If I had played this game earlier in my life, I think I would've genuinely become a different person. Never in my life have I seen a piece of media depict the totality of growing up in the midwest, and I don't think any piece of media will ever resonate with me in that way again. A feeling of total inertia where even as a child you realize that all the momentum of industry and growth had ground to a complete stop, and all that's left to do is wait for anything to happen.
I was particularly struck by the realization that my attachment to the rain is an extension of that idea. The nothingness of the heat and the drone of bugs and wind gives way to that sound, those smells, profound sensations that remind you that things can and do change. It's use in this story is brilliant- just like every background and drawing, striking in a way that forces you to confront that you've seen these sights and these places before, that you've met all these people already, that you've known it all forever and you're going back for a visit after all the years apart.
For review's sake I won't go into the story- but it's so resonant that you can still feel it even after it ends. Thank you so much for making this. I hope that every Finch and Fitcher out there will find it and feel seen and important.