Virginia

 PC
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 36
  3. Negative: 3 out of 36
  1. God is a Geek
    Sep 23, 2016
    100
    There are very few games as emotionally affecting as this. The story is thrilling, powerful and thought-provoking, and the music sends chills straight through your soul.
  2. Telegraph
    Sep 22, 2016
    100
    Virginia hit me right in the chest, the kind of game I’ve wanted to exist for years, and the first game to actually nail it in a way that I think fully takes advantage of the potential. It is the game that titles like Dear Esther, Gone Home and Firewatch have hinted at, but in a way that evolves the interactive narrative form way beyond anything we’ve seen before. It’s a game to savour and talk about for years to come, one that left me, just like the inhabitants of Kingdom, Virginia, speechless.
  3. Game Informer
    Sep 22, 2016
    93
    Virginia is a taut thriller that strikes a fine balance between storytelling and interactivity in a way that narrative-driven first-person adventure games have not accomplished since their inception, thanks to its blend of classic cinema and exploration. It should not be missed.
  5. Ragequit.gr
    Oct 2, 2016
    92
    Lyrical, trippy, darkly surreal. Variable State delivers a masterclass in visual storytelling and creates a uniquely Lynchian narrative set in the American heartland. The spirits are here and they are strong. One of the greatest video-game soundtracks ever recorded can be considered an added bonus.
  6. The Digital Fix
    Oct 5, 2016
    90
    A weird and wonderful game that although short, leaves one hell of a mark.
  7. Hooked Gamers
    Oct 3, 2016
    90
    Virginia is a really, really cool little piece of media as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into.
  8. Game Debate
    Sep 22, 2016
    90
    Virginia is a sharp thinking, plot driven single-player adventure like few out there. It borrows heavily from other games of its ilk, yet twists it into its own strange beast. Unlike plenty of others, such as Firewatch, Virginia also manages to actually live up to its premise and deliver a satisfying, thought provoking conclusion. I'd love to go deeper on this because Virginia is a game all about its story and it's delivered, but a mystery such as this best served piping hot with a cup of joe on the side.
  9. Polygon
    Sep 22, 2016
    90
    Virginia's deviance from norms makes it the sort of game that demands to be discussed among friends and, in this respect, the comparisons with Twin Peaks are apt. Although there's only one ending to this game, it's confounding enough to leave multiple possible interpretations, which is often the mark of a great story. Such is its power and originality, I suspect Virginia will have significant influences over games yet to be conceived.
  10. Meristation
    Sep 27, 2016
    86
    Virginia is a great game for film lovers. The David Lynch universe is really well made.
  11. GRYOnline.pl
    Oct 5, 2016
    85
    Virginia is a living proof that "walking simulators" don't have to be boring. This is an exciting and engaging story that is different from a typical videogame. The narration - inspired by Twin Peaks and The X-Files - makes you really want to see the finale (which is great by the way).
  12. Areajugones
    Sep 28, 2016
    85
    Virginia offers one of the best plots in modern videogame industry and features an OST that can be only compared to a beautiful journey. Even though its duration is too short, every player that enjoys a narrative game should give it a try.
  13. IGN
    Sep 22, 2016
    85
    Virginia shows instead of tells, with a raw, understated power and a calculated nuance that make even the smallest, most mundane details brim with narrative and emotional significance.
  14. Edge Magazine
    Nov 15, 2016
    80
    One of the most quietly devastating moments involves a character simply shaking their head softly. [December 2016, p.110]
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  15. Multiplayer.it
    Sep 26, 2016
    80
    Virginia is a fascinating first person thriller adventure and a tribute to David Lynch surrealism. Variable State used strong editing and fine music to tell an ambitious story based on friendship and loyalty.
  16. Twinfinite
    Sep 26, 2016
    80
    It is easy to come away from Virginia inspired and reeling from the vision that the team at Variable state have conjured; it is impossible to come away unchanged.
  17. JeuxActu
    Sep 26, 2016
    80
    At the crossroad between movie and videogames, Virginia provides one of the best narratives of the year with a game that has no dialogue whatsoever. A true experience.
  18. The Games Machine
    Sep 22, 2016
    80
    Despite the poor interactive component, Virginia is a wonderful story that draws liberally from David Lynch to tell a story as crazy as it is full of symbolism.
  19. VideoGamer
    Sep 22, 2016
    80
    As a whole, and occasional framerate drops aside, Virginia is wonderfully cinematic, and a fantastic story to inhabit as it unfolds. It's just not for everyone. Which is true of everything that's ever been made, I suppose, and in this case at least what has been made is new and different, and incredibly stylish.
  20. Games Master UK
    Nov 9, 2016
    79
    An interactive story that blends dreamy police procedural with Lynchian nightmare to intriguing effect [Nov 2016, p.78]
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  21. Impulsegamer
    Sep 25, 2016
    76
    Virginia shows what can happen when people with a passion for games, story telling and perhaps a touch of avant garde get together and let their collective subconscious flow. It is not too out of place to say this is an art house game… perhaps the more populist thing to call it would be an intellectual game… the important thing to know is that it has the capacity to make you think and feel and any game that can do that is certainly a worthy title to add to your collection. Virginia helps solidify the notion that games can be art.
  22. The Jimquisition
    Sep 26, 2016
    75
    With Virginia, Variable State has created a grounded piece of interactive narrative, free of the waffling conceit of the genre’s worst offenders, but not quite evocative enough to be a true classic. Thanks to a savvy use of visual communication, a stirring soundtrack, and a tale that confidently communicates much in spite of its silence, Virginia is a good little game and a worthy contribution to the world of minimalist indie offerings...If you like that kind of thing, of course!
  23. PC Gamer
    Sep 22, 2016
    72
    A slick cinematic thriller, but interaction is limited and the story loses focus in the final act.
  24. CD-Action
    Jan 12, 2017
    70
    By constantly comparing their game to “Twin Peaks” and “True Detective” the developers set the bar so high that they could not fulfill expectations. Nevertheless Virginia is an interesting experiment worth your time (especially that it only takes two hours to complete). [13/2016, p.58]
    All this publication's reviews
  25. Games.cz
    Oct 13, 2016
    70
    Unusual, experimental, atmospheric, engaging. Such is the surreal detective story of Virginia. Boasting with freshness, style and fantastic music. However, the game rather satisfies an audience hungry for artistic experience, people asking purely for gaming experience will be bored.
  26. 3DJuegos
    Oct 6, 2016
    70
    Virginia is beautiful in its design and structure, but fails in the most important aspect: its capability to thrill.
  27. Shacknews
    Oct 3, 2016
    70
    When mixed with the camera’s specific framing the low-res polygonal visual design and clear progression delineation, Virginia is a marvel of sight and sound.
  28. SpazioGames
    Sep 23, 2016
    70
    A disorienting game which delivers a twisted story and a wonderful soundtrack. The gameplay, though, puts the player in a passive role, and the PC version shows some technical flaws. A conceptual project that will be judged as brilliant by some players - but also boring by many others.
  29. GameCrate
    Oct 24, 2016
    65
    This was a hard game to score because I really wanted to love it more than I did. The unique storytelling format and intense musical score carry what is an otherwise perplexing narrative that tries very hard to be profound but ends up feeling a bit muddled.
  30. Riot Pixels
    Oct 14, 2016
    65
    Five years ago, Virginia would've enjoyed a warmer welcome. Today, it's just one of the many two-hour long walking simulators.
  31. Gameblog.fr
    Sep 30, 2016
    60
    Virginia is between a movie and video game, and it's not totally one or the other. It offers nice music and a good atmosphere, but not enough gameplay or interactions.
  32. PC Invasion
    Sep 22, 2016
    60
    It's rare for a game to make me swing back and forth a full 5 points on the score, but Virginia managed exactly that, and that's probably a sign of exactly how divisive this short piece of interactive story-telling is going to be. Let's settle around the middle.
  33. Guardian
    Sep 22, 2016
    60
    Sadly, games that aspire to be cinematic will inevitably draw comparisons with film, and Virginia is a narrative game without a memorable narrative. But its goals were admirable and hopefully other developers will experiment further with this format.
  34. PCWorld
    Oct 3, 2016
    50
    Virginia's extensive use of jump and match cuts makes it the meeting point of games and film, though it's not the most successful of experiments.
  35. 4P.de
    Sep 30, 2016
    36
    Somewhere on the way the developers lost their grip on the game. What starts as an ambitious take on the works of David Lynch, slowly becomes boring button-push cinema.
  36. Destructoid
    Sep 22, 2016
    30
    There may be an inkling of promise in its budding story, but for many I imagine it will be hard to read between the lines and even harder to consider it a worthy experience.
  37. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 5, 2016
    20
    Calling it a waste is too rude, but I cannot imagine why would someone pay for such a puffy nonsense. Several clever moments cannot save the game, which only tries to look like a piece of art. [Issue #268]
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These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Sep 22, 2016
    If you’re a little bit curious, or if you enjoyed any of the games with which it shares its DNA, Virginia may be one of the oddest and most fascinating things you’ve played in a long, long time. Vivid Virginia is a hell of a lot more than plain old “walking.”
  2. The A.V. Club
    Sep 21, 2016
    “Lynchian” is a loaded term. In the right hands, it implies a deeper meaning behind a series of surreal images and events, an understanding that peeks from behind cryptic dream sequences and improbable happenings. In the wrong ones, it implies little more than a creative team that’s watched far too much Twin Peaks. Virginia lands on the better side of that divide. I won’t claim to understand the symbolism behind every moment and sight, but that hasn’t stopped the game from convincing me that said meanings do exist and lingering on them long after its short run time has come and gone.

Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 151 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 151
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 151
  3. Negative: 60 out of 151
  1. TenchuuKhan
    Sep 24, 2016
    0
    The game works like this:
    You are in a scene. You walk a bit, click. Game jumps to the next scene.
    This can feel awkward at times but it    The game works like this:
    You are in a scene. You walk a bit, click. Game jumps to the next scene.
    This can feel awkward at times but it works and so the game starts to tell the story of a young FBI Agent being sent on a case together with a colleague that is under internal investigation... by her.

    So far, so good.
    So we are on this case about a missing boy... and I have no idea what happened to him because suddenly it's all about that internal investigation thing. So our colleague finds out that we are investigating her, she gets pissed, we become friends again... sort of.

    Then we get locked up for absolutely no reason. Like... wtf is happening?
    And from then on the game just spits random scenes at you of a fictional life, then we're back in the cell throwing in an acid trip... why are we even doing this?
    Then more random trippy scenes.... The End

    Bottom line - the game promises to tell a story in a unique way... and then it decides to not tell a story.

    So it's a non-game non-story experience - can't even give 1 star for that because that would mean the game does something right... which it doesn't.    … Full Review »
  2. Tubey
    Sep 24, 2016
    0
    You're thinking this is a "troll" review, right? No, it's not. See, I never give a zero to a game. I always give at least a one, as a game, atYou're thinking this is a "troll" review, right? No, it's not. See, I never give a zero to a game. I always give at least a one, as a game, at the very least, usually lives up the bare minimum standard of attempting to be a game.

    The reason this gets a zero from me is because I'm being asked to review it as a game, when it is not a game - it is an interactive movie. And in this case, the interactive part barely exists.

    I challenge anyone to answer me this - what would be different, at all, about this 'game' if you just watched a YouTube longplay of it? You'd get the same visuals, largely the same pace, the same story, the same music - indeed, the same everything except you don't press a button every so often.

    That's not a game! I'm really not trying to be an elitist douche about this, as I'm just stating a fact - a game is interactive and allows a player agency to make their own decisions. Going back as early as Pong, the player had the option of moving up and down to guess the direction of the ball and bounce it back a certain way. This game is just a movie. Honestly, that's all it is. If you played this in a cinema, and invited people to press a big red button every time they saw an object on screen, it'd be the same game.

    So, as a 'game', it gets a zero. As a movie, it's actually not that bad and I'd score it a five or whatever, as despite being pretentious, the story that they have chosen is well directed for the most part with a "show don't tell" structure. It has infinitely more in common with a movie than a game, so why isn't this in the movie section as a direct to DVD movie? The 'gameplay' aspects could be done by a DVD remote control.

    I'll never understand why review sites cream their pants over this type of thing. It really isn't new - remember the Phillips CDi? Night Trap? Plumbers Don't Wear Ties? Virginia is in every way a classier version of those with up to date graphics and somehow less gameplay!

    If Titanic had QTEs that said "Press X to grab the wooden door", "Tap Y to shag in a car", would that be a game? A discussion needs to be had about how these things are classified, because while they are still being marketed as full games, they are conning people into buying a thing they didn't expect from a game. At the very least, it'd be nice to see, as a standard, these things put the sentence "An Interactive Movie" on the front cover.    … Full Review »
  3. Pendrodamus
    Sep 25, 2016
    1
    There's not enough video game, especially when the product is being sold as a game. Your interaction is so minimized that the game doesn'tThere's not enough video game, especially when the product is being sold as a game. Your interaction is so minimized that the game doesn't even ask you to walk around. You'll barely be allowed to move around a single room before it decides to jump cut yu to the next part of the plot. Your actions also have no bearing on the plot, and at no point is your skill ever required to actually progress. My advice? Watch it on youtube, you won't miss a thing.

    Does it hold up as an experience, though? No, not really. Though it attempts to be minimalistic without telling you anything through words, it still leaves too many questions unanswered, and because we never get to know the characters, there's no reason to care about them. Thus when the experience asks us to feel sad, there's no precedent, so you're left feeling nothing. The worst part of it all is that there's nothing inherently wrong with the story. It's not so bad that I can at least laugh at it. It's actualy boring, which is worse than being offensively bad.    … Full Review »
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