What Remains of Edith Finch and Every Finch
I’m so happy I chose to play What Remains of Edith Finch for my gaming journal. Not only was it fun and thought-provoking, but it was also entertaining and kept me on my toes.
There was only one thing I didn’t like about the game, and that was the navigation. At the start, I was so confused because there were no instructions, and trying to navigate between changing perspectives and moving forward was hard. It took me a long time playing to figure it out and it was only when I was about halfway through the game that I could do both with ease.
I loved the design of the game, it reminded me of a cartoon show you would watch as a child. Not in the way that the colors were overly bright, but that there was a consistent color scheme and serene look over the screen. Even with all the death involved.
I also loved Edith’s narration. She has a calming tone of voice and the way she describes things or ideas is very interesting to me. I also like how the words would just appear and would disappear if you walked through them or did a different action, like swing a kite at them.
I’m very glad the game wasn’t as scary as I originally thought. While the creaking and other background noises scared me when I was first playing, I eventually got used to them. Also, most of the stories weren’t scary, even Barbara’s.
One of my favorite parts of the game was the actual house. Not only was it so cluttered full of things that made it seem homey and lived in, but the house was also so huge. I loved how many secret passageways and areas there were to explore. You could enter one room and then find yourself in another room in only seconds. This almost magical quality also extends to the outside of the house, where there were treehouses.
Something that surprised me was how much I grew to love the game. I knew I would like it, but I didn’t expect to like Edith’s calm manner and feel sad for every Finch family member. I really liked how there was a readily available family tree and Edith added a drawing to it in her journal after every story we learned about.
I was impressed by how the game managed to give each family member a distinct personality and life and do so in one short playable story. There were certain people I didn’t expect to care about, but after learning their story I couldn’t help but feel saddened.
One thing that disappointed me was never finding out if the curse was real or not. However, as I said in one of my previous journals: if you believe the curse is real, then isn’t it real anyways? Another thing that disappointed me was never finding out what happened to Milton. I know it fits with his disappearance and his family never finding out what happens to him. However, I at least wanted to know if he made it to adulthood. If he ever tried to contact the other Finch’s. If maybe he had kids of his own and therefore there are actually two alive Finch’s.
One story I liked was Molly’s because it was the first time playing as someone other than Edith. I was so wrapped up in her tale, I completely forgot about Edith and that Molly wasn’t the main character. I believe that proves how good a job those in charge of the game did.
Gregory’s was the saddest death, and while how or why it happened wasn’t surprising, it was surprising to me that the entire family didn’t splinter after the event. I can’t imagine being around so much death, being constantly worried about dying, and then seeing a young relative pass. Especially someone like Edie, who was alive to see all these deaths and funerals.
I think Edith being the narrator and the main character was a perfect choice and I grew to like her more and more as I played. I knew there was a reason she was so adamant about writing everything in her journal, but I do wish she had been alive long enough to raise her child. It also makes me wonder if the child grew up in foster care or perhaps their biological dad is in the picture. This then raises the question of why they didn’t accompany Edith on her journey home.
This game was a perfect way to remind people that life is short. You never know when your last moment is and family is more important than you know. It is better to live a short, happy, and fulfilled life than to live a long one scared of all that will happen.
What remains of Edith Finch?
Love for her family, life, and child.
