(Spoiler-Free Review)
As I am typing this, tears are running down my face, across my cheeks. My heart feels so empty, yet so full at the same time. My emotions are at the height of their intensity. Anger. Sadness. Love. I am experiencing all of it.
What I thought was going to be a retrospective on the deceased author's writings and blog posts turned into an emotionally unsettling experience. But I don't mean this negatively. This feeling of being emotionally unsettled...was also in a way, somewhat comforting. Loss through death is a complex subject to discuss or even process, and yet this game demonstrated the perspectives of it beautifully through the lens of different people.
To be honest, it's difficult to keep my thoughts on this game to one boxed-in review, as I'm still feeling the emotions. That said, I would like to mention the strictly game-related aspects that I really enjoyed:
- The symbolism through colours. The mixture of reds and blues conflicting with one another. The black-and-white art. The use of colour really incites different emotions and gives players like me a visual understanding of what they represent.
- Eyes. Eyes eyes eyes eyes eyes. The artistic approach on the eyes were very simple, yet powerful. We use them to see (literally and figuratively) how others are doing. Not just seeing them physically, but through their mediums of expression.
- The narrative branching style. The intention behind the way it was structured for this story...I could tell it had purpose. Although it was merely a glimpse into what I believe the experience/story behind it was, I felt like there was still significant weight in the choices that we were given.
One last thing: for the record, I was crying throughout this entire game. But the last scene really did it in for me. I truly hope more people play this so that they can see how much of a masterpiece it is. I commend you, Mei, and appreciate you sharing this experience with people like me. I will never be able to truly understand the story from your direct perspective, but even playing this game had me self-reflecting on the ways that I navigate death, loss, and mourning. I truly resonated with a lot of the conversations shown in this game, and it carries a very impactful message. Thank you for reminding us that games are more than just a place for fantasy worlds. They are vehicles for storytelling, even for the stories that are not "palatable."
This is a game I will never forget. This is a game that I will forever cherish. This is a game that I will forever know as one of my favourite games to ever exist.