What Remains of Edith Finch (2017) by Giant Sparrow

I haven't particularly liked most games lambasted as "walking simulators", such as Gone Home or Firewatch, but I've always been quick to note that that dislike doesn't stem from what seems to be inherent in this subgenre (short, story-focused, dialogue-heavy, and very light, unchallenging gameplay scenarios), but rather because these games put such an emphasis on story and often don't feature a good enough story to carry the game. I talked about this in my Firewatch review and felt the same way about Gone Home, though I didn't write a review for that one. What Remains of Edith Finch is remarkably similar to those two games, but I like it a whole lot more.

Edith Finch is notably different from those games in that I felt the story succeeded in carrying the effort and provides the emotional heft necessary to make the game worth playing. While the story in Gone Home had nowhere near the impact on me its writers seemed to expect, and the twist reveal and unsatisfying conclusion of Firewatch left me feeling cold and disappointed, Edith Finch's story hit like a ton of bricks to the gut. This is a story about the last surviving member of the Finch family, Edith, and her rumination upon the curse that has taken so many members of the family due to accidents, illnesses mental and physical, and violent crime. Experiencing the story felt very much like opening Pandora's box to me; there's a whole lot of sadness and the game's somber mood, supported by a great score and some lovely melancholy scenery, is uplifted by small moments of levity in which hope seems to shine through. This is not a happy story, and though I wasn't personally moved to tears, I could easily see how one would be.

I can't really analyze this much as a video game, as it is pretty light on gameplay mechanics and heavy on story, and I can't go into the story much without spoiling its impact. I will note one stupendously designed segment of the game during Lewis Finch's story, but I'd rather not describe it in detail because it should be experienced blind. But it's a wonderfully designed segment that tests coordination and does an extraordinary job of engrossing you in the young man's experience. The game is full of notable sequences like this that help set it apart from the games I mentioned earlier, where Gone Home had not much to note and Firewatch had you trekking over samey landscapes and performing busy-work tasks.

My only complaints are that the control can be a bit wonky in some of these unique sequences, and that the game ran surprisingly poorly on my i7 4790k / GTX 1080. I experienced quite a bit of stuttering and some odd frame drops for a title that, while beautifully constructed, is decidedly not a graphical powerhouse.

Edith Finch is a remarkable work of art that's wonderfully designed. thoughtfully constructed, with a poignant story focused on the hope that drives us to persevere through painful experience. It is quite short, though, so you're better off waiting for a sale than paying full price for this one. But if you're looking for a engaging story that will leave you thinking long after you've completed it, I would heartily recommend you give What Remains of Edith Finch a shot.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Playtime: 4 hours