Sephonie is a surreal platformer with melancholic yet chill vibes that's honestly pretty good.

The game is a 3d platformer with puzzle segments. The platfomer navigation is interesting. The controls are different than what I'm used to, but once you get used to it it works pretty well. The puzzle section is a nice diversion, but not all that challenging(though the platforming has decent difficulty to it)

The story starts slow in my opinion, but at the half way point it picks up(which means more complex platforming and larger reading segments stuffed into the back end). Again the story starts simple and straight forward, adds some mystery, then finishes with melancholic and introspective vibes. If that's your thing and especially if you like themes of connection, distance, etc.

The art is interesting. It's got a 3d low poly aesthetic that evokes games from about a decade or so ago, but it does it nicely. The lower fidelity doesn't hamper the level design or the presentation, instead it makes some of the earlier story sections even more surreal.

The music is REALLY chill. I'd almost say it doesn't fit the surreal surroundings, but honestly I think that makes it fit in more. It's not bad to listen too on its own for the vibes, though there are some tracks that fit the range of moods in the story so it's not all chill.

Also if you're someone who cares about hours to price it took me like 11 hours to beat.(which is a little long in my opinion, but thanks to the back half I was engrossed)

Overall a great game worth picking up.

A really relaxing game. It's a joy to explore the world and find everyone in the island. The puzzles are a good change of pace and, even if I'm not that good with puzzles in general, I found myself looking forward to them because they were really friendly.

i'm still slowly chipping away at this game, but every time i do hop back in i'm absolutely enthralled by the level design and how fun it is to figure out pathing through its environments. so many moments of "how in the world do i do this?" followed immediately by "oh, that's how, awesome."

not to mention this game has such a drop dead gorgeous color palette, you'd be hard pressed to find something to look at in this game that wasn't at it's very least pleasant and soothing to take in. audio design also goes a long way in this one, especially in the little puzzle segments you do to investigate the local wildlife.

while it's controls are a liiiiittle different from the usual 3D platformer rigamarole, you do get used to them pretty quickly as you continue to play around. i also really appreciate the swath of QoL and accessibility settings present in the game, so even if there's any trouble or if you're new to this kind of game, there's plenty of ways to set yourself up to just experience the fascinating world/story that's been crafted here.

it's really good! if the aesthetics present intrigue you or if you're looking for an interesting fresh take on parkour platformers, this is essential.