I played through the video game What Remains of Edith Finch last weekend and though it's not a horror game
per say, I still feel compelled to post about it.
This game was really wild. Having now played a few like
Edith Finch (Gone Home, Virginia) I discovered that this subgenre
actually has a name in“walking sims”. It's not a very exciting
name, but these experiences are at the forefront of showcasing
games as art. I was very fond of Giant
Sparrow's previous game The Unfinished Swan and knew that I was in
for a sizable dose of whimsy, but they really upped their game here.
While it is true that this game was about death and
tragedy, it also had this really touching theme of family and the
connection to our ancestors. The storytelling was top notch and I was
taken aback by the range of gameplay from level to level, even within
the restraints of the first person mechanic.
My favourite would obviously lean
toward the Barbara level that takes place inside the panels of a
Tales From the Crypt style comic book, but the batshit Molly sequence with
its Im-a-cat-Im-an-owl-I'm-a-shark-I'm-a-worm-monster-thing was a
fitting starting point for what was to come. Perhaps the story that
hit home the most for me was Lewis', as I've often drifted off into
other worlds during the monotonous hours between nine and five.
As with Swan, the score here was
terrific and really accentuated the universe inhabited by the
Finches. I didn't necessarily feel like it was a short experience for
the twenty-seven dollars, but I would have liked more replay value.
While Swan had balloons to collect, the remaining trophies in Edith
Finch can be gobbled up within a half-hour.
I really enjoyed What Remains of Edith
Finch. Despite its morbid amount of death and sadness, there was also
a message of hope that no matter how bad things get, it only takes
one good event to turn it all around. I like that.
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