A Story Beside

A heartfelt game with a unique spin on classic adventure stories, albeit a bit clunky at times. I often found myself wishing I could walk faster or unclear about what the next move was - an objective tracker on the screen would have been helpful. Nevertheless, it has a lot of heart and is recommended if you like slow, quiet, emotionally affective games.

Writing this review fresh off of the feels coaster this game took me on. Wow. I...just...wow. 'A Story Beside' was like a book I couldn't put down. Read the whole thing in one night. The player is presented with so many choices. I still feel like there's so much I haven't seen and done. And yet it feels oddly satisfying. Like an authentic life lived. Choices that could have been made, things I could have changed, people I could have connected with...all of these are compelling reasons to play again. What a gorgeous aching feeling. What amazingly beautiful writing. It gets dark in places (parts of the plot deal with death and grief) but is still so well done. Even when it's bitter, it's sweet. The characters, the story, the vibes...I can't say enough good things about this one, I absolutely loved it. ALSO I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could romance women as Lyric. (At least one that I know of. It's only my first playthrough.) So that gets some bonus points from me.

THE uber-cozy experience. This game does an amazing job creating a tranquil, heartwarming experience. Although the effects of your choices aren't very predictable (and mostly rely on you being very nosy to get the 'best' outcomes), the message is overall coherent - you can't really predict what happens, but life happens anyway, and there are some beautiful moments throughout. Well-paced (slow, as it's meant to be savoured) and highly bittersweet.

Such a beautiful, heart warming story. Not much game play but beautifully written. I love it!

Sorry, I feel very guilty not liking this. The game is aesthetically stunning, and it was relaxing and enjoyable to begin with. Top marks for the voice acting, which can be appropriately described as lyrical. However, it got very slow and dull very quickly. I dragged myself to keep playing in bursts over several weeks, then eventually skim-read the ending on YouTube. There is a lot of tedious walking, and Lyric walks very slowly. It's all built around emotions and character relationships, so if you're not feeling invested in the characters, there's little else to it. The plot is ultimately just a series of events without much purpose or cohesion. Ultimately, this is the life of an NPC - and as such, it's not very exciting.

So beautiful and hauntingly bittersweet. The art and the music were stunning. Everything just screams nostalgia and longing but also warmth and everything I just can't describe. I just know this game will stay with me for a long time.

Ugh. The last 10 minutes of the last chapter was just me SOBBING. This was absolutely amazing,. The story line was enchanting and the characters truly seemed to be fleshed out, almost as though they were truly alive. I'm too busy blowing my nose to think of anything smarter to say, so 10/10!! <3

This whole game is based on making memories and connecting with the people you meet and love. And every single person has a story to tell. The graphics are beautiful (especially the sky views!), and although you have to turn up the volume to actually hear the music, it is nice to listen to. The gameplay and dialogues are quite interactive and interesting, I just personally found the character's walking pace a bit slow, and wished there was a 'walk faster' or run option. And my other issue was not having a map of the whole area, and at times, I couldn't remember where certain locations were; it was like a maze in my mind, haha. The controls are pretty easy; 'Esc' to open up the menu, arrow keys to navigate the menu and also move your character around, and the spacebar to interact/go through the dialogues. [i]Do you need tissues for this game? Partially yes, particularly the ending. Just think about everyone you've crossed paths with in life. Do you wonder where they are now, and/or what they are doing with their life these days? Have you lost contact with anyone and wish you could reconnect with them somehow? I honestly found this game philosophical, and it really made me think about everyone I've met throughout my life; those gems that I still have, those heavenly angels that I've lost, those awful ones that I've purposely cut out of my life because they were toxic/controlling (but you wonder if they've changed after so many years), the pets I've had since 2007, and so on! Every person, place, pet, scent, item or possession, etc, holds a particular memory, and I think that's what this game has been telling me (and maybe other game players too).[/i] 💖

A stunning story, incredibly moving and impactful. Visually wonderful with a brilliant narrative. I strongly recommend experiencing this story yourself.

This isn't a game, it's a story. What little bit of game mechanics there are (which aren't many at all) you are railroaded and can only do exactly what they want you to do and nothing else. If I had known that this wasn't a game I wouldn't have bought it.