What Remains of Edith Finch (2017)

What Remains of Edith Finch didn't hit me quite the way I expected. Its glowing reputation precedes it and I do wonder how that affected my experience, because where I expected a tearjerker I got something that did a really good job of making me laugh. The absurdity of many of the scenes often undermined what I believe is the intended tone of the experience for me, but I think the game is also well aware of how silly some of its scenarios are. It didn't ruin the experience. It just didn't align with my expectations, and that's fine.

That said, I don't think I was quite taken with the plot itself, which was a bit of a letdown in a genre which typically hinges on the strength of its narrative. It came off a bit simple and vague for my taste. There's certainly some meat to its intended message/moral though and I could see this one growing on me more as I turn it around in my head in the future.

What I was very impressed by is the way this game uses its gameplay to bolster its narrative. There's a lot of creativity on display here. Every time a new "substory" began I was amazed at the fun and unprecedented ways the devs chose to have the player interact with the writing-- often quite literally. It's really really cool and easy to see why this game has more mainstream appeal than many of its peers in the genre; it isn't just a story that you walk through (which I personally don't mind either)-- you play with it. There was a lot of thought and time put into these parts of the game and it shows. This screenshot will probably be confusing to the uninitiated but it's one of the game's ludonarrative peaks.

I do wish the story had gripped me a bit more but I still had a very good time with this one. I played it through in one sitting tonight and I'm glad I did. If you have enjoyed "walking simulators" in the past, you'll probably enjoy this. And even if you haven't, there's a good amount of variety to the gameplay here so I think it's probably still worth checking out.

I like a good story-driven, mechanics-lite game—Disco Elysium and Citizen Sleeper are both recent favorites. But the writing and the characters and the world and the general atmosphere of the game have to be top-notch to keep it from feeling like a visual novel with extra steps, and when I started playing What Remains of Edith Finch, I wasn't feeling it.

Then the young girl whose flashback you're playing through says "Suddenly... I turned into a cat!" and jumps out the window to chase a bird which I was absolutely not expecting, and then the whimsy of that moment quickly turns very dark and that's when I realized that this was mostly going to be a game about playing as different characters in the moments preceding their tragic demise, and now I've finished it I'm kind of dumbfounded.

And it's definitely not just a visual novel with extra steps. The interactivity is vital to the experience, leading to some brutally visceral moments that could not have been as effective without the player being in control—the swing scene might be the most affecting thing I've ever played through in a game, to have the player take control in that moment, when they know what they're doing and what's going to happen but have to do it anyway, it's truly gut-wrenching.

Your mileage may vary. There's a fundamental absurdity running throughout the game that for some may get in the way of a more immersive emotional experience. Or you may simply decide the fairly minimal interactivity isn't enough for you. But this game offers a truly unique experience, and that's a rarity worth trying for yourself.

I liked it a lot and I admire it a ton but for some reason it didn’t completely click for me. It still is amazing in how it pushes boundaries and experiments with interactive storytelling while trying to generate a wide range of emotions that are oh so rare in this medium. But even though I was of course disturbed by some of the stories it tells, it didn’t really move me or touch me* (which is bizarre: as a VERY emotional father of a daughter and as a person with a complex relationship with grief and mortality, I am prime target for this kind of story) and I kinda thought it doesn’t really have that much to say, even though it’s very good at saying it. Also, I don’t know, I’m all for disturbing and morbid stuff, but isn’t this a little tiny bit suffering porn? I would have loved to have been in the pitch meetings: “You basically spend your time guiding children towards death.” So much fun in those meetings!

*But I did get excited when I found my old keyboard in the game!

Any story that takes place in the Pacific Northwest always piques my interest since that's where I was born and raised so I was pleasantly surprised to find that was the setting for What Remains of Edith Finch.

The story follows Edith as she explores her childhood home in Washington, narrating what it was like for her to grow up there, recalling stories of her family, both those she experienced herself and those shared with her from her relatives.

The gameplay is very simple since this is a walking simulator so the biggest draw is its plot and exploration. The tone shifts fluidly from mystery to whimsy to horror to sorrow. These vignettes which focused on each member of her family tree is a reminder of how we all have our own stories, our own delights and failures, our own human experiences that are so drastically different from one another, even from those living within the same household.

I'd recommend this game to those wanting to play an award-winning indie title, especially in the fall.

Pros

• Innovative interactive story telling

Cons

• Gameplay elements are weak

What Remains of Edith Finch is an innovative interactive storytelling game. It showcased a way to tell an engaging story that is only possible in the video game format. The story of each member of the Finch family is told in an interesting and distinct way. It varies in length and quality. Some are pretty basic while some are masterpieces. My favorite is the story of Barbara Finch which was presented as a horror comic.

The strength of this game is precisely its weakness. This game is strictly an interactive storytelling not so much a game. The player is mostly just going through a series of interactive stories.

Obligatory YouTube explainer:

This is a "walking simulator" for lack of a better term. I mention this off the top so if you are reading this you immediately know if you would enjoy this or not. IF that does not scare you off this is a MUST!

I really enjoyed my time in this world. It is not as clean and crisp and controlled as a "Gone Home" which I think sticks the landing better. But, this presents its story in a very interesting way.

It is an anthology of tales and each one (no spoilers) is presented in a different... style? I do not want to spoil anything so an example is that in "Gone Home" you find letters and hear a voiceover. In this game, each "letter" is a separate genre or gameplay mechanic.

This one did not end in as satisfying a way as "Gone Home" and it left me with an ambiguity I did not enjoy which is too bad because so much of the ambiguity otherwise in the story does work.

It does not help that it is coming so soon after "Wandersong" which nails emotion and especially the ending so well. Still, as I said, I REALLY enjoyed this and think the length is almost perfect (I wish I had a little more to the end) and is totally worth playing!

I haven't been playing games much in the last couple months since I didn't have a comfortable place to sit. After two months of waiting, the new recliner I ordered is finally coming in on Saturday. I am planning to finish off Okami HD and then move on to the rest of my backlog!

I have also begun my quest of playing through all of the core Zelda games with my five year old daughter. We are almost done with the original Legend of Zelda on the NES. She is really liking it, but keeps complaining that Link does not look like he does in the later games.

My wife and I are playing What Remains of Edith Finch together. What a wacky game!

Finally, here is a shot of my game collection after I recently reorganized.

Review is also available on my blog The Shameful Narcissist Speaks.

There will be another to these shores to remember me. I will rise from the ocean like an island without bottom, come together like a stone, become an aerial, a beacon that they will not forget you. We have always been drawn here: one day the gulls will return and nest in our bones and our history. -Dear Esther

Part walking simulation, part puzzle, all bittersweet, What Remains of Edith Finch is a deep plunge into the tragic history of the Finch family by Edith, the last daughter of the clan.  Equal parts history and mystery, the the game follows Edith as she wanders through the halls of her family's lopsided home, recording the lost stories discovered behind sealed doors.  Named for her great-grandmother, Edith chronicles the lives and deaths of her family members who all succumbed to a mysterious "curse" her great-grandfather Odin brought with him across the sea.  Every member of the Finch family found an early quietus save for one child of each generation who survived long enough to make the next.

There's an eeriness about the game that doesn't quite border on scary with many of the deaths occurring under potentially supernatural circumstances (e.g. Molly and Milton), and the beauty of it is that the true or false of such is left for the player to divine.  Since I watched the game (and if you'd like to, I'd recommend the LPer I watched Cryaotic), I can't speak for the details of gameplay, but had I the time, I would've been able to play through it (and I may possibly do so for a future Let's Play or stream).  There are no enemies to vanquish nor points to score, and the puzzles are not only intuitive, but intricately connect to each relative's story.

The house itself is a crooked wonder since Edie (the great-grandmother) sealed each person's room after their death, adding additions to the home as the family grew.

You’d think at least one or two deaths would be attributed to this leaning monstrosity

The game has a definite Dear Esther vibe, exploring a deserted island, recalling the past with a soundtrack that takes both Edith and the player back to those moments of tragedy, nor does any history mimic the other (except in death); they each have their own aesthetic to reflect the individuality of the fated Finch.  And the title itself is a poignant double entendre.  For in history, heartbreak, and hope we discover what truly remains of Edith Finch.

Simple but powerful. This hit me harder than I expected it to. The storytelling was wonderful and I am glad that I picked this up.

Also, if you are planning to pick this up, also consider playing The Unfinished Swan. Not only because it is another great game from Giant Sparrow, but for additional reasons I won't dive too deeply into for fear of minor spoilers related to What Remains of Edith Finch.