Virginia

 Xbox One
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 49
  3. Negative: 16 out of 49

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  1. siphus007
    Jun 16, 2018
    5
    Press A to advance the plot point. Cue the TV show music. Press A to do something illegal. Cue the dream sequence. Press A to trip out. Jump randomly to a new location. Find something around the room to press A on and then press A.

    A slog through 2 hours of dull "gameplay" to reach what matters, a final 20 minutes of senseless, pretentiously artistic confusion. If you try to interpret    Press A to advance the plot point. Cue the TV show music. Press A to do something illegal. Cue the dream sequence. Press A to trip out. Jump randomly to a new location. Find something around the room to press A on and then press A.

    A slog through 2 hours of dull "gameplay" to reach what matters, a final 20 minutes of senseless, pretentiously artistic confusion. If you try to interpret this as being an inspired game, then you can find a way. The lack of words or narration hinders it, although to its credit, the pseudo-artistic mystifying plot development style isn't seen very often.    … Expand
  2. Jazzgabe
    Jul 23, 2020
    0
    Possibly the worst game i ever played. The interaction is limited, the story is confusing and boring.
  3. SenorKoquonfaes
    Jan 9, 2020
    5
    Virginia is very much a game designed for the auteur, rather than a broader spectrum of the gaming audience. On the one hand, I totally respect this and even admire it as large chunks of the games industry have all but shunned auteurism in gaming, instead opting to create the most bland, homogenized, inoffensive experience as possible. On the other hand though, these sorts of gamingVirginia is very much a game designed for the auteur, rather than a broader spectrum of the gaming audience. On the one hand, I totally respect this and even admire it as large chunks of the games industry have all but shunned auteurism in gaming, instead opting to create the most bland, homogenized, inoffensive experience as possible. On the other hand though, these sorts of gaming experiences are largely lost on me, coming across as overly pretentious or too obscure. Sadly Virginia is the latter, not the former in this case.

    Don't expect much in the way of traditional game play. Even by walking sim/interactive storytelling standards, Virginia features barely any game play apart from use left stick to move around and press A to progress the plot. Don't expect to influence the story in anyway and don't expect much in the way of exploration. The game effectively railroads you down a linear story path with not much room for deviation.

    The game's plot was tough to nail down at times. From what I loosely gathered, you play as a recent graduate FBI agent Anne Tarver who gets partnered with a more senior agent in Maria Halperin. You're both tasked with solving a missing persons case involving a priest's son Lucas Fairfax. On top of this, the head of the FBI is conducting an internal affairs investigation regarding Maria Halperin and he tasks Anne to keep a close eye on her. As you both travel from one location to another to progress the plot, Anne and Maria begin to develop a stronger, more personal relationship with each other.

    Eventually Maria finds out that you're investigating her and she leaves you at a gas station by the side of the road. You attempt to reconcile with her by destroying her case file, but it ultimately lands the both of you in jail and then... This is where the plot really loses me. It proceeds to go off on a bunch of tangential, "trippy" dream sequences that are made all the more confusing by the fact that there's barely, if any form of exposition in the game. No voice acting, no dialogue, no text dumps. After a series of these "trippy" artistic dream sequences, the game ends with both of you finding Lucas Fairfax walking down the side of the road somewhere and then the scene just cuts to black. I was really hoping these dream sequences would coalesce into something significant, but it seem to come across as a bunch of pseudo-artistic scenes.

    The games musical score and sound design is where Virginia really shines. The creators knew damn well that if you're not going to give the player any exposition, you better be able to communicate tones and emotions in some other way. The musical score absolutely nails this aspect.

    I do wonder if Virginia would've been better served as 90 minute animated movie, rather than being shoe-horned into a game. Between to minimal game play and the artistic expressions the game gives off, I think it would've been much better received as a movie.

    Ultimately, Virginia is a game that I can barely recommend. If you're into auteur game design, than go for it. I got it super cheap for a $1.99 CAD, so at that price, I think I can recommend it. In any other case, however, Virginia is not the game for me.    … Expand
  4. xKieran1995x
    Dec 22, 2021
    2
    Very stunning game and really nice music but I didn't really understand the game at all and the no talking aspect of the game really threw me off a bit. Not really my sort of game and because of that I will have to rate this very low.
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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.
  8. Romanchik777
    Apr 15, 2020
    0
    I only could stand 1 minute of demo. Hipsters should stop creating games. If you can’t in graphics and visuals just gtfo, write a book or create visual novel game with nice 2d characters ( probably it easier create most awful 3D models I ve ever seen for those bearded tolerance guys with goofy glasses and redneck hoodies)
  9. 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
  10. osprey
    Sep 23, 2016
    10
    This game is amazing! I defy anyone to explain this game in a few paragraphs. It first of all has a spectacular soundtrack of stunningly beautiful music. No one speaks and that is awesome! It is visually unique and quite beautiful. It is obviously channeling Twin Peaks and Deadly Premonition and some of the music and environments really bring back strong memories of these influences.This game is amazing! I defy anyone to explain this game in a few paragraphs. It first of all has a spectacular soundtrack of stunningly beautiful music. No one speaks and that is awesome! It is visually unique and quite beautiful. It is obviously channeling Twin Peaks and Deadly Premonition and some of the music and environments really bring back strong memories of these influences. I have played through it several times and each time I understand it a little more and a little less which is a wonderful thing. The achievements are really clever and I still don't understand what I did to get some of them. Just the most interesting and unique gaming experience to come along in quite some time. I am a huge fan of this game. Absolutely love it!… Expand
  11. GamesXtreme
    Oct 11, 2016
    8
    Once in a while a game comes along like Virgina, one that challenges you to look at things in a very different way, to fire up part of your brain that delights (or is repulsed) by conundrums, puzzles, mysteries and good old fashioned detective tales. I got a chance to take a look at this one, inspired by the likes of the X-Files, Fargo, Twin Peaks, and other bizarre tales - what I foundOnce in a while a game comes along like Virgina, one that challenges you to look at things in a very different way, to fire up part of your brain that delights (or is repulsed) by conundrums, puzzles, mysteries and good old fashioned detective tales. I got a chance to take a look at this one, inspired by the likes of the X-Files, Fargo, Twin Peaks, and other bizarre tales - what I found was a narrative-driven, suspenseful, tightly-wound thriller that will likely be just as polarising as the latter shows.… Expand
  12. JonnyPix
    Jun 7, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I cannot fault this game. I was looking for something different and this caught my eye and for £1.55 I think it was on sale I have certainly got my moneys worth.

    I loved the art style, how it was like a movie with the credits and how easy it was to pick up and play. But this game really got me thinking and because of the ambiguity I am sure every person will get something unique of it. The scene where it appears she is looking into the future and you see all her minorty workforce throwing up they are presumably being bullied and just little subtle things like when your papers are checked you seem to get a harder time by security was really well done. Triggered a lot of emotions and made you think.

    I have found it really relaxing to play through a few times also. Just really excellent, couldn't fault it. Loved the visual style, the music, first rate    … Expand
  13. Stan_Osbourne
    Sep 11, 2022
    4
    Very boring and dull game. As for the walking simulator, the graphics are too terrible and there is almost nothing to look at. The characters are all silent, there are no subtitles, it is completely incomprehensible what is happening. One word - trash. Glory to Ukraine!
  14. YevheniiHura
    Feb 27, 2023
    7
    Play with headphones for sure, the sound design is incredible and is like half the appeal

Awards & Rankings

45
#45 Best Xbox One Game of 2016
63
#63 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2016
87
#87 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. games(TM)
    Nov 19, 2016
    80
    An interactive experience unlike any other. [Issue#180, p.48]
    Read full review
  2. CGMagazine
    Oct 24, 2016
    60
    As a piece of art, I quite appreciate Virginia. but I certainly won't be revisiting Virginia in the future.
    Read full review
  3. XboxAddict
    Oct 5, 2016
    80
    You’re not in control of anything in Virginia, and once you come to accept that, it’s a completely different experience. It’s not going to appeal to many, but for those of you that might understand it, you will find something truly unique that sticks with you long after the credits roll.
    Read full review
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