Island Off Outer Darkness

charming little game that constantly manages to surprise you despite its small scope

Best comp I can come up with is impressionist Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 in a remote, dark island from a fictional world where strange things happen and a bunch of neighbors are retrogrades and reactionaries. As in Boku no Natsuyasumi, being enclosed in a small village peppered with characters to get to know little by little through the mundanity of everyday life creates a very characteristic feeling of familiarity. I decided to play one or two days each day, which takes me 10/15 minutes tops, and I am really enjoying the experience, slowly, in a mundane way.

This is what video games are supposed to be

Highly worth your time if you're interested in games like Flower, Sun, and Rain: games about slowly exploring a space and its inhabitants that is willing to have a lot of fun with the premise and setting, as well as fun at the expense of you, the player. Highly evocative in its direction, a very thorny game to dig through and contemplate as well. Really enjoyed the complicated developments across its cast and the ways in which you have to navigate your own thoughts and feelings about the people and the world you are inhabiting.

This game has the sauce. I started it thinking it'd be something like a lo-fi walking simulator in a fantasy world, but man does that sell it short. You are quickly dropped onto a strange island and forced to work as a postal worker, which opens up the meat of the game: making conversation with the island's small group of inhabitants as you piece together how the world works and enjoy the incredible ambience of it all. It's also something of a "cozy" game in how you are a newcomer to a small town where the folks slowly open up to you as you do your job day-to-day. You even farm, but it's secondary to your job as a postal worker. I've never played a game in that genre that was half as weird or interesting as this one, where I'm always excited to open up a new line of dialogue.

What a game. For some reason I really like games where you can be a little guy with a little job, so I was instantly hooked, but it's also strange and atmospheric in a way I loved, and it's intentionally full of friction in a way I find really delicious in games. Like, the walking is too slow, and some of the characters never ever warm up to you. It's probably not for everyone but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ was for me. And the soundtrack is gorgeous. I did think the game was ending when the Postman leaves Rekkieg for wetter winter(?) (this world has very confusing seasons) (< complimentary) and I got really sad, but don't worry, there's quite a bit more. I'm guessing I'm the outlier in taking 22 hours to play the entire thing but I just really loved hanging out in this world.

The fact that Death Stranding came out 7 years ago and this is the first time I've seen the Strand Game format applied to exploring a small cast of characters in a tiny map is astounding. The delivery format is such a natural fit for making not just the characters themselves but their relationships to each other slowly unfold for the player that it's baffling it's not a common practice. But even if it were, I don't think most games doing that would match the care and grace that Island Off Outer Darkness brings to it. And that's all without getting into the incredible soundtrack, the gorgeous and clever visuals, and the feeling of existing just on the edge of a complex, fleshed-out world that defies quick or easy understanding.