This game is honestly pretty brilliant from a storytelling perspective. The visual metaphors and the narrative structure capture the experience of suffering in an abusive household and fearing one's father quite well. And if this were a short film, I would be praising it.

Unfortunately, Traffic didn't work for me as a gaming experience. It is often aimless, structurally schizophrenic, and boring for most of its play time. I don't think I've ever related to a game protagonist more than the moment in this game when the playable character said, "this isn't fun anymore."

In short: I understood Traffic's message far, far earlier than it arrived at its own point. And by then, the monotonous walking back-and-forth I had done across that L-shaped house for the past hour had long worn out its welcome. Its interesting philosophical statements aside, the game did not engage me as a player.

Walking simulators can absolutely work. I love a fair few of them. This isn't a case of a veteran gamer yelling at the kids to get off his lawn. I have no delusions about the "good old days," I haven't fallen down any right-wing rabbit holes online, and I don't hate Bloober Team for simply existing. BUT, the best walking simulators out there still make the experience of playing them varied enough to keep me on my toes and give me a sense of momentum. On that front, Traffic unfortunately felt stagnant very early on.

I give Bath Simulator 1/5.