What Remains of Edith Finch
Synopsis: “What Remains of Edith Finch is a collection of short stories about a cursed family in Washington State.
Each story offers a chance to experience the life of a different family member with stories ranging from the early 1900s to the present day. The gameplay and tone of the stories are as varied as the family members themselves. The only constants are that each is played from a first-person perspective and that each story ends with that family member’s death. It’s a game about what it feels like to be humbled and astonished by the vast and unknowable world around us.
You’ll follow Edith Finch as she explores the history of her family and tries to figure out why she’s the last Finch left alive.”
I heard about this game a few years ago but didn’t know anything about it beyond its name. A couple of weeks ago I was looking for something new to play and saw that this was on sale. I played the entire game (which is only a few hours long) in one sitting and it blew me away. This is such a beautiful game. There’s not a lot going on mechanics wise but it’s a real work of art. You can tell this was a passion project for the developers.
The ways in which the family’s stories are told are thought provoking but also so unique. I’ve seen this game compared to Firewatch, but in my opinion, as much as I love Firewatch, this was so much better. There’s ‘mini games’ for each story and the art style often changes to suit the themes of their story. Even when pretty outlandish (you spend the first story as a cat, bird, shark and then sea monster), these stories are fully immersive. I didn’t even feel the hours go by.
Be warned though, this is a pretty heavy game. You explore Edith’s childhood home to discover how her family died. She’s the only living member and a lot of her family died young. There’s one in particular that made me want to bawl my eyes out. Don’t get me started on how the game ends too. I figured part of this out from the jump, so I was feeling pretty smart. But god, does this hit you hard.
This is the type of game that everyone should experience at least once in their life. If you’re the type of person, like me, that adores game soundtracks/scores and can appreciate how this paired with art direction and environmental storytelling can make something that completely moves you, you’ll love What Remains of Edith Finch.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: Book Review: A Queen of Ice by Elise Kova