i was pretty interested in this one while i played it, and i had a great time talking to a coworker about our findings, but i hit a point where i just couldn't find literally anything i might've been missing. no audio cues, nothing - yet i never saw credits. and my friend, who did see credits, didn't know half the stuff i'd seen. so i'm really confused about how what triggers those, but it's not an especially fun mystery because i'm still completely stuck.

to speak of the artistic vision, the statement, i didn't find it especially original. it's certainly very interesting to watch it unfold, but i don't know what they could show me that i haven't seen or figured out yet. like, i promise i get it, but it's a fairly tired theme.

what i loved most about this game is, hands down, the performances. it really is an achievement in balancing disparate tones and bringing small snippets into a greater emotional whole. i was genuinely moved by certain scenes, and nearly all the actors bring this whole thing to life with jaw-dropping mastery.

that said, when i look back on this game, i don't feel that i remember it all that fondly. it's good, it's interesting, but what i found when i turned over every stone i could find wasn't quite the climax i hoped they'd been building up to. maybe i'll return to it again someday.