An absolute masterpiece. it's possibly the best game of all time, and certainly the most important one for me. The usage of lights and shadows, of organic and technical forms, horrifying sounds, animations that can be elated or deeply indifferent, places of transit, a grand sense of scale, the most considered use of color, the different pacing of sections, the artificial mystery - all of it has never been matched by anything else, and not because everything else is bad, but NaissanceE is just so good.

One point is especially important though - while I put it on a similar level as Transistor, it has a special connection to games: It could never be anything else. Other games could be adapted to have less gameplay or even be just a movie or a book. NaissanceE has no other option but to be a game, it could not work by just describing or passively viewing an exploration of the world, as it can be seen in the often-referenced BLAME! series. And even then, it doesn't have any overt gameplay.

If you're interested in video games as an art form, playing this is mandatory. And it's incredibly exciting to see the author working on a new game...

Reviewed on May 07, 2023


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