Immortality Preview - I Don't Know What This Is, But I Think I Like It

thegamer.com:

Well folks, I have no idea what Immortality is. I played half an hour of Sam Barlow’s upcoming FMV title as part of the Tribeca Game Selection, and it was probably the most interesting half an hour I spent across all the demos I sampled - but I’m not sure I know why.

I can explain what it is literally, of course. Immortality is the story of fictional actress Marissa Marcel and the three movies she starred in before disappearing. Through watching various clips, you need to uncover the mystery behind her disappearance. How it works in practice, at least while you’re getting to grips with the mechanics, is that you click through clips at random and feel like you have absolutely no idea what’s happening. I was often completely lost, but I think that’s a good thing.

Related: Please Pay Attention To This Year's Tribeca Games Selection

I have struggled to get on board with the recent spate of ‘go anywhere!’ games. Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring, and even Sable felt a little too directionless for me. I know there’s an issue with open-world games being soulless checklists, but just taking away the instructions has never worked for me. With Immortality though, I finally get it. This definitely won’t be for everyone, especially as even as someone on board with it I can’t really make a sales pitch for it, but it’s unlike any other experience I’ve had in gaming. After a Summer Game Fest full of outer space sludge, we should be lifting up fresh perspectives like this.

Immortality begins with Marcel on a chat show as she promotes her new movie with the game’s first clip, and where it goes from there is completely up to you. In each bit of footage, you click any person in the video, and you’ll be transported to another clip starring