What Remains of Edith Finch began in its initial iteration as a much more horror-themed game, with elements and mechanics centered around hiding from monsters and exploring stories underwater. I think it’s interesting that the game got its roots as a more horror-themed game, as there are definitely horror elements scattered throughout the game that stand out, but for the most part the game handles its subject matter with a juxtaposition of somber tones and fantastical storytelling that doesn’t directly seek to terrify. However, I still came out of my playing experience feeling unsettled, but not in the traditional horror sense. I wasn’t scared of a boogeyman, but something about what I experienced just felt very wrong.
The two scenes that stuck with me the most were that of Gregory and Lewis’ stories. The main discomfort came from the fact that there was such an intense dissonance between what was being displayed on my screen, and my conceptual understanding of the events being described to me. Gregory’s story presents you with a whimsical scene where Gregory’s bath toys come to life, turning on the bath as he is trapped inside of it. After the bath fills, he begins to swim through this beautiful underwater kelp forest, surrounded by sea creatures and his favorite bath toys, all while a letter written by the grieving father is read out in the background. The game attempts to present this positive spin on things through the lens of the letter that is being read out, matching up Gregory’s “sense of wonder” with the fantastical elements shown on screen, but it didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t feel any sense of comfort or any sense of relief – what we were shown was the death of a young child. A gleeful, almost celebratory tone just feels wrong.
I think the same thing holds true for Lewis’ story. The entire playthrough of it left me with a sick sense of dread, as I knew exactly how it would end the moment the fish head cutter appeared on screen, but I didn’t have any control over the outcome. The wondrous elements and the way the game communicated the disconnect between Lewis’ fantasy and his real life took a backseat for me, as I had to grapple with the fact that I was in essence experiencing someone taking his own life. And I think that’s why I felt so disturbed after these two sequences: I wasn’t just a spectator, I was an active participant. It made me consider the interactive nature of these types of games, even though WROEF has been called a ‘walking simulator’, a title used to deride games which focus more heavily on narrative rather than interactive elements, I think in this case WROEF did have more than enough for its interactive system, as it made these scenes so much more gut-wrenching for me.
Hi Anthony, really appreciate your response and your honesty regarding the way you felt when you played through Lewis and Gregory’s experiences. I think what you mentioned about feeling like an active participant is what is afforded by the medium of interactive fiction, and it sounds like the effect was achieved almost too well. I think the dichotomy of fantasy and reality that you mention only adds to this effect, and with such dark themes, one could argue that if interactive fiction works too well in making the player feel like they embody the character, that it could be dangerous for certain audiences.
Hi Anthony, really appreciate reading your thoughts on this. I also found Lewis and Gregory’s experiences very disturbing, but also found myself so fascinated and drawn to them. Being an active participant, as you said, in the events that unfold is incredibly unsettling. And juxtaposed with contrasting environments (Lewis’s vibrant fantasy world, Gregory’s underwater utopia) that are incredibly vibrant and artfully done, it messed me up a little bit. But like, in a good way. lol
Hi Anthony,
I really thought Lewis’s story was very tragic and sad, and not being able to do anything about is definitely left a sense of dread for me as well. I appreciate your commentary over the game and the darker tones set by the storytelling, horror elements, and scenes of discomfort. The addition and mixing of fantasy and realism really made the game shine, while making some of the deaths believable.
Hi Anthony,
As everyone above has mentioned, I felt that both the Gregory and Lewis stories were tragic and disturbing. I also felt a little unsettled since I didn’t really have control over the outcomes of the characters and could only live through it. The addition of fantasy and horror elements really does add onto the game!