Virginia

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 119 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 119
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 119
  3. Negative: 39 out of 119

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  1. Ashbelthor
    Jun 22, 2019
    1
    Zero game play. Unnecessary collectibles that put a strain on an already incoherent, self gratuitous narrative. Honestly, just skip this.
  2. AMKrishnan
    Feb 5, 2022
    5
    Visuals: typical of aesthetics of an indie game with a somewhat interesting art syle.
    Music: the best part of the game (although that's not saying much given there's not much to rave about in general). it has an interesting soundtrack composed
    Gameplay: horrible... it's just constantly moving around and pressing X to interact with a few things before moving onto the next chapter. very    Visuals: typical of aesthetics of an indie game with a somewhat interesting art syle.
    Music: the best part of the game (although that's not saying much given there's not much to rave about in general). it has an interesting soundtrack composed
    Gameplay: horrible... it's just constantly moving around and pressing X to interact with a few things before moving onto the next chapter. very boring and repetitive.
    Story: it seems like one of those projects where the creators want you to think for yourself, but it's executed horribly. there's no dialogue and you can't really engage with the story much. so i feel that was a big failure with the game.

    overall do I recommend it? No, no I do not. I did get this for £2 or lower, so not really anything lost. I also got a platinum trophy out of it. But for anyone else, i wouldn't recommend it. spend that money on a snack or something.    … Expand
  3. Julesasi
    Dec 22, 2022
    2
    No gaming skills needed. Very confusing and senseless "story". The context of the story was simply incomprehensible. Very boring and tedious game, although the playing time is only about 2.5 hours.
  4. Spidor
    Nov 28, 2016
    2
    I knew what I was in for when I got it - a plot driven interactive experience, or rather a walking simulator like the haters call them. I like walking simulators; I enjoyed Firewatch, Everyone's Gone to the Rapture, Gone Home, and SOMA, which is essentially a walking simulator with a couple of scary hide-and-seek bits interspersed, is one of my favorite games of all times. No, that's notI knew what I was in for when I got it - a plot driven interactive experience, or rather a walking simulator like the haters call them. I like walking simulators; I enjoyed Firewatch, Everyone's Gone to the Rapture, Gone Home, and SOMA, which is essentially a walking simulator with a couple of scary hide-and-seek bits interspersed, is one of my favorite games of all times. No, that's not the problem with this game.

    Its problem is that it's just cheap "evocative" imagery, ugly animation, on-the-nose musical cues to let you know how to feel in lieu of an actual connection to any of it and first and foremost - an incoherent style of story-telling. Characters lack character, not just because they look like annoyed Miis but because they just don't interact right at all. It's easy to lose track of what's going on because this game hates transitions, it's just jump cut after jump cut. Mish-mash of dream and reality are very David Lynch, but even those lack a certain element of coherence or mystery. It doesn't just feel weird; it feels disjointed and try-hard.

    Look, I'm not saying I got it and didn't like it. Maybe I didn't get it, maybe I lost the plot, maybe I was too busy trying to understand who's who from identical looking characters with slightly different hairstyles, perspectives switching and repetition. I personally feel like Virginia is a massive miss in terms of characters, story and emotions. If you like a good mystery, Virginia ain't.    … Expand
  5. rdekoch
    Sep 22, 2016
    9
    It's a truly interesting interactive experience that rewards replaying. It didn't sate my craving for unique gameplay, but the story got my attention. It's one of the most cinematic of games I've played. That said, because there are only a few things to interact with and nor real puzzles, it can feel inert. I am impressed by the how beautiful the game is, I wished it had more challenge orIt's a truly interesting interactive experience that rewards replaying. It didn't sate my craving for unique gameplay, but the story got my attention. It's one of the most cinematic of games I've played. That said, because there are only a few things to interact with and nor real puzzles, it can feel inert. I am impressed by the how beautiful the game is, I wished it had more challenge or interactivity/puzzles. It's still worth experiencing.… Expand
  6. KamenRiderDark
    Sep 28, 2016
    0
    Speaking as a movie lover, Virginia is a pretty fascinating story. Imagine if David Lynch directed the pilot episode of The X-Files. It has some great visuals and a soild score. It's worth it to at least watch a stream if you're into this kind of story.

    As a gamer, and as someone who loves "walking sims" and artistic games, there is no reason that this should have been told as a game    Speaking as a movie lover, Virginia is a pretty fascinating story. Imagine if David Lynch directed the pilot episode of The X-Files. It has some great visuals and a soild score. It's worth it to at least watch a stream if you're into this kind of story.

    As a gamer, and as someone who loves "walking sims" and artistic games, there is no reason that this should have been told as a game instead of movie. You have no agency, there is no sense of exploration, you can't affect any outcome, and you never have any option to choose. You pretty much walk through a series of very linear levels with usually only one object to interact with at any given time.    … Expand
  7. IndieFreak
    Sep 25, 2016
    9
    Virginia's story is a delight to unfold, despite the fact that you can't affect it all that much. It's powerful, unconventional, daring and it isn't afraid to leave things to interpretation. Truly a sight to behold.
  8. SuperkenGaming
    Sep 23, 2016
    6
    Virginia
    Interactive Confusion
    Virginia is a first person thriller where you play as an fbi agent during an investigation of a missing person…. The game starts by telling you this story is based on true events, and a lot of weird stuff happens, so I’m not too sure how true that is.. This game is really all over the place and I don’t even understand why some things were in the story, or    Virginia
    Interactive Confusion
    Virginia is a first person thriller where you play as an fbi agent during an investigation of a missing person….
    The game starts by telling you this story is based on true events, and a lot of weird stuff happens, so I’m not too sure how true that is..
    This game is really all over the place and I don’t even understand why some things were in the story, or why they mattered, and I came to no conclusions at the end…
    It’s really a jumbled mess…
    This isn’t so much a game as it is a 1 and a half hr long interactive movie…
    You do nothing but occasionally tap x or find an object to interact with and the story pushes on.. Or back. Or side to side. In dreams... drug trips
    Again, it jumps all over the place…
    The world in Virginia though is absolutely gorgeous…
    Easily one of the best looking games I’ve played this year...
    Walking through the small sections I did was a very enjoyable experience…
    The mood and setting fits the story perfectly…
    But again, it’s pretty hard to call this a game… any more than reading along to a mystery novel is a game...
    You don’t make choices…
    And the characters in this world don’t talk at all…
    You have to read body language to get any sense of what’s going on…
    and even then it’s still tough as there seems to be like 5 different stories going on at once, and out of order…
    Virginia is beautiful, but a mess… and not a beautiful mess…
    But I’m only 1 person... other critics seem to be in love with this game, calling it emotionally powerful and thought provoking… but I just don’t see it.
    I felt like overall this game accomplished nothing but feeling like one of the most movie like games to date, but the story and its delivery just didn’t do it for me
    I Give Virginia
    a 6.0/10    … Expand
  9. Tirah
    Sep 30, 2016
    8
    Right off the bat I'm going to say Virginia is NOT a game. You have no choices to make, and there's absolutely no way in which you can affect what's happening on screen. All you do is click on objects and people to progress the story, which is basically an equivalent of you pressing 'play' on your remote whenever the movie decides to pause itself. Because that's what Virginia is: anRight off the bat I'm going to say Virginia is NOT a game. You have no choices to make, and there's absolutely no way in which you can affect what's happening on screen. All you do is click on objects and people to progress the story, which is basically an equivalent of you pressing 'play' on your remote whenever the movie decides to pause itself. Because that's what Virginia is: an interactive movie. That's not a bad thing, though - if this is the kind of entertainment you enjoy.

    Virginia was compared to David Lynch's works numerous times, and while it's pretty overused at this point, it's also very fitting. The story begins as a rather generic cop movie, and by the time it ends you're left sitting there, wondering what really happened. What was real and what was just a drug induced hallucination? Even if the story is confusing, it's definitely not boring and it firmly held my attention for its entire 2-hour running time. I was genuinely curious about what happens next and couldn't wait to find out.

    Virginia has rather unique visuals to go with its unique story. It's minimalist in style, low poly and simplistic. It may not look all that impressive in static images, but when you see it in action, it works. The environments are beautifully modeled, characters with their limited facial features are surprisingly expressive. Lights and shadows lead you intuitively to the objects you need to click on to move the story forward. Certain scenes are almost monochrome with the key objects being in contrast colors. It looks pretty and it works.

    There's no voice work whatsoever, everything is told via (live orchestra) soundtrack and the beautiful imagery. It works very well. The soundtrack is available on Steam at the moment and it's not even $5. If you like the music, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

    My only complaint regarding Virginia is its price tag on PS4. I prefer to play my interactive movie games from the comfort of my couch, so I always go for the console versions. $15 (at the time of writing) is a bit too much for a 2-hour movie in my opinion, especially seeing how the PC version costs half of that. Stop being greedy, Sony.

    And that's Virginia. It's not for everyone,but if you enjoy movies that aren't exactly what they seem to be and that look and sound good, you're going to like this one.    … Expand
  10. Kansler
    Nov 28, 2017
    7
    Confusing, mesmerising, disappointing, beautiful... all these things could describe what it feels like to play Virginia. Even in the best of times, these kinds of first person story-based games are not for anybody. And Virginia does not represent the best of times. It is definitely a flawed experience, to say the least, and it doesn't cohere in the way that it should. Nonetheless, theConfusing, mesmerising, disappointing, beautiful... all these things could describe what it feels like to play Virginia. Even in the best of times, these kinds of first person story-based games are not for anybody. And Virginia does not represent the best of times. It is definitely a flawed experience, to say the least, and it doesn't cohere in the way that it should. Nonetheless, the awesome soundtrack, the cinematic storytelling and the beautiful atmosphere of the surroundings make it worth picking up when it goes on sale if you like artistic, indie, atmospheric, solitary and cinematic game experiences.… Expand
  11. timmytime
    Mar 4, 2017
    9
    I loved this one - tells a story with a lot of depth despite being wordless and pushes the medium. The only reason I haven't given it 10/10 is I think it goes on 2 or 3 minutes too long, which may seem silly on such a short game. I think they just went a bit overboard in the non-linearity and metaphor at the end, which I understand while important and obviously part of the experiment theI loved this one - tells a story with a lot of depth despite being wordless and pushes the medium. The only reason I haven't given it 10/10 is I think it goes on 2 or 3 minutes too long, which may seem silly on such a short game. I think they just went a bit overboard in the non-linearity and metaphor at the end, which I understand while important and obviously part of the experiment the game is going for, made it a little less tight and focused than it could be.… Expand
  12. mr_blonde75
    Oct 2, 2016
    9
    Easily my favorite game of the year so far.
    By now you should know if a "walking simulator" is for you or not.
    If it isn't, then you won't like it, if you do enjoy these kind of games then please pick this up.
    The story, the atmosphere, setting all come together in a weird Twin Peaks like experience.
  13. Nel
    Mar 30, 2017
    7
    Intuitive very engaging game. The game is based on a case, and it has a great story. The graphics are average nothing eye popping or anything, but if you are looking for something that will take you about an hour or so to complete this is not a bad choice.
  14. GrumpyReviewer
    Sep 26, 2016
    9
    This game is not for everyone. It's a strange, weird, walking simulator where you become a female officer in the FBI during the investigation of a missing child. But, the moment you get this assignment, it's like the game pushes into a rabbit hole and it keeps getting stranger and stranger to a point where it becomes hard to see the difference between dream and reality.

    It does remind    This game is not for everyone. It's a strange, weird, walking simulator where you become a female officer in the FBI during the investigation of a missing child. But, the moment you get this assignment, it's like the game pushes into a rabbit hole and it keeps getting stranger and stranger to a point where it becomes hard to see the difference between dream and reality.

    It does remind of David Lynch's work, like Twin Peaks. And it does have a strong cinematic feel, with you traversing bits and pieces of edited scenes, instead of a linear narrative.

    At the end, I was not very sure what to think. I just know that I really enjoyed it. This is a very special game, and one that should not be missed by people who enjoy this kind of game. But, like I said, it is not for everyone.    … Expand
  15. Agarwel
    Sep 22, 2016
    9
    It is very interesting "game" (to be precise: Interactive movie walking simulator). It is story based game told in very unique style. It is without words (and yet it works). And it is very cinematic. Meaning there are basiaclly no empty filler spaces. Even when you need to go between location, there are cuts like in the movie. So the game is feeding you interesting content all the time (inIt is very interesting "game" (to be precise: Interactive movie walking simulator). It is story based game told in very unique style. It is without words (and yet it works). And it is very cinematic. Meaning there are basiaclly no empty filler spaces. Even when you need to go between location, there are cuts like in the movie. So the game is feeding you interesting content all the time (in this way it is very different from Rapture, where you spent most of the time walking.). The Story is very difficult and honestly I dont understand it at all (playd just one). It is like watching very difficult Lynch movie. But it is told in a way, that it glued me to the TV and I had to bing-play it in one sitting. It is short game (little over 2 hours). But the price is reasonable (under 10 bucks) so it is totally fine. Personally Im recomending this title. It is not exactly a game. But it is great experience worth the money.… Expand
  16. Nobilis1984
    Sep 23, 2016
    8
    Virginia recalls the great Telltale Games but in other graphics. It needs no language and also works thus 1A.
    The story can be interpreted in many ways. Twin Peaks Greetings.
    If you like "Twin Peaks" and "The X" will have its fun here.
  17. Trunkis
    Sep 28, 2016
    0
    Atari's ET 2600 has more narrative falling down a pixelated well than this mess.

    This is the problem with hipstery creators... they don't get that they don't get what videogaming is all about.
  18. Drekassn
    Jan 4, 2017
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm not going to rip on this for being "not a game" like so many others are doing. I'm going to rip on this because it's nonsense pretending to be a deep story. I can't stand things like this. A compelling mystery gives you hints throughout and then neatly wraps up at least some, if not all, of these clues. What a compelling mystery does NOT do is hand you some bullcrap symbolism that never gets explained in the slightest and then dumps a bunch of new information on you at the very end that doesn't seem to relate at all to the rest of the story and then ends the whole thing with "Surprise! Aliens did it." It honestly feels like this game took a massive dump on my free time and then expected me to thank them for it. Really not a fan at all.… Expand
  19. gygessgygess
    Oct 1, 2016
    10
    Wow, what an experience! I played it at a friends house, have no plans on replaying it, yet went ahead and paid for it to support what the devs have done here.

    If you're a fan of Blendo games (Gravity Bone, Thirty Flights of Loving, Quadrilateral Cowboy), but also like the thoughtfulness and drama of The Chinese Room (Dear Esther, Everybodys Gone to The Rapture) than you will love this    Wow, what an experience! I played it at a friends house, have no plans on replaying it, yet went ahead and paid for it to support what the devs have done here.

    If you're a fan of Blendo games (Gravity Bone, Thirty Flights of Loving, Quadrilateral Cowboy), but also like the thoughtfulness and drama of The Chinese Room (Dear Esther, Everybodys Gone to The Rapture) than you will love this game.

    Don't listen to people complaining about the game length, they really need to understand game development more. No good film or piece of music begins by setting out how long it will be. Gamers need to start thinking quality, not quantity. The two hours it takes to complete is paced perfectly, had it lasted much longer than attention would start to fade.

    Since there's a demo available, I'll just end off with a comment on the music. The score is fantastic, unbelievably high levels of production value, and is a step in the right direction for the industry. Play with headphones! The sountrack adds a lot of emotion, and I don't see that as a bad thing at all. You must experience it.    … Expand
  20. fEtas
    Jan 21, 2017
    0
    I think it is the worst game I ever played.
    The graphics is so much under everyone's expecations (ps1 has much more better graphics).
    The sound....there is no sound! Only an orchestra is playing all the time(!). Story...psycho story.. there is no normal line...it is getting you crazy. It was the worst 2 hours I spent my whole life . Fortunatelly it was only cost 5 euros. Nevetheless    I think it is the worst game I ever played.
    The graphics is so much under everyone's expecations (ps1 has much more better graphics).
    The sound....there is no sound! Only an orchestra is playing all the time(!).
    Story...psycho story.. there is no normal line...it is getting you crazy.
    It was the worst 2 hours I spent my whole life . Fortunatelly it was only cost 5 euros. Nevetheless this cost it is much more than this game deserves.    … Expand
  21. Ivan1989
    Jul 2, 2017
    1
    Lets get to point, shall we. We hear the phase, "walking simulator" allot with games like Heavy Rain, etc and others, however I think for the first time, we can actually call this game an actual walking simulator. Unlike the game mentioned above, this game has no goal, no story, no voice acting, no real gameplay, nothing. Its literally just walk to a point and transition to the next scene,Lets get to point, shall we. We hear the phase, "walking simulator" allot with games like Heavy Rain, etc and others, however I think for the first time, we can actually call this game an actual walking simulator. Unlike the game mentioned above, this game has no goal, no story, no voice acting, no real gameplay, nothing. Its literally just walk to a point and transition to the next scene, that's it. Virginia is an ugly mess of game with poorly designed character models, no voice acting or text to explain what the hell is going on, dumb meaningless walking gameplay, with no real story, goal or anything. It literally a game about nothing!!! Terrible, don't even think about buying this so called game, because you want find a game in it.… Expand
  22. Gurdur
    Oct 15, 2016
    4
    Interesting story. But this is not a game. You can't affect whats happening at all, you basically just click and walk your way through cut-scenes of a movie with below par graphics. I was very disappointed and even bored at times. Not worth the time or money. The plot would call for a decent movie though.
  23. RicoC
    Sep 7, 2019
    0
    No gameplay, no plot, literally no dialog (not a single spoken word). Awful game propped up by lying critics because SJW. Avoid.
  24. ppopopp
    Mar 8, 2020
    10
    First of all, the game is confusing and kind of on rails gameplay-wise.

    Don't let that fool you, the redeeming quality is how touching it is. They call the game a "feature". The main attraction is that the music was composed buythe Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. They put their heart into it guy and gals. My guess as an I'm sorry for piloting into the **** of this earlieth of the    First of all, the game is confusing and kind of on rails gameplay-wise.

    Don't let that fool you, the redeeming quality is how touching it is. They call the game a "feature". The main attraction is that the music was composed buythe Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

    They put their heart into it guy and gals. My guess as an I'm sorry for piloting into the **** of this earlieth of the millenium.

    It's short. There's no dialogue. You 'll be asking yourself w*f half the time. But it'll tug at your heartstrings with both the story and the score.

    Do yourself a favor and find out what happened to Lucas.    … Expand
  25. roo7788
    Mar 27, 2017
    6
    me gutos el diseño simple de los personajes y como interactuan se siente como ver una pelicula con algunas interaciones pero la historia se vuelve muy tripi lo cual es bueno pero llega un punto en el cual el misterio que tratas de resolver se atora narativamente y sientes que la historia y el desarrollo se detiene sevpudo trabajarse mejor en el desarrollo de la trama pero me gusto queme gutos el diseño simple de los personajes y como interactuan se siente como ver una pelicula con algunas interaciones pero la historia se vuelve muy tripi lo cual es bueno pero llega un punto en el cual el misterio que tratas de resolver se atora narativamente y sientes que la historia y el desarrollo se detiene sevpudo trabajarse mejor en el desarrollo de la trama pero me gusto que fuera super fumado el juego… Expand
  26. tomason
    Dec 12, 2022
    8
    Very unique, cinematic, narrative driven game. The story and setting is very intriguing, it reminded me of the work of David Lynch with its cryptic symbolism. Not for everyone but for me was a memorable experience.
  27. Espee
    May 15, 2021
    8
    Good game which gets better on each playthrough. It is not for everyone, but still a cool story and experience.
  28. Havrepuffen
    Aug 14, 2019
    0
    Totally pointless, bad graphics, boring and confusing story. Can’t get it how this game rates so high?!
  29. thegovnah
    Apr 29, 2023
    0
    This type of surreal content is really not for the game medium. even with a worded script, it would have been confusing.
    Kudos to anyone who understood anything and kudos to anyone who had the patient to play it over and over or research the fame, but this was definitely not for me.
    I have to add that the music was specifically a big offender for me, while by itself, a beautiful score,    This type of surreal content is really not for the game medium. even with a worded script, it would have been confusing.
    Kudos to anyone who understood anything and kudos to anyone who had the patient to play it over and over or research the fame, but this was definitely not for me.
    I have to add that the music was specifically a big offender for me, while by itself, a beautiful score, throughout most of the game, the epic tune was constantly playing, as if the whole game was a big continuous climax. I'm sorry, but I think I was just too damn small for the grand vision of the devs!    … Expand
  30. Johnsonsteed91
    May 7, 2023
    5
    This game has no direction. It’s an interactive short film with a small amount of collectibles. No voice dialog, Unique art style, and hard to follow story. Not much of the way of combat and not one of 505’s best.
  31. PS_Ok_man
    Aug 21, 2022
    5
    Before I played this game I heard a lot of good about it. After playing it I have to say I am disappointed. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't bad game. But it wasn't good neither. It was just okay. The plot was quite boring (played it two times for platinum). Visuals were good but not perfect. What was the best of it was the music. Music in this game is great. I think 5 is a fair score. IBefore I played this game I heard a lot of good about it. After playing it I have to say I am disappointed. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't bad game. But it wasn't good neither. It was just okay. The plot was quite boring (played it two times for platinum). Visuals were good but not perfect. What was the best of it was the music. Music in this game is great. I think 5 is a fair score. I just expected more.… Expand
  32. P-Daniele
    Jun 3, 2023
    5
    virginia è un film dalla durata di poco meno di 2 ore, dove controlleremo una persona palesemente zoppa e con anche qualche problema a girare il collo. ogni azione che faremo sarà ad un rito lentissimo, e questo farà in parte pesare il seguire le vicende che il gioco ci vuole narrare.
    la narrativa viene raccontata senza nessun tipo di dialogo e dovremo capire cosa sta accadendo    virginia è un film dalla durata di poco meno di 2 ore, dove controlleremo una persona palesemente zoppa e con anche qualche problema a girare il collo. ogni azione che faremo sarà ad un rito lentissimo, e questo farà in parte pesare il seguire le vicende che il gioco ci vuole narrare.
    la narrativa viene raccontata senza nessun tipo di dialogo e dovremo capire cosa sta accadendo semplicemente interpretando gli eventi che vedremo.
    questo non sarà super complesso inizialmente, ma con più si prosegue con più si complicherà. con un montaggio sempre più serrato che mostrerà sempre più scene strane, e dato che non ci saranno dialoghi non sempre si capisce cosa sta accadendo.
    in generale il titolo non mi è piaciuto sia per una confusionaria parte finale, sia con dei comandi che fanno risultare il tutto ancora più faticoso da portare a termine.
    preferisco non dare un voto dato che non saprei da che punto di vista valutarlo, e anche perchè a me non piace dare voti ai film.
    se vi interessa il genere una possibilità potete sicuramente dargliela.    … Expand
  33. lavandina
    Jun 16, 2023
    1
    Absolutely horrible. I get it, it's artsy and experimental, but it doesn't click as fun. Gameplay is uninteresting, story is incomprehensible. I only went through with it since I know it was short and I was expecting an ending of some sort.

Awards & Rankings

95
#95 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 28
  3. Negative: 3 out of 28
  1. Let's Play Video Games
    Jan 1, 2017
    80
    It was only during my subsequent playthroughs that I was able to catch the game’s quiet understatement, and I’m so frustrated that I missed these the first time around. This is a game to be savored and treasured, but its blunt delivery and liberal use of codes and symbols only serve to sacrifice clarity.
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  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Oct 29, 2016
    80
    All combined, it’s enough to elevate Virginia above PS4’s typical story-led fare, divisive bow-out and all. [December 2016, p74]
  3. PSNStores
    Oct 19, 2016
    40
    It’s clear that Virginia is supposed to be mysterious, the absence of any dialog helps to keep things firmly planted in the unexplainable, but when there’s no payoff to any of the build up – it all starts to feel a bit meaningless.
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