Yeah, it's gotten a little lamer in the last 7 years, and it's clearly a French interpretation of what American high schools (? is this a college? what is this school??) are like, but. I dunno. This still really really works for me. Arcadia Bay has such a strong sense of place that helps build this really specific vibe. It makes me wistful.
I think, even now but especially at the time, there were so few games about a female friendship set in the real-world present day that it was almost novel. Any complaints about mechanics or certain choices being unequal feel nitpicky, and my issues with the story (the canon ending feels too unceremonious to me, for one) kind of wash away in the grander context. It does a great job making you feel the weight of certain decisions even when you know they won't matter all that much in the end.
I was so enamored with this back in the day that I still don't have a good sense of its general reception. Is this a milestone game of the 2010s, or did it just arrive at a pivotal moment in my personal relationship to the medium? Because I definitely started treating games differently after this.
I think, even now but especially at the time, there were so few games about a female friendship set in the real-world present day that it was almost novel. Any complaints about mechanics or certain choices being unequal feel nitpicky, and my issues with the story (the canon ending feels too unceremonious to me, for one) kind of wash away in the grander context. It does a great job making you feel the weight of certain decisions even when you know they won't matter all that much in the end.
I was so enamored with this back in the day that I still don't have a good sense of its general reception. Is this a milestone game of the 2010s, or did it just arrive at a pivotal moment in my personal relationship to the medium? Because I definitely started treating games differently after this.