This was for sure quite a beautiful experience.

It’s pretty well known that any drama about families require essentially two things to be interesting: people tragically dying at a young age, and people going crazy. This game understands this basic premise, probably a bit too much (almost every member of this fucked up family either dies young or goes berzerk), but it still effective at being compelling and emotional.

I would like to point out, also, how well mini games are implemented here. Sure, some of these mini-games feel like baby’s first unity mobile app game design, but still, they work just great, and more importantly, they come as a nice surprise in their context but without breaking the mood of the whole story/game.

Pretty short game, i finished it in only two sittings, so there’s no excuse to not play it, and there’s also tons of beautiful moments to find out here.

A masterclass in narrative, game design, structure, and creativity in video games, What Remains of Edith Finch is also an incredibly striking, rich, and consistently sad story. The attention to detail, the coherence and originality of each story, and their dark tone all contribute to one of the best experiences I've had with a video game. An extremely depressing experience, but still so wonderful. A true work of art of the modern world.

Giant Sparrow's next project is something the video game industry needs more than almost anything else right now. And I am undoubtedly standing in the front row of this (hopefully large) waiting crowd.

A deeply intimate delve into the lives of a fictional family that is so well written and the world so meticulously built that they almost seem real. The finches are an eclectic bunch of which the majority lived very short lives. Rumored to be struck by a curse, most of the family met tragic if somewhat comedic ends usually at a very young age. We get to explore the whole family and their stories by investigating Edith's childhood home which is a beautifully designed creation functioning as the architectural equivalent of a family tree. See in the Finch household each family member gets their own room, and when a new Finch is born, the house is expanded upon building a new room on top of the existing house rather than recycling an older room of a departed older family member. This magic idea creates the feeling of travelling through time as we climb further up the house learning about each family member in chronological order.

Exploring the Finch house in the game reminded me of my teenage years when sometimes I would sneak into old abandoned houses and poke around, sometimes I would come across one that was left somewhat furnished. I would scan through their things and sometimes I would get the feeling that I was beginning to get to know who these people were, creating a story of their lives by looking through their belongings. What movies they owned, books they read, drawings, pictures, clothing, etc. Ignoring the morally questionable invasion of privacy, I felt that I gained a sort of personal connection with these unknown people through the objects in their rooms. I imagine a lot of people can relate if they have ever rummaged around in the attic of an old house or maybe had to clean out a storage locker of a deceased family member. This feeling of getting to know someone through their belongings is nailed perfectly by this game.

The story unveils itself through learning each family members interests and ultimately how they died. As you would expect, many of the family members stories are intertwined and thus as you learn about one family member you can usually glean some information of others. At the beginning there is an emotional disconnect as Edith has only heard about her older family members through possibly embellished stories. As we get closer to Edith's room however, we feel the emotional tension grow as we start learning about the fate of her immediate family. This all culminates in an ending that is truly sad yet hopeful, and is sure to pull a tear or two out of most peoples eyes. Digging a little deeper you can piece together that Edie, the great grand mother of our protagonist, and her infatuation with fantastical stories about the curse might be the root cause for a large number of the deaths in the family rather than anything actually supernatural. At the very least Edie uses the curse to explain away generally neglectful parenting and enjoys the popularity it has garnered the Finch family.

If you like a good walking sim every so often and value creative ideas and compelling stories then give this one a go. Judging it based on what it is, I'm not sure if I have played a better game in the genre.

Sights & Sounds
- The graphics weren't mind-blowing or anything, but the game looked quite good on the Steam Deck
- Lots of great stylistic decisions. Even the movie posters in the game looked good. I loved all the little details that made the Finch home feel lived-in
- The music was appropriate but forgettable
- The voice acting was very well done

Story & Vibes
- As you might expect from a walking simulator, the story is the focus. In that respect, it certainly doesn't disappoint
- In broad strokes, the game involves searching the Finch's family home, slowly learning the stories of your ancestors and their curious fates
- Despite some creepy stories, it never really feels like a horror game

Playability & Replayability
- The game is just a little more interesting than your typical walking simulator, often relying on you to use mouse/trackpad/stick movements in order to open doors, drawers, books, etc.
- Some of the family stories involve pretty interesting mechanics. The ones for Molly, Barbara, and Lewis stand out in particular
- There's not much reason for a replay unless you missed some achievements on your first playthrough. Fortunately, after you finish the game for the first time, you unlock a chapter select

Overall Impressions & Performance
- Ran perfectly on the Steam Deck. Looked great too
- The way the narrative and gameplay interact is really cool. This is a must-play game for adventure fans

Final Verdict
- 9/10. The story is so good, and the gameplay is surprisingly good for a walking simulator. Keep in mind that it's a 2-3 hour game when setting your price point, but it's definitely worth picking up

Складно щось сказати про цю гру двома словами та жанр вгадати теж; для мене - це інтерактивна книга, як коли ти був малий, хотів би щоб дії в книжках розгортались саме так вживу.

Історія сумна але цікава, кожен персонаж та головна героїня по своєму вдало описують світ цієї сімʼї. Всі вони як одна велика непрочитана книга, історія яка могла загубитись але залишиться поки її ще є кому розповісти.

Гра добре працює на стімдеку, можна сміливо пройти її на ньому. Фпс іноді пригав але не критично, що абсолютно не завадило насолодитись грою.

Warning : spoilers

What happens to Edith Finches = 2 hours of wow moments.

What makes a linear narrative game able to remain a game and not just a narrative movie? I believe this game brings interesting propositions.

These are essentially random thoughts.

- Great creativity in the interactions between the character, the environment, and the text.
- Breaking the laws of character movement.
- A whimsical architecture made up of accumulations of rooms and secret passages.
- Playing with a form of media history: glasses-photos, the unfolding book, comics, photography, the flip-book, etc.
- The swing scene: just incredible. It creates tension in a sequence that only aims to tell a short flashback. Much more interesting than a QTE sequence in most games of this style.
- A lot of humor too: references to Halloween the movie. Walter's radio music styles changing over the years. The "Pulp comic" moment as well.
- Relatively simple story: a girl seeking to understand the mysteries of her family. When you see the family tree, you might think it's heading towards something relatively boring, like reliving all the stories of the family. Yet, it's the game's mastery to make the visit to this family album interesting.
- The "Lewis moment" is a strong moment (if not the strongest) of the game. I don't think I've played many games where each hand controls a different part of the screen. You are truly immersed in Lewis's delirious thoughts. Anyone who has done a repetitive job can empathize with this character.
- Duration: 2 hours is more than enough.
- LEWIS SUCH a GAMER WITH HIS WASD KEYBOARD and double screens.