Perfect Tides: Station to Station

“The main mechanics — which involve reading books and experiencing life events to expand your understanding of various subjects, and then writing essays using your newfound knowledge — fit the theme perfectly, and are a big improvement on the inventory puzzles from the first game.”

“It never went full RPG, but all the decisions you made were so tightly connected to the narrative that they felt important — even if they might not have had a big impact on the game mechanics.”

“The new mechanics complement the narrative so well — they're important enough to make you really consider your choices when you sit down to read/write, but not so obvious that there is a clear "right" and "wrong" decision at every branch.”

“For the 30+ years I've been playing computer games, not once has a game invoked such a powerful emotional response in me.”

“The personal journey the protagonist Mara goes on is incredibly touching and relatable.”

“A sharply written, at turns heartbreaking and at other times hilarious coming of age story that is an absolute delight.”

“All of it is backed by clean, expressive character art, kinetic animations, beautiful environmental detailing, and a superb soundtrack that echoes the music of the game's timeframe to really draw out the nostalgia.”

“More attention has been given to the music of the storytelling, the rhythm and pacing of moments and how they feel, than in any other game I can think of.”

“Still not done, but the scene where the game asks you to play music and time it with the game is probably one of the coolest moments I've experienced in a video game, also just a very pleasant experience to play while stuck at home during an ice storm.”

“The thing that makes the game work is its incredible specificity - the precision of the setting, the characters, even the prose, which manages a perfect balance of sympathy, humor, and insight.”

“More complex both narratively and in terms of gameplay mechanics, this sequel to the amazing original brings all of Meredith Gran's wit, humor, and biting observations about people and the human condition that the first did, but spread across an even wider cast of characters.”

“At the same time, STS is on par with the original in many other ways: the graphics are incredibly beautiful, the animations are full of life, the music is superb (although not quite as memorable as the first one’s) and the script is laugh-out-loud funny at times.”

“Love the story and how it can change from goofy to just depressing, the art style and the amount of detail is just great!”

“At the same time, Station to Station is on par with the original in many other ways: the graphics are incredibly beautiful, the animations are full of life, the music is superb (although not quite as memorable as the first one’s) and the script is laugh-out-loud funny at times.”

“Perfect Tide’s choice of the classic adventure game genre and old-school pixel art graphics was not just a cheap aesthetic choice, but a perfect complement to the hyper-specific depiction of a generation coming of age right between the innocence of early internet culture and the grimness of post-9/11 society.”

“An exceptionally well-written and atmospheric game.”