Have you ever a played a game that tells its stories through both gameplay and narration cohesively, in conjunction? I mean, of course you have. There's so many out there from The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, What Remains of Edith Finch, and others. This game isn't completely similar to those, as it's mostly a point and click kind of game, but the influences are ever present. Yet, this is a much simpler game that is rich with vivid imagery, Ghibli-inspired character designs, an essence that evokes liveliness, and the wholesome story.
I haven't felt this emotionally invested since playing Spiritfarer. While that game provides so many tear jerking moments, this game reels you in hard for the feels despite its really short runtime. When it comes to gameplay, there's nothing much you do other than interact with your surroundings by moving the mouse around to look and click at something.
Times have been tough, sometimes you need a really short and sweet experience like this to calm the nerves and let you least feel something to lighten the mood. Rather than feeling dealing with dread and anxiety around whatever's going on in our lives. Especially with how stressful things are nowadays thanks to another global economic recession.
Ephemeral Moments
The game starts off with a sunny side up face, besides her window, you're playing as painter lady, Amber. Throughout most of the game she is always sitting at the exact location, do take a note of this if you're playing. As you continue painting, you're looking at your window where at the opposite end is your neighbor lives. You peak inside his place, turns out he paints as well and has a cat.
And from there, you start uncovering stuff. The game transitions from a mood setting to being a complete mystery game and where it takes us is something that is everlasting, with no bearing on time. But not before you start having breakfast and coffee.
For a Ghibli inspired game, you interact with most of the objects like coffee maker, cassette player, and make breakfast with toast and egg. Reeling you in to the slice of life vibe before the story really gets going. There are 6 chapters, the first 3 is more chilled down and will let you simply navigate through the story.
After the first 3, is where the story takes a deeper turn for a chilling mystery. Even changes, including the tone. Goes from perky to allusions of dark truths and mysticism. But all of this has to do with you completing your painting. The only way to do so is to find the missing colors on your palette. Keeping track of everything is your journal, this is what helps to understand where to go next and how to complete the objectives while helping you keep of what happened in the story.
Through this quest, you uncover more of the truth about the paintings in your house, your story, and the truth behind your missing colors. The game is a simple point and click type, you interact with the objects in your surrounding without moving anywhere, few moments of the story are bit of an exception.
Everything about the game unveils in a 4hr playthrough. When you're done, tears will start streaming from your eyes because of the emotional payoff. I cannot stress enough as to how beautiful the story is. Add the Ghibli character design and visual aesthetics, with a serene atmosphere, audio design, and music.
World Has More Colors Now
Behind The Frame is a simple, straightforward, yet beautiful game that reintroduces the whole art form of interactive media (AKA video games). While, it isn't a game changer nor does it give anything entirely new, the execution itself brings wonderment that will stay in your heart strings for awhile now.
It's a short rounded trip of a different world, celebrating what it feels to be an artist. In fact, this game is well suited for those kind of people to check it out. Oh yeah, this is a Taiwan developed ame. Taiwan is a independent country, China needs to stop putting their hands on everything.
Intermission
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Psychonauts 2 - Man, Tim Schaefer Did It Again (My Game Review)
Games with stories that get me emotionally engaged tend to be my favorites. This sounds like it would be one of those games.
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