What Remains of Edith Finch (Gone Home, etc.) (Gaming)

by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Tuesday, May 09, 2017, 19:23 (2537 days ago) @ cheapLEY

I finally got around to playing Gone Home for the first time last week. It was free with PS+ some months ago, but it just never made it to the top of my play list. Perhaps not worth talking about in too much depth, as I'm really late to that party, but I'll just say that I absolutely loved it. I already knew the story the game was telling (waiting years to play something tends to have that effect), but I still found it extremely compelling, and the game does an incredible job of building a sense of tension while you wonder around the house.

It was great. It played like a horror story, in a way. I dreaded the conclusion, and more so as it grew nearer (that closed-off attic always loomed). One of the things that I loved about Gone Home is how much story was told through extrapolation or inference, and how the history of the house's former occupant tied into the current story being told. It's a pretty tragic story, and the ending continues that tragedy with the lack of closure. It was pretty great storytelling throughout.

I also tried Everyone's Gone to the Rapture, but didn't make it too far. I'm not sure what it is about that one, but it just didn't hold my attention. I just didn't care about what was happening, and just wondering around and exploring wasn't compelling. I think it was the lack of interactivity--having played Gone Home made me want to be able to look through cabinets and drawers and find things, but Everyone's Gone to the Rapture has none of that. It's still on my harddrive; maybe I'll get back to it someday.

Yeah, you won't be picking up anything in the game (interaction is limited to fences and radios). Instead, you're following a light around an entire town and the surrounding county, watching a radio drama play out. Yes, watching.
It's a difficult experience to get through (and not just because quantum physics and the nature of life itself come into play), but I stuck with it and beat the whole thing in one sitting, and I... am glad that I did. I can't say that it was enjoyable, or that I would play through it again (though I did finish the first storyline again for Sammy), but it was a completely worthwhile story, and I think making it a game gave it a much more personal impact than just listening to a radio drama would have. It works as a unique experience among walking simulators, because everything has an importance. The way the light moves in each chapter tells you a little bit about the character that is being followed. The paths that you follow show what the characters would see at different points in their story, and ultimately, even the glowing lights that make up the characters are relevant to the plot.

The story is both small in scope (the interactions and relationships between the people of a small town) and bold (the greater mystery of what happened to the people, and why).
It definitely stuck with me for a while...

But boy is the walking back and forth painfully slow (and it was even slower at launch).

So, in the vein of those sorts of games, I played What Remains of Edith Finch last night. It just dropped last week. I really, really enjoyed it. The game has you playing as Edith Finch visiting her old family home, which is a crazy looking monstrosity (I immediately thought of The Burrow from Harry Potter). You must explore the house and find ways into the bedrooms, which have all been sealed, and find the story of the room's former occupant. Edith narrates as she wanders around, and when you find the thing in the bedroom, you play a short vignette (ranging from 3-4 minutes all the way up to 15-20 minutes) that tells the story of that room's occupant.

I was curious about this game, but I think I've had my fill of walking simulators for a while. If it's ever a PS+ game, or at least 50%+ off I'll definitely give it a playthrough.