Simply Beautiful.

Lost in the Memory

There is a special place in my heart, for games like this.

Games that speak to the soul and childhood innocence; stories that pull you back to a time of wonder, of discovery, of joy.

This is an emotional experience, one best enjoyed snuggled up in a comfy blanket and dim lights.

This game is so...

Cozy.

The aloof and warm feeling that Ghibli movies instill is wonderful, and this is a game that taps into that feeling, as well as the obvious 80s Japanese style and setting that encompasses it.

For those of you who have watched My Neighbour Totoro or Ponyo, you may find that connection or sensation once you involve yourself in the story within this game.

As for the quality of design and creative intent, if you are a lover of games like GRIS this may be a worthwhile addition to your list.

A story to be experienced

I wish not to reveal more of the story than what is presented within the contents of the steam page.

I feel I would be doing a disservice to you and to the craft if I were to deliberate beyond that, it is truly something best experienced than told.

...

Who is she?

---

Autumn has arrived; amber and ochre tones have enveloped the sacred forest, making themselves known to those that dismiss their presence.

It's almost—as if they are warning you.

A familiar dream. You wake up, the drowsiness losing its grip on you as the morning light pours down through the window.

Life is as usual, you greet your parents, and set on the streets to meet your friends and walk around the town as you do every day.

The wind seems somewhat different today. Almost mournful.

---

That is as far as I dare to reveal.

This is a mystery coming-of-age adventure, one of love and acceptance. Set in 1980's Japan, you will feel nostalgia for a time you never lived. A unique bubble of a different yet relatable time, one that transmits itself to us as if it were our own childhood.

There is so much life in this world, relationships and characters existing with you, as well as other not so normal existences, and wonders.

Gameplay & Performance 

It almost feels pointless to talk about performance here. 

Alas, I have seen potatoes being used as digital interfaces with more success than the "laptops" some people manage to make function.

The animations and graphics are such, that the performance impact is practically negligible as far as games go.

I ran on 144Hz the entire time, and that is only due to the limits of the monitor rather than the game itself.

For those of you playing this on your Samsung fridge:

Minimum requirements:

Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 | Intel i5 Skylake

Memory: 8 GB RAM

Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 | AMD RX 570

Storage: 2 GB available space

The game runs very smoothly, as is typical with these type of creative endeavours, it feels like you are interacting with an artbook, breathing life into illustrations.

As for the gameplay, I can guarantee you that you will not be doomed to repetition hell.

The days evolve, and your decisions can have an impact on what that means later on.

Tasks are varied, and trust me when I say, you cannot exactly predict what the following day has in store for you.

Graphics & Sound Design

We are talking hand-drawn, 2D crafted graphics.

Seamless transitions and harmony between UI and Gameplay.

I am and always will be a lover of the traditional mediums.

4K graphics is nice and all, but stylised graphics such as these speak much more upon the creative capacities and message of the game.

Every scene looks like a tapestry, like still images of a movie.

It has that vintage feel to it, the chromatic aberration, the post processing is just perfect.

Some may tire of such a look but I love it.

The animations are smooth, and very well intergrated which adds to that feeling of a moving picture rather than that of a 2D platformer game.

The melding between scenery and characters is such that the atmosphere of the town is made complete.

The sound design is on par with its graphics, all well crafted and dedicated to their specific use cases.

The immersivity into the events of the game is only made stronger by their well timed execution.

Experience & Replayability

I enjoyed every second of it.

I also spent way too much time trying to complete the game you see above.

A game with¡n a game, something that wasn't even close to the story nor objectives at hand.

But that is what the game is.

You are living a life, with it's actions and inactions.

There are moments of rest, of stillness, moments that permeate our memories seemingly unaffected by time. 

I talk of that sunday afternoon watching TV as your mom calls you to dinner, that seemingly mundane and typical moment, dime a dozen.

Yet it stands out to you in your library of memories, for some reason—it is so clear in your mind.

Final Thoughts

There are games often buried by the sheer quantity of releases and current titles on the market.

As of writing this it has been exactly one month since release, and while it may only have 114 reviews, there is a reason that every single one is positive.

Games can be art.

Games can be memories.

Timeless they are, such that the likes of GRIS and otherwise are still relived to this day, which in "game years" is practically ancient history.

If this is what you seek, it is here for you.