The Unfinished Swan Review- Unique, but indecisive
A couple weeks ago, I was in the mood for a nice and short story game, and of course I tried seeking experiences similar to things I loved in the past. One such experience was “What Remains of Edith Finch”, a fantastic game I still remember fondly (and one I should definitely review here as well) that exposes a slightly exaggerated but nonetheless charming and memorable adventure through a family history of tragedy.
This seemed very much in the same vein, so I unflinchingly clicked the “buy now” button, hoping to rekindle the same feelings.
Story
What I received for my enthusiasm was a different kind of experience but one I enjoyed greatly for its playfulness.
The story is mainly a children's story about the joy of paining with a little sprinkle of loss, but I wouldn't say it's anything to write home about... the main driving point behind this game is visual interest and gameplay. This only works because the experience is a rather short one, clocking in at 2.5h.
Gameplay
Your main way of interacting with the environment and exacting change is through blobs of liquid. Be them ink or water, they drive progression forward. The first part of the game is especially interesting, as you are born in a purely-white screen and nothing happens until you first press one of the buttons that trigger a blob of black ink to spew forward, thus revealing that you are actually inside a fully-modelled environment... you just cannot see it. You must color the environment yourself to spot the path forward.
The world as explored normally (left) and the world fully inked (right)
This gameplay idea later devolves into the control of vines with the help of blobs of water, enabling you to climb surfaces that would otherwise prove insurmountable. I say devolves because the game loses its sense of wander with this change, and becomes a rather mundane puzzle game. The remarkable idea of discovering the environment that surrounds you one tiny bit at a time gives way to a more simple way of interacting with the world, and I think it's a bit of a pitty.
There is a 3rd section but it's generally unremarkable and only contains some 2-3 worthwhile puzzles that I will not spoil.
Conclusion
I thought this game to be a breath of fresh air, and I deeply appreciate its ideas for making gameplay different in a space of mainly same-ish designs. It does however, throw away the idea that made it special in my eye instead of building upon it, and I think the game as a whole suffers for it.
