Perfect Tides: Station to Station

[Played on Nintendo Switch (which took me about 10 hours) but I also bought on Steam so I could leave a review. This game deserves so many more eyes and is woefully underrated] I'll cut to the chase: this is one of best games I have ever played, and probably the best writing I have ever experienced in a game. Perfect Tides: Station to Station is a coming of age story about life, death, relationships, and learning to understand oneself. It's not the kind of story full of plot twists, grand adventures, or climactic moments. Rather, it's a small scale, personal and intimate story grounded in realism. I found myself relating to the main character and her struggles more than I ever would have expected, and it has given me a wonderfully expanded new perspective on life and my relationships, past and present. This game is more thought provoking than most of the media I've experienced and any of the therapy sessions I've had. Not to mention the music, artwork, and animation are all gorgeous as well and serve as perfect backdrops to the core of the gameplay which is talking to people and clicking on things in the world to inspect them. I can't recommend Station to Station enough. I feel strongly that everyone will find something to relate to here—the writing is so grounded in reality and there are several topics and moments in this game that I have never seen covered as elegantly in a game before. This should absolutely be regarded as a groundbreaking moment for storytelling games and the new high bar of comparison.

Right off the bat this game has so much heart. The writing and characters are so strong. If you’re a fan of narrative games, this is very much worth checking out!

emotion / 20

Fantastic game that tells a coming-of-age story of a young woman in college. The gameplay scratches that classic point-and-click adventure itch, and the narrative is beautiful, hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking. Well worth playing.

My favorite writing of the year so far across all mediums.

I really really recommend this game. Great music, art style and writing. A handful of very obtuse moments that sort of grind progression to a halt until you either luck into clicking every last possible thing or looking up the solution.

I’ll keep this one short as many of my thoughts from my Perfect Tides review also apply here, but the new central mechanic in S2S of building out Mara’s list of internalised topics and using those to expand her knowledge and worldview through conversations with other characters is such a cool addition that gives even more space for the exceptional writing and characters to play in. Absolutely exceptional sequel to an absolutely exceptional game.

Did not finish the first game due to gameplay design frustrations I have had. None of that with the sequel, really glad that I gave it a chance! Fantastic writing carries this game, loved the art style and music as well. Smartly written story about trying to find your place in the world. Especially liked the assignment and reading mechanic that was added. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Perfect Tides: Station to Station took ten *very* well-spent hours of my life to play, and I couldn't be happier with the decision. I could talk at length about its strengths and the experience of playing it, but other people have covered that far better than I. Rather than tread well-covered ground, I'll just say this: this game made me want to start writing again, after years of burnout. I can't think of a better endorsement than that.

Really sharp writing, weighty or weightless as the situation demands. The visuals are gorgeous and the facial expressions and body language are wonderful. The music rulez. This game will make you want to write or make whatever kind of art you can.