Some self-serious hacks with no apparent interest in making a video game at all try to do their own GONE HOME while cutting every corner imaginable.

Shoves the most tired, obvious, weak, and unearned sob-story shit down your throat without offering even the barest pretense of interactivity or exploration to justify itself. I'm definitely not one to rip walking simulators by default, but seriously, this IS JUST a movie where you hold W and do some incredibly shitty faux-motion control things to keep it from pausing itself. And I wish it had been a movie, because if it were, it would have been ignored in that universe rather than feted endlessly by the no-taste-having idiots who write about games professionally, prompting me to have to one day play it.

Best parts of this were all the leaden and self-conscious references to things like Grey Gardens and Blow Out and Halloween and SUPER MARIO BROS. because, to paraphrase the saying, they briefly reminded me of things I'd rather be doing.

I was going to give this like 1 1/2 stars for some of the cute visual stuff, but then I got to the part where you get to play as a baby in first-person as they drown to death, and yeah, the people who made this game can suck my dick from the back.

This game was only about two hours long but it told a lot of stories in that time that all add to the larger narrative. Graphically the game looks very good and is visually creative. The story is also engaging and emotional as you explore the house and learn more about the Finch family. The gameplay was simple with a few variations depending on the story you are playing. Overall I enjoyed the experience well enough but with no real challenge of any kind it's more of a playable story than an actual game in the traditional sense.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a short and sweet title that tells the tales of a cursed family and the misfortunes of everyone involved. The player controls Edith, the last surviving Finch family member, as she reminisces about her past while exploring her family’s abandoned house. There are secret passages left and right, and Edith must snake through the tunnels to uncover the mysteries found within. The game integrates its unique controls into the exploration by using intuitive movements with the control sticks to turn handles, open windows, and unlock gates. In the end, it has a confusing message that isn’t too deep, but it leads to a satisfying, albeit sad, ending that ties together the whole experience nicely.

My experience with walking story games is "Gone Home" which I wasn't too bowled over by but I thought I should continue with different ones. Went into what remains of Edith Finch with an open mind and boy did it pay off. A beautiful game to play with varying simplistic gameplay mechanics to drive and interact with the story. I never expected to get emoptional towards the end but I did. The end credits with all the developers photos as kids felt really special and is one of the very rare occasions where I saw and watched the entire credits for a video game in absolute awe.