Perfect Tides

as a prequel to the sequel (which is often how media is ordered), this story was nearly as good as 'Perfect Tides: Station to Station' seeing mara's relationship with her family, herself and other people in her life has helped clear some things up about the second game!! one thing i will admit was *slightly* frustrating was that this almost felt like somewhat of a puzzle game at times, with instances where you would be given literally zero hint to what you should be doing, but then again, i shouldnt expect a game to baby me through the whole experience LOL i would actually recommend trying '...Station to Station' before this game, mostly because there are VERY clear quality differences between the two games, namely the sequel is longer and much more polished, but both stories work well together and personally this is one of my favourite 'series' now

My play time suggests I didn't get very far - but that's because I played most of it through ScummVM, as I was having odd issues playing it through Steam on Linux (thankfully, I didn't have any issues playing the sequal - Station to Station - though Steam). Anyway, it's good. I found the interface a touch frustrating, and could've done with a bit more direction (but the lack of direction makes sense narratively! The fault is mine; I'm a fool), but wonderful writing and setting.

Remember when you were cringe as a teenager? We all do. This game will not let you forget. It does a great job with getting the vibes, the experiences of growing up, and the internet in the late 90s/early 2000s. There are many aspects and character relationships in this story, at least one of which will likely relate to you in some way. It Introduces adult-ish situations in a usually humorous way, backed up by a cheap (but stylish) art style that makes it funnier. It reminds me of an early Adult Swim show that I had to rewatch because I couldn't initially understand it as a kid, but find it hilarious now. Gameplay is fine. It uses traditional point-and-click controls where you need to use the correct action before clicking on anything. (Talk to/Walk to/Use item on/Interact with, etc.) Takes a bit to get used to but becomes easy to navigate quickly. It also has a bit of jankiness of a traditional point-and-click but nothing truly noteworthy. The puzzle solutions feel more intuitive than other classic games of its type, but you may end up having to use a guide. I would recommend doing so for story progression, but not for optional objectives. Exploring and discovering more eve…

It's rare that the theme of adolescence is shown through a mature lense without falling into some kind of irreverence or flippancy. Perfect Tides manages to achieve that. The game's story and characters come across as deeply genuine and complex without compromising on humour and levity. It is a coming-of-age story which treats the perspective of the main character with an almost unprescedented amount of respect, all throughout remaining very careful not to anchor itself in hindsight and condescension. The writing is so beautifully direct in its emotion and in how it conveys the internality of the main character that it is impossible not to fully immerse yourself in and empathise with her. Every concern that may feel benign to an adult is here treated with the insurmountable scale of a 16-year-old's life in mind, and you can feel every overwhelming detail of it. Every hope and fear, every blush, every ill-fated belief, every smile and tremor manage to seem grand and important when it would have been so easy to belittle that emotional reality, even unconsciously. This story, as all good ones, makes familiar things become alien again, small things become huge, and huge things become s…

I've long-stopped bothering with stories about teenagers, coming-of-age stories, or clunky, old school adventure-style UIs. PERFECT TIDES is focused on a teenager, is a (kind of) coming of age story, and has a clunky, old school UI; it speaks volumes to the quality of its writing and animation that I found it captivating and moving. It's a point'n'click adventure game about a self-conscious, extremely self-critical teenager named Mara Whitefish, a slice-of-life, bittersweet story best described as "wonderful". It's plainly, partly based on the creator's own adolescence. PERFECT TIDES has a graphic novelist's instinct for storytelling; I wasn't surprised to learn the creator's produced an acclaimed series, OCTOPUS PIE. What I mean is that it outward-but-inward-looking interest in other people and one's own emotional turns; it's also comfortable knowing when text or visuals should be telling the story. The closest pop cultural thing is BOJACK HORSEMAN or the TV series LONG STORY SHORT, but Winston Rowntree's work shares similar sensibilities. Its biggest issues are actually as a game. Firstly, the puzzle design can feel directionless, especially in act one; I spent a surprising am…

Absolutely incredible - remarkable story, delightful atmosphere, and unforgettable characters. I can't wait to play the sequel.