Summary: 4.0/5.0
What Remains of Edith Finch tells the stories of Edith Finch and her family members, and in particular each of their deaths. As Edith, we explore the family house she'd been forced to abandon as a child. As a teenager, she inherits a key and returns to the house to unravel the family's secrets. The game features a refreshing variety of gameplay and art styles, and presents an immersive, engaging, polished narrative experience.
"For the first time in years, I felt like I was home."
Mechanics
The story is divided into mini-games of sorts for each relative. The mechanics vary for each of those experiences, ranging from awkward platforming to a sequence that eloquently combines monotonous labor with navigating an imaginary world. Each of these min-games is accessed as you explore the rooms and belongings of Edith's family members. Upon reflection, these stories are probably experienced in a very linear path, regardless of the player. However, as I played, I felt as though I was controlling the path. I had the illusion of choice in how I discovered everyone's story, and in some ways that's more significant than actual control over the story.
There were only one or two moments that broke immersion as I played the game, and they both occurred as I navigated between mini-game sequences, when I had to reposition myself a few times to successfully crawl through a passageway. However, I was pleasantly surprised that a lot of the narrative plot points didn't require interacting with a hotspot. The journal entry captions appeared on various aspects of the environment as I approached them, creating a much more natural narration. These captions also served as guidance towards the less obvious objectives. At times, manipulating the environment scattered the text accordingly, resulting in a charming ambiguity between the game world and the user interface.
Narrative
Almost every minute of What Remains of Edith Finch is tragic, while still somehow endearing. There are mentions throughout the game of a family curse, and as you experience each family member's death, it's easy to see why. The combination of narration, exploration of the house, and experiencing everyone's final moments creates a compelling attachment to all the members of the Finch family. The family hierarchy was difficult to keep track of at first, but the repetition of everyone's names and relationships helped keep everyone straight. The one complaint I have about the presentation of the narrative was that at times it didn't give enough credit to the player. There were details (which I won't spoil here) that were first exposed as subtle hints, but later explicitly stated by the narrator. In those moments, I felt aggravated that the game didn't trust me to pay enough attention to piece it together myself.
"If we lived forever, maybe we'd have time to understand things."
Conclusion
Overall, I'd highly recommend What Remains of Edith Finch. It's an incredibly well-polished narrative experience. What it lacks in length, it more than makes up for with quality. There were very few technical challenges. I was so immersed in the stories of the Finch family that I even forgot to take screenshots for most of the game, despite the beautiful environment. The pacing is elegant and although most of the game is a linear experience, it feels very natural. While I only spent a few hours with Edith and her family, there are aspects of this game's potent narrative that are sure to stay with me.
