Platform: PC
Developer: Giant Sparrow
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Release Date: April 25th, 2017
Genre: Adventure
Reviewed by Nips
It is with great nostalgia that I look back on The Unfinished Swan, a game that I thought to be a hidden gem on the PlayStation 4. Man, that game really ran with its imagination, inspiring the player and encouraging them forth into a land jam-packed with intrigue and adventure. Years later, those same developers return with their second title ever: What Remains of Edith Finch.
Like Giant Sparrow’s previous title, The Unfinished Swan, What Remains of Edith Finch is a first-person adventure game with a heavy emphasis on story and narrative. It is self-described as “a collection of short stories about a cursed family in Washington State.”
And that’s the gist of What Remains of Edith Finch. The player is introduced to the titular character, Edith, as she approaches the majestic, palace-like house where she grew up. One thing that stands out right away is in the creative methods that the developer used to communicate the story; as Edith’s voice narrates, floating blocks of text will appear throughout the world, hanging up in the sky or resting over an object of interest. On top of that, Edith’s narration responds to what the player is doing or looking at. These are both cool and dynamic elements that help to make “walking simulators” like this game more interesting and immersive.
So, the central story of What Remains of Edith Finch revolves around her family. According to Edith, the Finches are a cursed bunch; just about all of her immediate family are already dead, with mysterious circumstances surrounding each one of their deaths. As Edith explores her old home, she comes across the diaries of her passed relatives and ancestors, each of them lending insight into the manner of their passing.
And that’s where the action of What Remains of Edith Finch kicks in. Each relative’s death is represented by a fun and creative mini game. The styles and deliveries of these mini games are as varied as the deaths, themselves, each of them offering a glimpse into their respective characters’ minds as well as the events surrounding their demise.
Take, for instance, the very first character: Edith’s great aunt Molly. Around the time of her death, Molly was but a child, but she was having the most wondrous dream. In the wee hours of the night, Molly ascended from her corporeal form, inhabiting the body of her house cat. She nimbly leaped from branch to branch, chasing a bird through the trees outside. Then, her being ascended once again, this time into the body of an owl, hunting down rabbits that scurried away in fear through the brush. And on this mini game goes, taking the player through various animals of prey, each with distinct mechanics and an overarching narrative that lends insight into the mind of young Molly.
And when each mini game is over, you “wake up” back into Edith’s world. This is basically how What Remains of Edith Finch works; as you explore the maze-like house, you discover entry into the rooms of your various passed relatives, learning things about them through Edith’s narration as well as through the mini games that thrust you into a very subjective and personal understanding of their death. Playing as a young kid flying a kite to collect words floating in the sky, or as a damsel-in-distress in a comic book adaptation of a home break-in, or as a father taking photos with his daughter while out hunting, the player is taken through a whirlwind of experiences in a way that only video games can really deliver.
Now, for the most part these mini games are fun and cute (and sometimes downright dark), but my absolute favorite of the bunch would have to be Edith’s brother, Lewis. Lewis works in a fish canning factory. The fish drop in from the left side of the screen, and Lewis picks them up, drags them to the blade that chops their heads off, and then throws them up onto the conveyor belt. And he does it again, and again, and again, drawing the player into a sort of mesmerizing trance.
As he continues to work, Lewis begins to pass the time by daydreaming that he is a brave prince in a land of fantasy. A little bubble appears in the corner of the screen, and now the player is doing two things: walking around as the imaginary prince with their left hand while their right hand continues to process the endless stream of fish. As the mini game goes on, Lewis’s fantasy becomes more and more complex, and it grows in size, threatening to take over the screen. All throughout, the fish continue to pour in, often blocking portions of the imaginary sequence, simulating how the responsibilities of real life can often get in the way of our passions. This particular mini game strikes me as incredibly deep and well-thought-out compared to the other ones featured in What Remains of Edith Finch, and believe me, it gets crazy towards the end, offering a simulation of what it might be like to slowly lose touch with reality.
And therein lies one of the central themes that I noticed about What Remains of Edith Finch. Perhaps not with all, but with most of Edith’s relatives, their respective mini games betray some sort of disconnection or departure from reality, as the central character’s imagination–and mind–seem to just run away from them. It’s extremely chilling to start off one of these mini games doing something completely normal, only for things to get really crazy and surreal with the added implication that these events somehow represent the character’s death. This builds upon the game’s blatant subjectiveness, as we’re obviously not experiencing the true reality of the characters’ deaths, but rather the personal and emotional experience of dying, which I would imagine can be a very trippy experience. I would call this the greatest success of What Remains of Edith Finch, standing as a testament to how games of this genre can drive home a deep and meaningful story through sheer gameplay elements.
While What Remains of Edith Finch has many successes, it also has a few of its own shortcomings. First and foremost, not all of the mini games feel very fleshed-out. Some of them are extremely short and shallow, with not a whole lot of nuance or mind-blowing game mechanics that drive the story home. On top of that, the story is kind of bleh at the end of the day. If you crave a real sense of closure in your stories, then this might not be the game for you, because I found the ending, such that it was, to be very unsatisfying.
What Remains of Edith Finch is an intriguing narrative-based game that takes the player through the various perspectives of 18-year-old Edith’s deceased family members. These perspectives are conveyed through creative and engaging mini games that take the player on a series of bizarre and trippy rides.
Following on the imaginative heels of The Unfinished Swan, What Remains of Edith Finch stands as a testament to the narrative capabilities of these easy-going games typically dubbed as “walking simulators.” At its highest peaks, this game offers hair-raising insights and musings on death. That said, its lows really are low, as some of the mini games are rather shallow and boring. But if you’re at all interested in story-based games like this, What Remains of Edith Finch is definitely worth a shot.
Nerd Rating: 7.5 out of 10
