There’s quite a bit about Excellent Tides: Station to Station’s Mara that I discover relatable. Like me, she’s just lately moved to a spot merely known as “the Metropolis” from the center of nowhere, and like me, she’s an avid author. However these biographical particulars aren’t the necessary factor; it’s the way in which she’s painted by the sport’s extremely sharp writing the place I begin to really feel uncomfortably seen. There are loads of characters in media which are awkward or socially anxious, however few which are drawn with such piercing specificity.
The purpose-and-click sport is minimalist in its mechanics. Consisting principally of conversations, it’s damaged up by just a few puzzles, object interactions, and minigames. This isn’t a criticism: it’s in speaking to folks that the sport shines, as a result of it’s how we get to see most of Mara. And he or she’s such a realized and resonant portrait of an individual that I discovered myself greedy at the place we have been totally different as a coping mechanism towards spending the entire time introspecting. I satisfaction myself, for instance, on by no means having had an terrible boyfriend. On this, certainly, I might discover some self-soothing superiority over this poor online game character.
The dynamics of Mara’s relationship along with her controlling, older, long-distance companion are sketched with each narrative and mechanical thoughtfulness. In a single dialog, a well being bar all of the sudden seems, and you will need to navigate a very tough dialog with out shedding all your hearts, a few of which you acquire provided that you’ve frolicked nurturing different connections. It’s one among many neat metaphors, and mixed with the intelligent moment-to-moment writing, led to a very notable second, which wrenched an “oh, for fuck’s sake” out of my mouth in actual life.
It was then that I had fully purchased into Station to Station . I assumed I had the form of it. Expensive relatable Mara and her messy relationships that I might maintain as a simplifying buffer between us. However the sport wouldn’t accept simplicity.
Apart from dialog, the opposite necessary mechanic is Mara’s writing. These manifest in assignments for varsity, visitor weblog posts, and, in a single actual low second for Mara, an excessively concerned discussion board put up, and also you’ll want to mix subjects collectively to finish the piece in query. These subjects embody the town, music, and intercourse, and so they stage up as you speak to individuals and expertise the world. It’s a reasonably easy however efficient illustration of how writing works: you study issues by dwelling after which mix concepts into, hopefully, one thing new and expressive.
There’s one piece that works in a different way. Mara writes a narrative that’s clearly a thinly veiled allegory for her personal life, and a tutor offers her some comparatively harsh suggestions. For the remainder of the sport, the story looms at the back of her thoughts. You may’t repair this simply by combining a thought your good friend had about motion pictures and your individual ruminations on dying attributable to your ailing grandmother. However every of these would possibly assist just a little as you chip away at it little by little. With out getting too self-indulgent about my very own current writing experiences, suffice to say Station to Station had as soon as once more skewered me. I had Mara work on it at any time when I might, each time reminded of my very own festering venture and the belief mandatory to attend and handle it slowly.
At this level within the sport, it’s clear that the aforementioned companion is just not Mara’s solely drawback. In truth, most of her interactions with different characters are marred in a roundabout way or one other. I, for one, would merely not get entangled with these individuals! However once more, the sport resists simplicity. Though it all the time presents dangerous interpersonal dynamics actually and with out excusing dangerous habits, it completely refuses the concept of shutting your self away to keep away from them. Since you would miss out on an excessive amount of. An excessive amount of pleasure, an excessive amount of connection, an excessive amount of potential.
Picture: Three Bees, Inc.
In one of many solely conversations within the sport that feels purely uncomplicated and productive, a personality tells Mara “you simply should threat it with somebody and see.” Station to Station argues, again and again, that being open to others, regardless of the danger of awkwardness, and of not being handled properly, is price it. Mara is naive, and never superb at figuring out what she needs, not to mention asking for it. And he or she does get damage. However she additionally lives a way more stunning life when she doesn’t shut herself off to experiences and other people. She offers with the results, and thru this she learns and grows and thrives. My knee-jerk perceived superiority in being avoidant is all of the sudden the crack by which Station to Station has sunk its claws into me. I will likely be fascinated by it for a really very long time.
There’s much more I might discuss, just like the a number of wonderful musical interludes, or the vastly exaggerated animations that really feel genuinely expressive whereas additionally being constantly comedic. I might even complain bitterly about a few of the incidental environmental puzzles and the way in which they floor the story to a screeching halt when you occurred to overlook one small interplay level. However what stored me fascinated by the sport lengthy after the credit rolled was its emotional honesty and the emotional honesty it demanded of me whereas enjoying it.
After enjoying the sport, I stewed for a few days, fascinated by Mara, myself, and one significantly memorable little bit of karaoke. After which it hit me: I by no means completed Mara’s rewrite. Regardless of how necessary it felt within the second, it turned out to be a lot much less essential than Mara and I opening ourselves up and accepting the results, good and dangerous.
Excellent Tides: Station to Station is out now on PC.