is involved as it is a go, point, click game but that shouldn't be seen as a negative. Refreshingly simple but so well worth experiencing.
I expected to be more involved in the stories. Basically you just have to walk straight ahead throughout the whole game without solving any puzzles or experiencing any difficulties. Yes, it's visually pleasing, yes, it's kind of moving - although I couldn't feel connected to any of the characters - but this is not an adventure game. When you actually have to do something in the story, the "games" are rather dumb and totally pointless (bathtub scene or the cannery) I bought it at a discount - definitely doesn't worth the full price if you're looking for a game where you actually have to do something.
Detractors will call it a walking simulator. It is so much more though. It is an interactive adventure game, that uniquely put you, the player, into the final moments of the storyteller's relatives, living their tragedy. No simple reading of an account. No, you live and feel their tragedies, one by one.
The narrative is well-written, and the storyteller, Edith Finch, delivers her narrative as she explores the ramshackle house with perfect pacing. As for the house: farfetched and improbable? Of course it is, silly! IT's a fantasy, yet one delivered as real, because it is the story that holds it all together....the setting can be as fantastic it needs to be to add color.
Regarding the house. It FEELS very much like a house lived in by generations. It captures the atmosphere of a house abandoned for several years. It just feels right. Interactive things like doors and drawers operate as you would expect them to. What a well-designed setting!
The real story with this game though, is the story. Written and delivered with such emotion and pacing and authenticity, it will stir your emotions at times, and at the end, if you opened your mind to fully enter this wonderful world, your thoughts and emotions will still be stirred for months after. I played this 6 months ago on Steam (and buying here, that's how good it is), and despite this, even with all the games played since, every day that I read of this game or hear it mentioned, thoughts and emotions, both excited and sad, swirl and I feel as if nothing can truly compare.
2.9 hours of playtime and still in my thoughts for months? Yeah, that is worth every penny!
