What Remains of Edith Finch
(Giant Sparrow – PS4, PC)
2017 Game of the Year Contenders
Games that put story over gameplay aren’t exactly new, but over the past few years a wave of games which have been referred to, in my opinion unfairly, as “walking simulators” have bubbled up to the top of indie offerings. These games put players into the shoes of an individual as they discover notes, videos, and other queues that push a set narrative along. Actual interaction with the world is usually kept to a minimum, allowing the player to open doors, flick a light switch, or play with a specific object that happens to be laying around. What Remains of Edith Finch follows most of those same conventions, but adds a spark of life with how each story is told.
You play as Edith, a young woman who happens to be part of a cursed family who is revisiting the family home, full of rooms, hallways and makeshift additions. In each room of her old family home, she finds a connection to the final moments of other Finch family members, yet they’re all told in methods that are unique to each individual. It’s this that lets us know a bit more about that person, further tightening that personal knot that forms in the thread between the player and the game.
By the time it’s all over, you can’t help but feel joyful at getting to experience their lives and a bit sad at how it’s all over for them. What Remains of Edith Finch is a game that seems simple on the surface, but works hard to pull you into its embrace and hold onto you throughout its entirety, and that’s definitely worthy of some consideration for game of the year.
