What Remains of Edith Finch

[Gwardinen]

I'm surprised I haven't seen a thread for What Remains of Edith Finch up already, because it seems like a lot of people around here would enjoy it. Also having just watched the credits, our own Chris Remo and Jake Rodkin were among the playtesters (not to mention Brendon Chung and a number of other industry vets). Has anyone else played it yet?

 

I'm not 100% sure what my thoughts are on it yet, other than that it's one of the most creative creative works I've seen in quite a while. The shifting ways it tells its stories are incredibly imaginative, and I suppose imagination is one of the main themes of the game. While playing it I thought it would be an amazing thing to show people who aren't "gamers", but I don't think I could play it all through again in front of someone right now, and you'd definitely lose something by not being the one exploring that strange place. I had very similar thoughts after finishing Gone Home, which is definitely kin to this game.

 

Spoiler tags are a must if discussing any specifics of this one, though I'd note to anyone interested or concerned about having something spoiled for them; the game is only 2-3 hours long - so you can probably get to that part/finish the game pretty easily.

[Dosed]

Well I'm surprised I'm the first person to reply to this especially given its similarity to things like Gone Home and Firewatch in terms of genre at least. 

 

My overall impression of it was very impressive. I think the start of the game starts out much stronger than it ends, but I feel like I did the game a disservice by playing it in a few 45min to 1 hour chunks like I did. I feel like I would've enjoyed it much more if I had sat down and done it in 1 or 2 goes. I really liked the way each story felt super unique and some of them were more gameplay heavy and the others were more like watching a movie. 

What was your favourite story?

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 I think mine was the baby in the bath tub. It was so colourful and cheery and fun that I forgot about the inevitable grimness that was about to come. And then suddenly I became very sad after I remembered what the whole game is about. ç+

 

How did you feel about the monuments to each character in terms of their rooms? I'm not sure how realistic it felt to me but I'm not sure I cared all that much. Also is it every explained why the rooms were sealed off? Or is it just a very mentally unhealthy way to deal with the passing of a loved one? 

 

I'm not sure how much of a spoiler the previous paragraph is, but I thought I'd put a tag on there just in case. 

[Nappi]

This is an absolutely fantastic game.  I have rarely played an indie game that feels so confident in what it is doing, which is especially impressive considering the range of interactions in this game. I also appreciate that for once you don't have to explore every cupboard and read hundreds of letters to find out the story. 

 

My favorite story:

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The swing. The presentation was pretty much perfect. I actually felt the mixture of dread and excitement that you get when you are just about to lose control. I have no idea what combination of things lead to this bit working so well for me.

 

The bathtub bit was really beautiful and technically impressive as well.

 

In general, I feel like the the tone of the game was really good. The stories did not dwell on the death or the sorrow that comes with it too much, but focused on the characters' lives instead.

 

As to Dosed's point about how best to experience the game: I would say, just reserve about 2 hours and play through the whole game in one sitting. I feel like this game is exactly the right length for what it is going for.

[thenexus6]

In depth look at Edith Finch. Lots of spoilers.

 

https://youtu.be/6bMn4CoyUkM