What Remains of Edith Finch

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 848 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 687 out of 848
  2. Mixed: 111 out of 848
  3. Negative: 50 out of 848

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  1. Mester42
    Jun 20, 2019
    10
    my second favorite game and one of my favorite stories in either movies books other games or anythign i have ever experienced
  2. Grachechkovski
    Jun 2, 2019
    10
    You might think that this is just another walking simulator and you're right. However, it is one of the best walking simulators, which has the following advantages:
    - divine voice;
    - a fantastic and unique storytelling experience for every family member; - the dramatic and touching story of one big family; - an unexpected twist at the end of the game, which reveals the name of the    You might think that this is just another walking simulator and you're right. However, it is one of the best walking simulators, which has the following advantages:
    - divine voice;
    - a fantastic and unique storytelling experience for every family member;
    - the dramatic and touching story of one big family;
    - an unexpected twist at the end of the game, which reveals the name of the game;
    - beautiful detailed house, in some rooms of which you want to stay on your own;
    - great sound design;
    - beautiful landscapes that you just want to watch and do nothing about.
    In short, run to play this little masterpiece. Total: 10/10    … Expand
  3. brendo214
    May 30, 2019
    8
    What Remains of Edith Finch is a pretty heartwarming story-based walking simulator.
  4. sarahlee123
    May 27, 2019
    9
    A meditative walking simulator in the vein of Gone Home, What Remains of Edith Finch plays like an interactive storybook, full of captivating tales centered on the various ill-fated members of the Finch family. But for a game so focused on death, What Remains of Edith Finch is surprisingly full of life. It packs just as many uplifting and touching moments as it does sad ones.

    Each story    A meditative walking simulator in the vein of Gone Home, What Remains of Edith Finch plays like an interactive storybook, full of captivating tales centered on the various ill-fated members of the Finch family. But for a game so focused on death, What Remains of Edith Finch is surprisingly full of life. It packs just as many uplifting and touching moments as it does sad ones.

    Each story allows you to get to know the family member it focuses on just enough to miss them when you remember they're gone, and is told a way uniquely befitting the person—whether that be through the pages of a comic book or the lens of a vintage camera. Many of the stories employ some degree of magical realism, leaving the player—and Edith herself—to speculate as to how grounded in reality the tales might be.

    The beautifully rendered rooms of the house provide just as many clues as to what kind of lives the Finches led as do the individual stories. Littered with small details like newspaper clippings, photographs, and plenty of books, the rooms of the labyrinthine Finch mansion feel lived-in, and the house's hidden passageways, branching structures, and other little quirks make it a delight to explore. The simple controls are intuitive and there are no tricky puzzles or other gameplay mechanics to interfere with story progression.

    The whole thing only takes a few hours to complete, but its heart-wrenching conclusion will leave you thinking about What Remains of Edith Finch long after the credits roll.    … Expand
  5. beccathestrigga
    Apr 16, 2019
    8
    The game is simply beautiful. "What remains of Edith Finch" shows us that video games truly are an art. It's hard to tell something about it without spoiling anything, so just trust me and play it. Game isn't long and isn't expensive so it's worth to try. That kind of storytelling I have never seen in any other game. Visuals are also great and soundtrack has a right tone. I totally recommend it.
  6. LVCIVS
    Apr 10, 2019
    6
    Its not a bad game. It is focus in the story of this family and the atmosphere of the house, This atmosphere is very important in a walking simulator. So, showing a house with a collection of repeated books without a justification in the history of the family, is ridiculous and breaks the good atmosphere that the game could at first offer.
  7. keanex
    Apr 6, 2019
    9
    The environment is an absolute joy to explore as Edith Finch explores her family's house to uncover their stories of unluck. Absolutely stunning story telling. I absolutely loved my playthrough.
  8. Dinogig1
    Mar 20, 2019
    9
    This game is a work of art in its interesting story and good gameplay for what this is trying to be. The story is interesting and there are a few incredible levels that I will never forget. In particular there is one where you are working in a canning factory, you start are daydreaming because of how monotonous this job is. I can't spoil anything else as that would be a disservice to theThis game is a work of art in its interesting story and good gameplay for what this is trying to be. The story is interesting and there are a few incredible levels that I will never forget. In particular there is one where you are working in a canning factory, you start are daydreaming because of how monotonous this job is. I can't spoil anything else as that would be a disservice to the game.

    A must play though there is a lack of tips of keyboard controls and if it doesn't look interesting to you you probably won't enjoy it as it is more story based than gameplay.    … Expand
  9. vovin999
    Mar 9, 2019
    8
    This was an incredible experience during the short time that it lasted, but left a somewhat empty after-taste after all is said and done.
    Coming into this game, I was immediately drawn in with the amazing graphics. Then I became frustrated with the slow walking, and how unnecessary the woods section under the house was. There was literally nothing there to find, which was a shame.    This was an incredible experience during the short time that it lasted, but left a somewhat empty after-taste after all is said and done.
    Coming into this game, I was immediately drawn in with the amazing graphics. Then I became frustrated with the slow walking, and how unnecessary the woods section under the house was. There was literally nothing there to find, which was a shame.
    Finally entering the house I was amazed again, and felt genuinely creeped out by the atmosphere. I saw doors sealed off as if to contain some evil inside. I saw this mix of books - spiritual books, cooking books, the freaking Necronomicon (!) - and my mind concocted imagery of the terrors awaiting me as I was to continue exploring this house of doom. I saw from the family tree on the main menu that none of the people of the Finch family had lived very long, and was saddened but eager to find our their morbid tales.
    Oh boy, are the developers of this nasty tale a morbid bunch!
    Why did they leave the house so hastily? Was the old woman a witch that had to sacrifice her children and grand-children to some Ancient God she had made a pact with? Was there occult cannibalism involved? Had some sinister demon been conjured which frightened off the family?
    Unfortunately none of my initial anticipations were met.
    What the story does - and quite well - is retell the morbid endings of these people, and you have to give it to the creators that the house imagery is consistent as far as what you discover goes. The retellings of the demise of the family members are brilliantly executed, using clever means of story-telling to deliver them. It must have taken a lot of work, because they really push the 3D-engine to its limits by making each mini-story unique in presentation.
    So while the game is a thrill to play through, it ultimately leaves a dry empty feeling inside, because nothing is actually revealed in regards to the origins of the "Curse", nor is there any connecting thread that makes sense as to why these individuals actually meet such sad fates. It is as if the creators couldn't make sense of their own story, and the deadline was approaching so they just skipped it altogether. I don't want to reveal any spoilers, but to be honest there are none to be found within the game itself either. The game literally reeks of references to some hidden evil that was committed with supernatural forces, but the game chooses to just skip all of that in any conclusive final way.
    The Necronomicon on the bookshelf! The creepy history of the family. I was SO disappointed that it all ran out in the sand, and skipped the whole idea of a climactic ending altogether. It is as if the developers grew tired of their own creation towards the end, and just decided to get the game delivered asap. There is a point in the game where one of the characters approach the old mansion during a low tide, and then it just stops there, but you get the feeling that there was supposed to be a section where it is explored, and all is revealed, but it is skipped in the most silly way.
    If the game had actually dared to find a resolve bringing all the pieces together in the end, it would have been one of the best interactive story games I have ever played. It doesn't though, so that place still goes to Soma.    … Expand
  10. inmh
    Feb 25, 2019
    10
    This is a perfect example of a game that is primarily exploration/story-based that allows for enough creative interactivity to keep the story going. If more so-called "walking simulators" took notes from What Remains of Edith Finch, the genre would be better-viewed on the whole.
  11. ixakin
    Feb 18, 2019
    9
    Excellent story, simple but at the same time awesome. A myst have game if you like narrative games, more than shooting everywhere.
    Play calm with plenty of time, do not hurry.
    Enjoy the story.
  12. Narva
    Feb 18, 2019
    9
    Definirlo como un juego no es preciso; es más bien un cuento visual, con el que recorres la trágica historia de la familia Finch.

    Una delicia creativa lejos del frenesí de los juegos AAA actuales. Un 'must' en tu biblioteca.
  13. ChoicestGames
    Feb 15, 2019
    8
    Despite only taking two hours to complete, your morbid curiosity will compel you to learn how each member of the cursed Finch family met their untimely demise. Giant Sparrow went to great efforts in making this walking simulator stand out from the competition thanks to creative ways of telling the story as well as a beautiful house to explore.
  14. Kcon
    Feb 15, 2019
    8
    Very good but slightly short game that explores a very old house with some very interesting mysteries.
  15. AstiX
    Feb 5, 2019
    10
    Blown away. There's a lot of good stuff to be said about the game. It presents its mysterious story in a very innovative and unique way with a great mix of varying gameplay, animation and music.

    But there's that one special magical moment in the game. The part where you cut the fish... I don't want to include spoilers. You know what I'm talking about if you've played the game. That    Blown away. There's a lot of good stuff to be said about the game. It presents its mysterious story in a very innovative and unique way with a great mix of varying gameplay, animation and music.

    But there's that one special magical moment in the game. The part where you cut the fish... I don't want to include spoilers. You know what I'm talking about if you've played the game. That right there was probably the most amazing audiovisual presentation of a story in a video game. I had tears in my eyes out of pure goodness.

    A wonderful experience. Play it.    … Expand
  16. Merlo27
    Feb 1, 2019
    3
    I've never seen a game made with less honesty. Every little bit of this is perfectly calculated to contain just what a publicly and critically acclaimed work should have. It's beautiful, it's accessible, it's pandering, it shamelessly targets your inner voyeur and invokes morbid curiosity. Yet if you know where to look all of this becomes obvious pretty fast and by the embarrassment theI've never seen a game made with less honesty. Every little bit of this is perfectly calculated to contain just what a publicly and critically acclaimed work should have. It's beautiful, it's accessible, it's pandering, it shamelessly targets your inner voyeur and invokes morbid curiosity. Yet if you know where to look all of this becomes obvious pretty fast and by the embarrassment the ending of this game is (both in terms of writing and lack of payoff, as well as the predictability of it all) it becomes obvious the authors had literally nothing meaningful or clever to say.… Expand
  17. falmavar
    Jan 21, 2019
    2
    1 point for design and music.
    1 point for good stories of family members.
    I liked this game until I end it. There is no plot. There is no answers for the questions. There is no main idea. Postmodern "art" as it is. Very big disappointment.
  18. jelikey
    Jan 20, 2019
    9
    When a game makes you smile or sad theres something good about it, What remains of edith finch is an interactive story that takes you through the tragic history about a family. is really well written if you dont enjoy good stories go and play COD, this is about to sit ,watch, hear and enjoy
  19. Xloksik
    Jan 14, 2019
    10
    Игра отличная. Не понимаю тех людей которые говорят что игра скучная, конечно если ваш iq ниже 10 и вы не можете понять что сюжет таким задумывался. Если вы ожидаете от игры прямолинейностей их там не будет. Все описано максимально красочно, графика как и в подобных играх на 10 баллов, музыка тоже.Игра отличная. Не понимаю тех людей которые говорят что игра скучная, конечно если ваш iq ниже 10 и вы не можете понять что сюжет таким задумывался. Если вы ожидаете от игры прямолинейностей их там не будет. Все описано максимально красочно, графика как и в подобных играх на 10 баллов, музыка тоже.
  20. Matias8654
    Jan 12, 2019
    9
    Un juego increible que en todo momento te mantiene en suspenso, con cada una de las historias que vas encontrando, con un final perfecto.
    El unico pero que podria tener es que es un juego demasiado corto aunque la trama es sumamente envolvente
  21. DSgamePL
    Jan 12, 2019
    10
    I will remember this game forever...........................................................................................................................
  22. bifgis
    Jan 11, 2019
    0
    Wow. What an utter bore. #1: this is not a video game. This is a *barely* interactive storybook, with slow moving, janky controls, a languid movement speed whose only purpose is to drag out the sparse content to make it feel longer. The story is lackluster, unrelatable, and ultimately pointless with no buildup, climax, or payoff whatsoever.

    If this had been a show or movie, I wouldn't    Wow. What an utter bore. #1: this is not a video game. This is a *barely* interactive storybook, with slow moving, janky controls, a languid movement speed whose only purpose is to drag out the sparse content to make it feel longer. The story is lackluster, unrelatable, and ultimately pointless with no buildup, climax, or payoff whatsoever.

    If this had been a show or movie, I wouldn't have even bothered watching it in the background while i was playing a real game. I kept playing hoping there would be some point or that it would improve as I got deeper into it as the reviews seem so high. The only blessing therefore was that it was quite short.    … Expand
  23. TitaniumDragon
    Jan 11, 2019
    8
    What Remains of Edith Finch is a rather depressing walking simulator. You play as the titular Edith Finch, who returns to her abandoned childhood home after the death of her mother. It is immediately obvious upon looking at the house that her family was a bit eccentric, but once you get inside and start seeing the glued-shut doors, it’s obvious that there was something seriously wrong withWhat Remains of Edith Finch is a rather depressing walking simulator. You play as the titular Edith Finch, who returns to her abandoned childhood home after the death of her mother. It is immediately obvious upon looking at the house that her family was a bit eccentric, but once you get inside and start seeing the glued-shut doors, it’s obvious that there was something seriously wrong with the Finch family.

    As a walking simulator, this is really more of a story that you interact with by moving around and looking at items in the environment than a game per se; there’s no challenge to be had here, and virtually nothing in the way of meaningful choices to be made. The closest point of comparison is probably Gone Home – a young woman goes home to an empty house in the Pacific Northwest and over the course of the game you learn about the family drama that had unfolded there.

    However, I feel that this work is a major improvement on the typical walking simulator formula.

    What Remains of Edith Finch features shifting perspectives and art styles which serves to break up the gameplay and give it much more of a sense of variety. As you make your way through the game, you view the final moments of each member of the Finch family in turn, learning about their tragic and often self-inflicted history of bad stuff happening. These sequences are very creative, and vary considerably, ranging from a cel-shaded playthrough of a comic about a character’s death, to someone taking tragic family photos, to more abstract, fanciful scenes which imply how a character died.

    Even outside of the memories, this game oozes with character. The eccentricity of the family – along with one character’s tendency to make dead people’s bedrooms into makeshift memorials – allows the game makers the excuse to make a variety of distinctive rooms, each reflecting the character of an individual, well, character. The family’s eclectic, schmaltzy, and kitschy tastes give us both insight into various characters’ personalities as well as interesting things to look at as we make our way through the game.

    This game touched me emotionally, a rare feat in such works. That being said, I’m not sure if I can say that I actually enjoyed it; many of the events in the game were deliberately not only depressing, but also kind of pointless – the events just get progressively worse and more depressing as the game goes on. It’s just tragedy after tragedy, and while I’d be tempted to call it melodrama, the game does a pretty good job of selling it to the player – the pointlessness of it all is the point of the story, or as close to a point as Edith Finch has.

    If I had a complaint about the “gameplay” interface itself, it would be the protagonist’s slow walking speed – while this is partially justified in the story, it is still a bit annoying in a few sections (particularly in the outdoor areas) where you walk around and it can take quite a while to get from point A to point B. The fact that I couldn’t turn off my controller’s rumbling via an in-game option (at least, not one that I found) was also an annoyance. Both of these issues were quite minor, though the latter did result in me switching over to using my controller halfway through to prevent it from rattling its way off my desk.

    Overall, I think that this was one of the better examples of a serious walking simulator. The game’s overall presentation was on point, and it actually made me feel things. It didn’t belabor the point – the game overall is just a few hours long, and none of the individual sequences end up dragging on too long.

    And yet I am not in love with this game, in part because it mostly seemed to be just trying to make me sad, but I didn’t really feel like it had much in the way of a meaningful message.

    If you are interested in walking simulators, this is definitely one to check out. If you are looking for something with actual gameplay, this is not for you.    … Expand
  24. Hyperactivebuff
    Jan 10, 2019
    7
    [There are no actual spoilers here, but there are references that will have more meaning if you've played the game.]

    You should play this game. Let me get that out of the way straight off the bat. You should play this game. I only gave it a score of 7/10, and I will explain why below, but do not take this to mean I don't think this game is worth experiencing. "What Remains of    [There are no actual spoilers here, but there are references that will have more meaning if you've played the game.]

    You should play this game.

    Let me get that out of the way straight off the bat. You should play this game. I only gave it a score of 7/10, and I will explain why below, but do not take this to mean I don't think this game is worth experiencing.

    "What Remains of Edith Finch" is one of the best arguments for the place that so-called "Walking Simulators" have at the table of gaming. It is a compelling narrative, told by an urgent speaker who is compelling and authentic. At its heart, What Remains of Edith Finch is eulogy. It doesn't try to tell its story with words, because you know the person about whom it speaks. It doesn't show you. Instead, it reminds you of what you already know, and it allows your emotions to make the connections from its few words.

    "Something about the story was familiar", Edith says at one point in her story. And in that quote, you have an excellent summary of the game itself. Throughout this story you are left with emotional stirrings. Evocative, and emotive, rather than logical. You often know what is coming, and more importantly, you often know what is being felt. Whether it's dragging your palm along the air streaming out the passenger side window, or kicking your legs to pump higher and higher, this game is experiental. You live it, and you live it through your own snippets of memory. We have all lived these lives, we have all known these stories, we have all loved this person, and as any good eulogy does, the words and snippets of What Remains draws these memories out of you.

    It's a touching tale, and one you will remember. You should play this game. And luckily, it should be easy to do. Why you ask? Because despite the asking price, it takes about 120 minutes to 100%. And it isn't a perfect experience.

    There are snags. There are moments where you can't tell how to continue the tale and have to backtrack and retrace. There are other times where you backtrack and retrace, and the game lets you do so, only to find that you shouldn't have. These SNAFUs have become expected with walking simulators, but they're frustrating and they take away from the experience. The graphics are suitable, pretty, but not standout. The score is likewise suitable but never particularly compelling. Except maybe with the frog. The lack of a 'run' button is intentional, but cumbersome. It makes areas that were already bordering on frustrating moreso, when they are being experienced. The lack of a 'display clues' button is also intentional and just as cumbersome for all the same reasons. This is not a game that should attempt to 'hide achievements'. It wants you to get the whole story, and it wants you to get the whole story step by step, in an organized manner rather than disjointed and backtracked. Refusal to aide its own design in this regard, perhaps as some defense against the tired 'Walking simulators aren't games' blathering of the unwashed heathens, does the team at Annapurna no favors.

    This is a good game. Some will even consider it a great game. But it's a 2 hour experience that costs as much as $40. If you get this game free, you're right to say it was great. If you bought it for $40 or even $20, you may very well feel far less pleased with it. I think you should play it, but I think you need to understand how brief the play is. And it doesn't benefit from any replaying. I am glad I played this game. I enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anybody. But I don't think it's worth more than about $10 for most people, and it usually goes for a lot more than that.    … Expand
  25. passionne
    Jan 8, 2019
    6
    Good :

    - interesting story
    - voice acting

    Bad :

    - gameplay too poor
    - graphics : low resolution textures
    - bad optimization : the game requires a high-end graphic card to play in 4K at 60 fps while graphics are not very good
  26. Klewer
    Nov 24, 2018
    8
    An absolutely amazing story and great atmosphere in this game. It what some may call a "Walking Simulator" but it;'s well worth palying. Only issue is a bit short, 2 hours roughly.
  27. beeanadou
    Nov 9, 2018
    5
    The stories are too scattered and hardly linked to each other. Picture is great though but besides it cannot find much selling point.
  28. Renovatia
    Oct 31, 2018
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was presented to me as a game, but it isn't. It's a story driven "walk-through".

    Basically you explore an eerie yet beautiful house and when you click on one or the other object, a part of the story is told by the protagonist, a young pregnant woman. You begin with the bottom of the family tree and move up - so to speak - discovering how each family member came to die untimely.

    To keep you awake, occasionally you have to open a door, lock or window yourself by moving the mouse in some direction. Or you control an animal for a moment. It's all at rudimentary level and not intended to challenge you. Again, it's only to keep your attention.

    To explore everything, the "game" takes about two hours. And that's it. Suddenly it's over, and you're left with a nice story, but haven't played a game or anything, because there is no game to play.

    For two hours (or three if you're slower) of story telling, this "book" is kinda expensive. I don't know exactly what to think of it. But I'm left unfulfilled, hence the lower score.

    Graphics is nice though. No glitches or anything. A huge negative is the bratty way the young lady communicates. You have to listen to her voice for the next two hours or so. Another negative is the open end more or less. The unlikely weird deaths by the family members aren't explained, although everybody claims it because they read upon the family history. So suspicions of their ill fate (untimely deaths of all family members) is based on superstition.

    But nothing conclusive will be presented. This family is simply dying because that's the story. Meh.
    A good thing I have to say is that the story doesn't try to push some liberal agenda such as "Gone Home", which pushes the gay agenda. Edith Finch is an original mystery story (without answers).

    All in all this "game" is a walking simulator/spoken story book with decent graphics. It's not a game - just to make sure. It lasts for 2 hours. If that's worth your $12 or so then go for it.    … Expand
  29. captaint
    Oct 12, 2018
    10
    I am starting disappointed for metacritic. People here is unreasonably picky and I even saw a 0 score for Edith Finch..unbelievable. I will give 9.5 for its brave and beautiful narratation!
  30. Archound
    Oct 3, 2018
    9
    The best title in it's genre. Lots of unique and clever ideas. Very close to 10/10!
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Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PC Game of 2017
20
#20 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
64
#64 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Jul 5, 2017
    79
    Leisurely exploration of the estate is interspersed with stories about the last days of different Finch family members – and these moments show that developers didn’t just proclaim their love for H.P. Lovecraft, Neil Gaiman and other masters of magical realism, they really know that stuff. Giant Sparrow draws you into the little girl’s dreamworld just as easily as it paints a picture of kingly ambitions of a factory worker. [Issue#221, p.81]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 5, 2017
    80
    Beautiful, bittersweet, artistic, frank and engaging game. Just a shame of the scope that does not allow to move from a captivating start into a completely satisfactory final. [Issue#275]
  3. CD-Action
    Jun 30, 2017
    70
    The game tells intriguing stories and leaves room for interpretation but is short, linear and devoid of true tension. [07/2017, p.60]
See all critic reviews »