I didn’t know what to expect when I started What Remains of Edith Finch, though I can comfortably say it is my personal favorite walking simulator out of the ones I’ve played.
Touring though this VERY much lived in house that has houses stacked on top of it just shows how much love, people, and stories those walls hold. You play as Edith Finch, the last remaining Finch around, and you decide to go back to your family house to reminisce. During your time here, you will run into multiple rooms of your family members and experience a part of their life. These stories range from extremely emotional to downright funny. While experiencing these stories, the gameplay or visual style of the game changes, which I found to be a welcomed addition to the usual lack of mechanics in the genre.
The house that holds all of these intriguing stories is also built in a way to keep the player engaged. They could have just had the whole house opened up and give the player the freedom to explore as they please, but they made the call not to. Instead, you’ll find all of the bedroom doors are sealed without a way to gain access through the usual means. You’ll come across interesting ways to access these rooms in order to experience the stories told within.
Once you do gain access to the family’s bedrooms, if you take the time to observe and learn, there is plenty of details left years ago to give insight as to what the past resident was like. It’s small touches like these that really give the feeling that a large family actually lived here.
Overall, this is a game that needs to be experienced. Once I finished my initial playthrough, a wave of emotions hit me. Sure, I shed some tears and had some goosebumps while I was experiencing the game, but the ending really brought it all together. Though, I must give credit where it was due, the game had a small moment during the credits that made me laugh through the tears, which really was a nice touch."
Touring though this VERY much lived in house that has houses stacked on top of it just shows how much love, people, and stories those walls hold. You play as Edith Finch, the last remaining Finch around, and you decide to go back to your family house to reminisce. During your time here, you will run into multiple rooms of your family members and experience a part of their life. These stories range from extremely emotional to downright funny. While experiencing these stories, the gameplay or visual style of the game changes, which I found to be a welcomed addition to the usual lack of mechanics in the genre.
The house that holds all of these intriguing stories is also built in a way to keep the player engaged. They could have just had the whole house opened up and give the player the freedom to explore as they please, but they made the call not to. Instead, you’ll find all of the bedroom doors are sealed without a way to gain access through the usual means. You’ll come across interesting ways to access these rooms in order to experience the stories told within.
Once you do gain access to the family’s bedrooms, if you take the time to observe and learn, there is plenty of details left years ago to give insight as to what the past resident was like. It’s small touches like these that really give the feeling that a large family actually lived here.
Overall, this is a game that needs to be experienced. Once I finished my initial playthrough, a wave of emotions hit me. Sure, I shed some tears and had some goosebumps while I was experiencing the game, but the ending really brought it all together. Though, I must give credit where it was due, the game had a small moment during the credits that made me laugh through the tears, which really was a nice touch."