What Remains of Edith Finch Reviews
What Remains of Edith Finch is a gripping exploration game, and will likely leave you thinking about it long after the credits roll.
First-person, narrative-driven games generally follow a pattern. What Remains of Edith Finch plays with those established conventions to create a beautiful story that breaks your heart, while making you smile just as much. A triumph in the genre.
By varying its approach and exploring new areas for the realm of interactive fiction, Giant Sparrow has crafted a game worthy of the praise so liberally lavished upon its peers.
Giant Sparrow's study of a deeply eccentric family stands proudly alongside narrative adventures like Gone Home, Dear Esther, and Firewatch
What elevates it from a fascinating and gorgeous experiment in presentation to an immediate contender for my game of the year is the way that the broader narrative informs the stories it contains, just as the house is home to its many rooms. Without casting judgement or becoming didactic, Edith Finch explores both the good and the harm that stories can do, and how folktale, imagination and superstition can lift us up and dash us down.
Don't question it — just buy it. Buy it right now. It isn't a shooter, and there are no puzzles and some will question if this even qualifies as a “game,” but What Remains of Edith Finch is an exemplar in video game narrative design. No other game I've ever played has provoked the same meditation on death, and ultimately life and the beauty of it all.
What Remains of Edith Finch is another triumphant effort from Giant Sparrow, complete with an engrossing story, innovative gameplay features, and gorgeous visuals.
It's a personal, singular experience that everyone can take part in, and with all my heart, I hope you do.
Indie studio Giant Sparrow conjures an adventure that blends exploration, reading, reality and fantasy into one innovative and beautiful experience
If you enjoy a story that pulls you in, then this game is definitely one that should be on your wishlist.
All in all, What Remains of Edith Finch is an incredible game, made just that much better thanks to the improvements afforded by the PS5. It is every bit the classic now that it was in 2017, and remains an absolute must-play.
Let's not beat about the bush, What Remains of Edith Finch is a real nugget that manages to break the codes of the genre thanks to its inventive game design. This short, tragic and poignant adventure is sublimated by an ingenious level design, a refined sound and visual universe, and an exquisite narrative.
Review in French | Read full review
A game that talks about death, but in doing so it becomes an unforgettable love song to life. Giant Sparrow raises the bar for "walking simulators", thanks to an amazing story told through compelling gameplay ideas and some real, deep environmental storytelling.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The experience is short, but ultimately well constructed. The ending has a very M. Night Shyamalan feel to it – you'll get some closure, but you'll also want more! Yes, What Remains of Edith Finch is essentially a walking simulator – but with a unique story, some very interesting sequences and some fun "game" moments, it's the best one I personally have had the pleasure of playing.
We were worried that the new project from Giant Sparrow will be something like another Gone Home, but as it turned out, between these games is a gulf like between the old rusty tractor and a Mercedes. This is a small work of art, framed in a modern digital form. Two hours spent in it were some of the most vivid, rich, and emotionally deep in our gaming life. What Remains of Edith Finch is really so great.
Review in Russian | Read full review
What Remains of Edith Finch has raised the bar for interactive stories and visual storytelling. The impact of static objects, while the story is beautiful and heartbreaking. This, like the Finch family members, cannot be improved, merely built upon and remembered.
What Remains of Edith Finch is a journey to discover truth, even if that truth is debilitating. There is a charm and humanity here that's hard to ignore and even harder to emulate. One in a million is too often used nowadays, but it holds true here.
Giant Sparrow delivers beyond our expectations once again. A touching story about a tragically unlucky family hits all the right notes, making What Remains of Edith Finch a worthy successor to the studio's sublime The Unfinished Swan. A walking simulator with a smart delivery mechanism paints the picture of a family tree full of misfortune and sadness, but leaves room for some happiness and sunshine. Between the most realised home we've ever seen in a game, the incredible voice work, and the moving, intriguing story, this is the genre's new golden standard.
What Remains of Edith Finch knows its niche from the beginning and rarely strays, resulting in a cohesive experience that I was never jolted out of. It elicits the strangest mixture of emotions, and its different modes of storytelling are second to none. The controls don't translate seamlessly from PC to Xbox One, but you don't play this game for the controls; you play for the story, and the story is gripping.
In some ways, games are the successor to movies and we've seen plenty of cinematic games that crib the format of feature films. To take nothing away from such games, What Remains of Edith Finch is a shining example of what video games do uniquely well.