Basil
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Post by Basil on Jul 13, 2017 10:16:25 GMT -5
Has anyone played 'What Remains of Edith Finch'? I just finished it and it was a masterpiece.
You play as Edith, a seventeen year old girl who returns to her childhood home after her mother's death, where she uncovers the secrets of her deceased family members one by one ... and that is pretty much all I can say without spoiling.
The game is entirely story driven. At first, it seems like a walking simulator sort of thing, but it really isn't, it uses interactivity in the most extraordinary ways to tell its story and to make a point. I was honestly surprised about some of the things you can do in this game. A story like this simply could not be told in a movie or a book, it needs to be interactive. It has some amazing atmosphere and a beautiful soundtrack and it uses several different art styles and gameplay mechanics to tell its story. And it's all so damn effective.
Lewis' Story tore my heart apart. At the end, I was standing there for a solid minute, because I simply couldn't bring myself to do what the game wanted me to do. I can't go into details without spoiling, for this is something that you absolutely have to experience for yourself. Watching a Let's Play couldn't possibly convey the proper emotions.
"There was only one thing left to do ... bend down his head."
The game was recommended to me by a friend who knows that I value stories in video games above all else. It's very short, it took me less than three hours to finish it. But I'm glad that I did, because this was an experience unlike any other.
I hope some of you guys will play it too, I'd love to hear your opinions.
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Post by breakfest on Jul 13, 2017 10:28:22 GMT -5
Sounds right up my street, will look into getting it at the weekend and get back to you.
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Basil
Drogon
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Jul 13, 2017 13:38:59 GMT -5
Post by Basil on Jul 13, 2017 13:38:59 GMT -5
Here some of my thoughts on the story and its characters. Very spoilery of course, so don't read unless you've played the game or don't care. So, I think it's pretty clear that even though you play as Dawn's daughter whose name is Edith, the title actually refers to Edith Finch Senior, her great grandmother, who is mostly referred to as Edie in the game. She is by far the most complex character in the story, though ironically, you have to read between the lines a lot to get a full understanding of what kind of person she really was.
She is the closest thing this game has to an antagonist.
Edie was obsessed with the curse, that's why she created these shrines for every deceased family member. The curse was a scapegoat used by her to justify some insanely reckless behaviour. She also liked attention, we know that from several newspaper articles in her room, on things unrelated to the curse, as well some of the comments made by Edith.
Her obsession with the curse may not have directly caused any of the deaths, but it was definitely a contributing factor. We know that the "curse" was a thing even before the family came to America, but Molly's death was not supernatural, she died because her mother was denying her dinner as punishment, and she decided to eat the poisonous Holly berries in her room, that were likely put there by her parents. Negligence killed Molly, no curse. One can only imagine Edie's shame and guilt, and of course it would have been easier for her to blame the family curse for her daughter's death, than to blame herself. Maybe that's the point where her obsession began. And she revelled in it and in the attention her family, and she herself, recieved as a result. The mere fact that she has not changed a single thing in the rooms, ever since those people died, forty, fifty, sixty years ago, shows her morbid obsession with the curse.
The comic in Barbara's room is even more damning. Edie's desperate need for the curse to be validated is on full display here. If you think about it, the comic showed things that only a member of the family would know, for example the fact that the music box hid a secret key. Which means that Edie herself was probably involved in the creation of a comic book depicting her daughter's death in the most ridiculous way, which is just more proof for Edie's twisted obsession with the curse, and her need for attention and validation.
Then you have Calvin, who wanted to fly. So his parents built a swing on a tree on top of a fucking cliff. That was an accident waiting to happen.
That's the curse. It's not magic, it's negligence, carelessness. We even see it in the actual fucking game, with Edith, 22 weeks pregnant, climbing on the roof of the house without any regard to her or her child's safety. The Finches don't do reasonable, they are eccentric, attention seeking people and they use the curse as an excuse to be reckless. It began with Edie and Sven. And their only remaining child, Sam, became a neglectful parent himself. Both his sons died as a direct result of their parents' negligence. His daughter was almost killed as well, but instead it was Sam himself who fell off the cilff. But it's okay right, because it's the curse, you see, it's magic. You can't blame the parents for any of that.
Dawn is probably the most down-to-earth member of the Finch family. She never told her children anything about the curse or these stories, these family legends, likely because she realized what danger lies in believing in the power of the curse. And it's noteworthy that the "curse" only came back when Dawn and her children moved back in with Grandmother Edie.
Edie's eccentricity and recklessness shows in the design of her house, as well as her desire to keep the legend of the curse alive. Instead of cleaning out the old rooms, removing the shrines and letting Dawn and her children move in there, Edie builds a tower, the house grows bigger like a tumor, like an abomination in the forest. It's grotesque.
Milton is the most curious case, because we have no idea what happened to him, we don't even know if he's dead for sure. I guess it's possible that he could have fallen from the tower Edie built for him into the sea, and his body was swept away and never recovered.
Lewis is the oldest one of Dawn's children, he was fifteen when Milton went missing and his mother sealed the old rooms. So there was enough time for his great grandmother Edie to take him from room to room and to tell him all these amazing, fantastical stories about magic and a curse, and the beauty and grandeur in all these deaths. Then his mother tried to steer him back towards normalcy and got him a mundane job at a cannery, which was nothing like the glamorous, amazing stories that Edie told him, just normalcy and boredom. So he began to daydream. He created a fantasy world for himself, no curse, no monsters, no death. He killed himself because of the contrast between how dull his real life was, and what he felt like was owed to him as a Finch, something larger than life. An idea that was planted in his head by his Great Grandmother Edie.
That's the reason for Dawn's desperation at the dinner scene after Lewis' funeral. At that point, she had accepted the deaths of both of her sons, and she realized that she had to protect Edith at any cost. That's why she so violently ripped apart the book left to Edith by Edie, because it contained another potentially dangerous story, one even more fantastical than the ones before.
It's ironic and telling that Edie outlives almost anyone in her family. Even though she is the one that kept the legend of the curse alive, she was clearly never afraid of it, and she was unaffected by it too. Until that is she herself became reckless and mixed alcohol with her medicine, which we see at the dinner scene. She died that same night, perhaps as a result of that.
So that's why I think the title refers to Edie, the Grandmother, not Edith, the playable character. Everything in this story is about Edie, Edith is just the observer.
It took me way too long to collect my thoughts and write all of this down. I hope someone's gonna read it.
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Basil
Drogon
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Jul 15, 2017 16:29:37 GMT -5
Post by Basil on Jul 15, 2017 16:29:37 GMT -5
Oh my GOD! 2018 FUCKING confirmed! This looks so good, holy shit. So good. It looks like you don't have to switch party members anymore and all your companions can fight at the same time. NEAT! Please hurry, Square Enix, I need this in my life. I'm not crying, I swear.
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Jul 17, 2017 18:37:33 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2017 18:37:33 GMT -5
I'm trying to beat my backlog and currently playing Donkey Kong Country Returns on 3DS. Jesus, this game is hard and pretty crazy at times. The level design is creative and a lot of fun, but it is so much harder than any Super Mario platformer. And I'm playing this on the hardest mode. I must be a masochist. The cart levels tho:
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Jul 18, 2017 9:59:30 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2017 9:59:30 GMT -5
Whoever designed this stage is a sick bastard. You have to jump, but jumping too high kills you.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2017 11:34:24 GMT -5
Has anyone played 'What Remains of Edith Finch'? I just finished it and it was a masterpiece. You play as Edith, a seventeen year old girl who returns to her childhood home after her mother's death, where she uncovers the secrets of her deceased family members one by one ... and that is pretty much all I can say without spoiling. The game is entirely story driven. At first, it seems like a walking simulator sort of thing, but it really isn't, it uses interactivity in the most extraordinary ways to tell its story and to make a point. I was honestly surprised about some of the things you can do in this game. A story like this simply could not be told in a movie or a book, it needs to be interactive. It has some amazing atmosphere and a beautiful soundtrack and it uses several different art styles and gameplay mechanics to tell its story. And it's all so damn effective. Lewis' Story tore my heart apart. At the end, I was standing there for a solid minute, because I simply couldn't bring myself to do what the game wanted me to do. I can't go into details without spoiling, for this is something that you absolutely have to experience for yourself. Watching a Let's Play couldn't possibly convey the proper emotions. "There was only one thing left to do ... bend down his head."The game was recommended to me by a friend who knows that I value stories in video games above all else. It's very short, it took me less than three hours to finish it. But I'm glad that I did, because this was an experience unlike any other. I hope some of you guys will play it too, I'd love to hear your opinions. I bought this a while ago at someone’s recommendation, but I’d forgotten about it and hadn’t played it until you brought it up. I completely agree that just watching someone else play or reading about it doesn’t really do it justice. It's more of an experience than a game in some ways. The numerous ways they find to tell the stories are so clever and fresh, and I love that no one story plays the same as any other. Quite a few of the deaths are relatively predictable (like Molly and Calvin and Gregory), but that’s not a bad thing. Sometimes that makes them more upsetting. I felt bad for having fun hopping around as the frog in the bath because I knew the ending would be so morbid. Walter’s a good example of that as well. As soon as he escaped I knew what would happen, but it’s still so shattering, especially when you consider that, had more people known other than just Edie (and maybe Dawn, it’s not clear if she knew or only found out after), he wouldn’t have stayed hidden for so long.
I thought Lewis’ story was probably the best (though that may not be the right word to describe it). Playing the two ‘mini-games’ simultaneously is such a smart idea. I love that it made me feel the monotony of Lewis’ life - I got so immersed in the fantasy in his head that I just instinctively moved my mouse across without really realising I was still doing it. And the ending of his story is incredibly heartbreaking. Totally agree with you that this story in particular needs to be experienced rather than just seen.
I see what you mean about Edie being the ‘antagonist’, or at least the most at fault. She’s been incredibly affected by the supposed curse - she designed and finished the graveyard before the house was even complete! - and certainly encouraged it. But I’d say, although we know very little about him, her father Odin is probably the worst. I mean he sailed his family and his house across the sea to escape from it. He may not have encouraged the curse anywhere near as much as Edie, but he condemned his family to never be able to forget about it since his house is always in view. Remember Edie said she saw that house every day of her life. No wonder the idea of the curse consumed her.
One minor complaint would be that it’s a little pricey for how short the game is, but the content and the richness of it more than make up for that.
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Basil
Drogon
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Jul 19, 2017 13:28:28 GMT -5
Post by Basil on Jul 19, 2017 13:28:28 GMT -5
One minor complaint would be that it’s a little pricey for how short the game is, but the content and the richness of it more than make up for that. Totally agree! These kinds of games often tend to be a little bit overpriced. A lot of them have very simple stories, but they are told in a complex, convoluted manner and you can almost feel how badly the developers wanted their game to be some kind of profound experience, but they end up feeling pretentious instead. I don't think this is the case here at all. The experience is so unique and the story so rich and well written, I think it's totally worth the money, even though it's short. Walter's story is another thing that shows what kind of person Edie really was. Instead of getting her son professional help to deal with his trauma, his own mother decided it's best to put him in a bunker underneath the house and to let him stay there for what, forty years? Also the fact that when Walter finally decided to go outside, he didn't just go upstairs to his family, instead he chose to break through a wall and escape that way. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but I think it's pretty safe to assume that Edie had no interest in helping Walter, she was feeding and encouraging his fears.
Furthermore, according to a newspaper article in her room, she gave an interview about the supposed moleman living under her house. Later in the game we learn that not only does the moleman really exist, but he is actually her son. What kind of a mother would give an interview to encourage that kind of speculation, at the expense of her own child who lives such a miserable, lonely life. The more you think about it, the more sickening it becomes.
Stuff like that is why I think Edie can definitely be categorized as a 'villain'. Obviously I don't think she's evil, as she didn't kill anyone herself, nor did she intend for anyone to die. But man, she was legit shrewed up in the head, and her way of dealing with the 'curse' made everything so much worse than it had to be. Another sickening little detail by the way is the fact that Edie put a fucking crown on Lewis' grave. She must have been really eager to memorialize him as well, considering that she herself was dead so soon after his funeral. Lewis' story was my favourite too. I think it alone is worth the money, to be honest, it was such an unique, engrossing experience.
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Jul 19, 2017 13:51:07 GMT -5
Post by freypies on Jul 19, 2017 13:51:07 GMT -5
Anyone have a Switch?
Got it recently for Zelda and Splatoon (and eventually Pokemon, Smash, Mario, etc), and it's absolutely amazing so far.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2017 14:28:32 GMT -5
Anyone have a Switch? Got it recently for Zelda and Splatoon (and eventually Pokemon, Smash, Mario, etc), and it's absolutely amazing so far. I'm still beating my 3DS backlog at the moment and will get a Switch for Mario in October. I forgot that you were also a Nintendo fan! Glad to have you back, man!
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Basil
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Jul 19, 2017 15:14:49 GMT -5
Post by Basil on Jul 19, 2017 15:14:49 GMT -5
Season 2 of The Wolf Among Us has been announced for 2018.
I wonder if they're going to address the open-to-interpretation ending of the first season, or if it's going to be a completely new story.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to it! Apart from Season 1 of The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us is by far my favourite Telltale franchise.
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Jul 19, 2017 21:14:40 GMT -5
Post by freypies on Jul 19, 2017 21:14:40 GMT -5
Anyone have a Switch? Got it recently for Zelda and Splatoon (and eventually Pokemon, Smash, Mario, etc), and it's absolutely amazing so far. I'm still beating my 3DS backlog at the moment and will get a Switch for Mario in October. I forgot that you were also a Nintendo fan! Glad to have you back, man! Thanks Mario looks great from the E3 trailer! Really looking forward to that too.
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Basil
Drogon
I'm your huckleberry.
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Basil
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Jul 27, 2017 10:37:23 GMT -5
Post by Basil on Jul 27, 2017 10:37:23 GMT -5
this song is pure, beautiful melancholy
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Basil
Drogon
I'm your huckleberry.
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Basil
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Jul 29, 2017 16:24:42 GMT -5
Post by Basil on Jul 29, 2017 16:24:42 GMT -5
<3
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Aug 25, 2017 23:02:32 GMT -5
via mobile
Basil likes this
Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2017 23:02:32 GMT -5
Anyone playing the new Uncharted?
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