The only thing every episode shares is the first-person perspective and simple move, look and click controls. To describe any of the stories within the game is to say too much, as each chapter is so distinct from the last in terms of gameplay, aesthetic and setting. Giant Sparrow seamlessly transports the player from one character to another, shifting viewpoints and time periods through three generations of a family. At times, a character climbs into books, in scenes reminiscent of The Neverending Story or Alice in Wonderland. But scratch the surface and What Remains shares the same themes of folkloric wonder, as well as the storybook structure of its predecessor. Gone is the interesting ink-splash gameplay mechanic, gone is the stark white fairy tale city, and in their place is more conventional, beautifully rendered visuals. Photograph: Annapurna InteractiveĪt first glance, this seems like a dramatic departure from developer Giant Sparrow’s, first indie hit Unfinished Swan. The level of detail means that really understanding a space takes more than a moment’s pause.

In this way, the house acts as a grounding hub for the game, a visual metaphor for the messiness and chaos of life and a physical manifestation of the Finch family tree. After each Finch death, the person’s bedroom was sealed up, never to be used again, resulting in a rambling, crooked tower of a house, with rooms tacked on here and there over time. She is returning to the family home to find out what happened to them all. The eponymous Edith is the last remaining member of the cursed Finch family, who have all died in strange circumstances, some of them at a young age.

Instead, What Remains delivers a collection of whimsical tales that leap deftly from one genre to another without ever losing the thread at the heart story. Although it bears all the hallmarks of games like Gone Home or Dear Esther with its spooky waterside property, its readable letters and journey entries, and its lack of a “run” button, the game soon strays from the familiar paths trodden by those seminal “walking simulators”. W hat Remains of Edith Finch is a game about storytelling and a masterclass in characterisation.

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