Seeing Through a Girl's Eyes: A Look Back at What Remains of Edith Finch

gamespot.com:

What Remains of Edith Finch features a Monster Mash gathering of ghouls and creeps that eat someone alive, leaving behind a single ear and nothing more, and yet Edith Finch'ss voice and the way she looks at life remain the most fascinating parts of developer Giant Sparrow's "hauntingly, beautiful story."

Five years after the game's original release, What Remains of Edith Finch remains an electrifying exploration of life and what any of it even means. And Giant Sparrow's decision to frame it all through the eyes of a girl is a big part of what makes the game so special. I'm also kind of wrapped up in the game's story and themes personally in a poetic and gay sort of way that I'll try to explain. First you need to know a little bit about the game, Edith, and two of her family members, Barbara and Walter.

Walking through the empty family home and learning each family member's fate is ultimately how Edith and the player meet everyone. It's hard to deny the connection Edith seems to have with the empty home, as if the past itself is eager to meet her, even if on unreliable terms.

Interacting with memorials left and made by Edith's great-grandma will pull players behind the curtain of each family member's death, or at least whatever the story is, through the individual's perspective. This means we're seeing what they saw through Edith's narration and interpretation. The unreliable narration from Edie (and in some cases, the individuals and/or others) will often add an element of magical realism. The deaths are obviously anything but magical but it's certainly more fun being a sea monster eating sailors on a ship than dying from an accidental self-poisoning while drifting off to sleep as a little girl.

The stories of Barbara