While not a perfect game by any means, this is a game that has a particular magnetism that I found myself glued to from the time I booted it up to the time I got my first ending. This is one of those games that doesn't burst at the seams with content, but instead leaves you with enough thoughtful ruminations that will stick with you long after. I'm absolutely going to be playing this again, as the particular vibes of this game are just so unique and nail such a melancholic vibe that make my heart feel enveloped in a sticky sweet bitterness. Some of the puzzles the game presents will be a bit frustrating, but if you let go of your anger and approach it from a few different angles, you should find yourself immersed in a deeply personal experience that few other games offer.

maybe a perfect game? in the sense that it does exactly what it seems to set out to do. a shockingly beautiful character study despite the strange outsider-art vibe its going for. in many ways its strange, surreal, mixed media aesthetic makes it what it is, and lends itself to a non-literal style of implicit storytelling that i've never seen fully realised in games like it, outside of maybe OMORI's black space.

puzzles were sometimes frustrating, i accidentally 'beat' the game after only collecting around 6 effects because i had no idea how to progress, but once i got around the roadblock i was stuck at and found the next piece of content i was able to truck through to the end with minimal use of a guide, caving to the super helpful Steam discussion board when i felt myself getting frustrated. i don't have much patience for puzzles in games anyway, so i do think its perfectly to see everything important without a guide.

this is exactly what i want out of a video game and im glad i was able to find this