Recent reviews by cherryfunk

I remember hearing on a podcast once that this game is mostly bad apart from one good section in the middle. I played the whole game in anticipation of that ‘good bit,’ even though I didn’t know what it involved exactly. Became increasingly confused as the timeline started filling out. I still don’t know what part was meant to stand out as good.

So many great ideas here! The real-time mechanics are some of the most interesting recontextualisations of the mode of play I've seen, and the few cutscenes that are here are all very fun. I do think the dialogue can get a little overbearing at times – but maybe that's because I'm already the perfect communist.

Simply, the best storytelling and artwork I've ever experienced in a game I've played.

The writing often feels incredibly poetic and evocative, whilst still maintaining an engaging dialogue between characters in prose. The tone of the setting is great; the game really feels like it perfectly captures the spirit of the southern US state, or at least it feels like a brilliant representation to me, from the UK, making me wistful for time in the country.

The art style is also beautiful, eschewing photo-realism, or even a conventional cartoon art, instead using smooth and vivid cel-shaded art to create wonderful set pieces, which often are revealed to be on a grand scale as the camera zooms out.

Whilst the gameplay is broadly linear, every conversation utilises branching dialogue trees making conversations much mmore interesting as you have to make decisions on what you actually want to hear and find out about. Whilst you can also just follow the story and go directly to each location you are meant to go, I'd recommend taking the time to explore the whole map in between scenes, as the developers have hidden many extra locations and layers to the narrative which enrich the atmosphere even more.

If you don't like reading much then you probably won't find this game interesting, but if you appreciate rich storytelling you will probably find this game, coupled with its gorgeous art and music, to be one of the most emotionally engaging games you've played in a long time. Highly recommended.