Perfect Tides: Station to Station

“I'll keep this one short as many of my thoughts from my Perfect Tides review also apply here, but the new central mechanic in Station to Station of building out Mara’s list of internalised topics and using those to expand her knowledge and worldview through conversations with other characters is such a cool addition that gives even more space for the exceptional writing and characters to play in.”

“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.”

“The excellence in writing and characterization was very much present in the original Perfect Tides, but in Station to Station, it's supported by more intuitive puzzles and a richer set of mechanics that allow the player to step into the role of a fledgling writer, gaining experiences through reading and life events and drawing on those experiences as part of the writing process.”

“Incredibly beautiful, deeply moving, occasionally heartbreaking.”

“Incredible writing that is impossible to not emotionally engage with.”

“The art and music are beautiful, vivid locations, and the story and characters are incredibly touching and relatable.”

“The gameplay is unique and interesting, the artwork and characters are terrific, the music is once again catchy and moving, and the writing is beautiful, thoughtful, and inspiring.”

“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.”

“Some of the best writing I've encountered in a while, beautiful and funny.”

“The game is deeply funny in ways that we really ought to see more of in games outside of your discos and pentiments, it's self-effacing, it's witty but not pretentious, it's absurd and wonderfully human.”

“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.”

“The visuals are gorgeous and the facial expressions and body language are wonderful.”

“Perfect Tides' 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.”

“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.”

“I also love the complexity and character development that becomes established throughout the game.”

“An exceptionally well-written and atmospheric game.”