Perfect Tides
- February 21, 2022
- Meredith Gran
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Perfect Tides" is a point-and-click adventure game following Mara, a teen writer living on a secluded island in the year 2000. Over the course of four seasons, players will navigate Mara's family life, school, and social relationships while experiencing the island's beauty and facing challenges. The game offers a classic 90s interface with inventory collection, character interactions, and exploration across 45+ rooms in various seasons and times of day.
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PC
Windows
Reviews
- Perfect Tides is a beautifully written coming-of-age story that captures the essence of teenage life in the early 2000s, filled with relatable characters and emotional depth.
- The game's art style and animations are charming, enhancing the nostalgic experience while the soundtrack complements the narrative perfectly.
- Players will find themselves deeply immersed in the story, with clever writing that balances humor and poignant moments, making it a memorable experience.
- The point-and-click mechanics can be frustrating at times, with pixel hunting and unclear objectives that may lead to confusion and require the use of walkthroughs.
- Some players may find the lack of guidance in certain puzzles and interactions to be a significant drawback, potentially hindering the overall experience.
- There are occasional technical issues, such as bugs and clunky UI elements, which can detract from the otherwise engaging narrative.
- story102 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Perfect Tides" is a deeply personal and relatable coming-of-age narrative that captures the essence of growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s, exploring themes of nostalgia, grief, and the complexities of adolescence. While the writing and character development are praised for their emotional depth, some players find the gameplay mechanics, particularly the puzzle-solving elements, can detract from the storytelling experience. Overall, the game is celebrated for its heartfelt storytelling and the ability to evoke strong feelings, making it a memorable journey for those who appreciate narrative-driven experiences.
“Perfect Tides is a beautiful, funny, and melancholic coming-of-age story that captures the essence of growing up as a teenager on the internet in the late 90s/early 00s with such pitch-perfect detail that it almost feels surreal.”
“A charmingly portrayed and deeply emotional coming-of-age story, full of millennial nostalgia and teenage angst alongside a vivid portrayal of grief, trauma, depression, and prejudice.”
“The story is wrapped in the mechanics of an old point-and-click game, which as a genre can be opaque and unforgiving.”
“Additionally, you can miss very large story beats based off of seemingly inconsequential random items that no one hints they want.”
“In a game like this, where the protagonist’s plight is so touchingly realistic and vulnerable, to base the ultimate outcome of her story on whether or not you’ve discovered the correct number of little collectibles and save scummed enough feels tacky at best, and like a betrayal at worst—both of the player and of the protagonist herself, somehow.”
“First, your objective isn't always clear, and there are some points in the game's story where you need to aimlessly wander the island until you find the trigger that will progress the story.”
- emotional39 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game evokes a profound emotional response by authentically portraying the complexities of teenage life, including themes of nostalgia, grief, and personal struggle. Players resonate deeply with the protagonist's journey, finding the writing and character development both relatable and heart-wrenching. Overall, it is celebrated as a touching and genuine exploration of adolescence that leaves a lasting emotional impact.
“A charmingly portrayed and deeply emotional coming-of-age story, full of millennial nostalgia and teenage angst alongside a vivid portrayal of grief, trauma, depression, and prejudice.”
“This is a heartfelt and very real representation of teenage angst, especially meaningful for someone who never felt like they fit in or struggled with depression.”
“The game is immensely poignant, from beginning to end, emotionally palpable on a level I’ve simply never experienced in a game before— not even close.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Perfect Tides" are widely praised for their charming retro pixel art style, which effectively captures the nostalgic essence of the late 90s and early 2000s. Reviewers highlight the expressive and cute visuals, complemented by a superb soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. While some note a slightly unfinished or amateurish quality, this imperfection aligns well with the game's themes of youthful self-discovery, creating a cohesive and engaging aesthetic.
“I'll admit that I initially just fell for the incredible pixel art graphics and superb soundtrack by Daniel Kobylarz, but this is something else.”
“The art style is beautiful and the soundtrack perfectly matches the visuals' retro-indie vibes.”
“The artwork is masterful and the story and characters are compelling and real.”
“There's some degree of the state of being unfinished here; everywhere you look things can feel too muted, a bit blurry, slightly misshapen, and even seem amateurish, but so is internally turbulent but seemingly boring Mara's life, so this art style mixes with the story well and even mimics it - noticeable and slightly flawed, just like our young self-searching hero.”
“The visuals are charming in a subdued, retro-ish, comic book type of way.”
“It's a point-and-click adventure game, done in a retro pixelized 80's/90's style, a genre that, while I don't have much experience with, I'm at least aware of the aesthetics of, if not the overall mechanics, which might explain why I struggled at some points in the game.”
- humor28 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Perfect Tides" is described as sharp, clever, and deeply relatable, capturing the essence of teenage life in the late 90s and early 00s with a mix of hilarity and emotional depth. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke laughter and tears in quick succession, showcasing a blend of nostalgia and poignant storytelling that resonates with players. Meredith Gran's writing is praised for its wit and insight, making the characters' experiences both funny and heartbreakingly familiar.
“Perfect Tides is a beautiful, funny, and melancholic coming-of-age story that captures the essence of growing up as a teenager on the internet in the late 90s/early 00s with such pitch-perfect detail that it almost feels surreal.”
“Mara, the main character, has this painfully and hilariously relatable combination of self-consciousness and total lack of self-awareness.”
“Meredith Gran's character writing is sharp, clever, hilarious, and loving all at once.”
- music19 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting its cozy, retro-indie vibes that complement the stunning pixel art. While some noted its sporadic presence, it effectively cultivates an entrancing atmosphere and resonates emotionally with players. Overall, the soundtrack is described as enjoyable and fitting, contributing significantly to the game's charm and nostalgia.
“The art style is beautiful and the soundtrack perfectly matches the visuals' retro-indie vibes.”
“Beautifully written story, accompanied by charming visuals and a wholeheartedly enjoyable soundtrack.”
“It cultivates an entrancing atmosphere; the music, sound design, and visuals work in effortless synthesis.”
“Music here is sporadic in nature and has a comparatively minimal presence, allowing us to experience Mara’s internalization in relative quietude, save for the well-done sound effects.”
“I rarely seek out soundtracks from games (and that usually means I found it outstanding), but I’m still happy when there’s a nice 'companion' of musical variety as I play, even if I don’t need to add it to my playlist after.”
“As for the gameplay mechanics, they're as retro as the music.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Perfect Tides" is characterized by its retro point-and-click mechanics, reminiscent of classic 80s and 90s adventure games. While some players appreciate the nostalgic feel and the integration of story and gameplay, others find the mechanics can be unclear and occasionally frustrating, with issues like directionlessness and pixel hunting detracting from the experience. Overall, despite its shortcomings, many recommend the game for its engaging narrative and indie charm.
“The classic adventure game format is perfect for giving you that feeling of 'am I doing something wrong, oh god did I miss something important' that's pervasive in the teen mentality, flawlessly melding story and gameplay.”
“Perfect Tides is a simple game mechanically; it feels a lot like Fran Bow and Sally Face in the exploration and puzzle aspect.”
“Though I'd be remiss to not mention the shortcomings I did have with the game, all of which are related to the gameplay.”
“My only gripe is that the gameplay can be kind of unclear at times.”
“The story is wrapped in the mechanics of an old point-and-click game, which as a genre can be opaque and unforgiving.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its seamless integration of music, sound design, and visuals, creating an entrancing experience that enhances the storytelling. Reviewers note that a well-crafted soundscape significantly contributes to the overall ambiance, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The atmosphere and story are just perfectly set up.”
“If what comes out of the speakers matches the atmosphere of the game – that’s a well-done soundscape in my opinion.”
“It cultivates an entrancing atmosphere; the music, sound design, and visuals work in effortless synthesis.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is highly recommended for its impressive replayability, particularly for a narrative-focused title. While there isn't a definitive "golden ending," striving for the best ending encourages exploration and revitalizes replay value in a genre that has often neglected it.
“Highly recommended, and impressively replayable for such a narrative-focused game -- there's no golden ending exactly, but the best ending is well worth working toward!”
“This rewards exploration and brings replayability back to a genre which has stopped valuing it as much of late.”
“This rewards exploration and brings replayability back to a genre that has stopped valuing it as much of late.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers praise the character development in the game, highlighting it as a continuation of Meredith Gran's strong writing style seen in her previous work, "Octopus Pie." The depth and growth of the characters are noted as a significant strength, contributing to an engaging narrative experience.
“I've followed Meredith Gran's work since Octopus Pie (highly recommend reading), and I thought this game had the same great writing and character development.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding in Perfect Tides to be tedious and misaligned with the game's narrative tone, similar to their experiences in Cave Story. This disconnect detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“This type of thing was tedious in Cave Story (another indie game I absolutely adore), and in Perfect Tides, it feels wholly inappropriate; the tone of the game’s mechanics is at odds with the tone of its story.”
“Grinding in this game feels like a chore rather than an engaging experience, making it hard to stay invested in the story.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding detracts from the overall enjoyment, turning what could be a captivating journey into a monotonous task.”
