What Remains of Edith Finch, a previously PS4 console exclusive, has finally been given the opportunity to draw in Xbox One owners with its melancholy and wonder. This ‘walking simulator’, is a passionately narrated tale which follows the life and history of the Finch’s, a macabre family whose history is as tragic as some of Shakespeare’s best work.
Immediately you are whisked away to this foreign land, with forests and backdrop so thick you can almost smell the damp in the air. The earthly backdrop is brushed aside by an almost alien house that encapsulates the entirety of your attention. You feel somewhat intimidated, taken aback by the whole place, but the narrator, Edith, is with you every step of the way. This game is about her journey back into her family home, a home she herself admits has an aurora about it that makes her feel uneasy. You trickle through the winding dirt tracks before the behemoth of a house stands before you, almost staring back. Much like the tree rooted and growing through it, the house itself expands and shoots off in peculiar directions, a health and safety officer’s worst nightmare. Both you, and Edith, are drawn inside…though the only way in is through the old dog flap.
You enter the house, but it feels like you’ve entered another world. The game lets you explore every inch of this wondrous space, a house full of secrets, mysteries, and rooms that have not been lived in for literally decades. Edith narrates your exploration, providing context to the bizarre pyramid of tinned tuna cans, haunting wall paintings, and the reason as to why all of the bedroom doors are sealed shut. She gives you an insight into her feelings, as well as filling you in with all the kooky stories surrounding the tragedies of each family member. She talks just enough, giving you ample time to yourself to explore, but she will still chirp in when you’re looking at specific objects and items of interest. It is a healthy balance of atmospheric silence and narration, where you will feel like you’re exploring it together, not being talked at.
The Finch family home truly feels lived in, with the walls holding so much history that the tragedy bleeds out. The rooms are chaotically cluttered, so much so that it seems inconceivable that it was made by a development team, and not lived in by a real family. The attention to detail is faultless, you’ll forget you’re in a game and you will start to worry about knocking things over, for fear of being shouted at. Every inch of the house hides something, and everything feels like it has been placed with purpose. The game sums this mess up appropriately when Edith says the house is “like a smile with too many teeth.” You never feel alone in the house, little creeks and bumps will keep you wondering if you are alone, but you will come to realize that the house itself has become anthropomorphic, manifesting the energy of decades of life and emotion.
The story is comprised of the aforementioned exploration and narration from Edith, but also small snippets of varying gameplay. These vignettes occupy the space in-between your discovery in What Remains of Edith Finch, retelling the stories and tragedy which consumed each family member. You begin to uncover some sort of a mystery, something Edith’s mother was afraid of, but has since given you a key that will help you piece together the puzzle. With each part of the house you discover, and new member of the family you learn about, you relive their final hours before a harrowing demise. It is made all the more disheartening as Edith is retelling the experience you’re going through and foreshadowing what is still to come.
The stories are most peculiar, but are certainly entertaining. This format really works well as a means to break up the story telling, by giving you a fresh perspective and something new and unique to do. Though, the stories are painfully morose and the way you are forced to play out the story somehow personifies this. This game, and its unique vignettes, feel like an enjoyable puzzle that shocks you with every turn, as you begin to piece together a final picture that you can’t quite make out. An interactive comic book tale, playing on a swing, running through the trees as a cat, and working in a fish factory are just some of the captured memories you will relive. By the end of the game you will genuinely feel a part of this family, and the tragedy pains you too; you have been welcomed into this untouched time capsule of tragedy and macabre that genuinely makes you feel something.
One of the greatest aspects of What Remains of Edith Finch is how the individual stories come together as a cohesive whole. Small comments made in passing will link up with characters later on and suddenly make sense to you, or memories will mention someone in the family and paint a vivid picture of them, before you then stumble across that persons own stories and mysteries. It is hard to describe this game without treading too close to spoiler territory, especially because this is an important game to play and experience for yourself. What Remains of Edith Finch, doesn’t just give you one story, it gives you a plethora of tales dating back decades. These stories all tie together before closing with a satisfying climax that will leave a smile on your face and a lasting impression on your soul.
Our Verdict:
What Remains of Edith Finch is a genuinely beautiful and harrowing tale that truly masters the art of story-telling with a compelling narrative that entices you to wind your way in, around and farther into the house that has seen so much heartache and pain. The game feels like walking inside a poem or a novel, you feel like you are exploring the house as it is imagined inside of your own mind when hearing the narrator describe it to you. What Remains of Edith Finch is short, yet so full of heart.
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What Remains of Edith Finch
£15.99
The Good
- Gripping story full of secrets & mysteries
- Attention to detail
- Unique atmosphere
The Bad
- The game is on the short side