I love it to pieces. Or should that be 'I love it to fragments?'

The life of a city pigeon no doubt.

If like me you're a fan of Thirty Flights of Loving and Gravity Bones, you might be in the right place. One aspect I really loved about those was the light inventory management combined with something like a spy premise. There's something so effective about an 'augmented walking sim.' Throw in as many varied and single-usage mechanics as you can and you birth something constantly engaging. Not the norm given how expensive a disposable approach to gameplay would make most games.

Now Through The Fragmentation technically isn't quite that. Mechanics amount to 'walk and click' inventory management 101 after all. Yet given its multi-path infiltration setup and very natural use of items, it becomes something more than its constituent parts. Bar the time-skipping editing tricks, this feels like a spiritual successor to the Blendo games. That's just about as big a compliment as I can give.

They're forecasting strawberry milkshake.

I think the genius of the game is that after you get beyond its 'find the item-match the item' foundation, it really channels something more like an immersive sim than a simple puzzler. What if I give this item to that guy instead of the other? What if I see what's on this disc before I hand it over? What if I explore this section before ever leaving the first area? It's a short, inexpensive game and thus much more limited in its discoveries compared to something like Outer Wilds, but it rewards exploration and curiosity as well as any time-loop game does. It really doesn't get better in games than feeling compelled to experiment and push against its fringes.

Its clean, minimalist presentation and world of birdkind is just perfect for the layer of grime and crime it plasters over. When you see scars and blood, poverty and hardship, leaking sewage pipes, and the rampant discontent of almost every character you meet it's all the more effective for being filtered through its crystal clear art-style. It makes every shot look striking and every violent turn in its world of cartoon birdmen shocking.

Don't forget: you're here forever.

Talking of presentation, I love the subtle, immersive soundscape. Despite its grim environments and events, Through The Fragmentation feels overwhelmingly chill and relaxing to be in. Like its visuals, sound is used sparingly and purposefully. Diagetic lofi hip hop-esque tunes blare out from an apartment window and give the game this calming aura. It's funny - so much of the game is without music and yet I associate the fleeting tunes with the whole experience. Horror segments and all.

The central mystery is utterly gripping - right up until the very very end wherein it performs something of a narrative shrug. Still, the entire experience is not at all eclipsed by that moment and it captivates so completely and utterly that it's barely worth mentioning. It's an ending I would have perhaps enjoyed if I hadn't enjoyed the rest of it to such an extent. All I want is more. For instance, the dev clarified for me that one narrative strand had to be reduced to world-building due to a lack of time. Whilst the current length feels just right, an ideal world would allow Máté to give us even more of this! Whether it's something new or simply additions, I really hope to see so much more.

Even a drinking bird wasn't enough to keep boredom at bay.

Through The Fragmentation really is a slice of minimalist adventure game excellence. Channelling the Blendo Games games, it presents a world that's all at once relaxing and disturbing to occupy and rewarding to explore and experiment in. If this is but a fragment, sign me up for more.