"Be a medieval artist," they said. "See the funny margin doodles," they said. I was NOT PREPARED for the emotional and intellectual sucker punch this game inflicted on me. It had deep conversations on art, life, loss, self-fulfilment, religion, language, culture, society, and more - but they were all weaved beautifully through the game, and never felt preachy or cumbersome. I truly felt that I was making meaningful choices in the game, while also coming to meaningful decisions in my own views on the world. I can't think of many other games that made me think so deeply - or cry so often.

In terms of execution, the choices made by the team are just perfect. The art of the world and characters aptly evokes the styles of medieval books and murals, and even in its simplicity has just enough personality and animation to make the characters unique and come to life. The typography design - my goodness, how clever; using captions - a necessary UI element that is usually taken for granted - to say something about the people speaking them and about the world they live in, is just a stroke of genius. The sound design that accompanies those captions is also wonderful, as are the few poignant pieces of music that accompany some powerful scenes.

And all of this is built on a foundation of a really interesting plot, that had me hooked, gasping, agonising at choices, and eventually satisfied, if emotional. I would say that most of Act 3 felt a little drawn out and out of pace with the rest of the game, but it was absolutely worth powering through to get the full experience.

As a professional illustrator I related to so many bits in the game, and felt so seen (and occasionally personally attacked), so I deeply recommend this game to anyone who considers themselves an artist. But also to anyone who doesn't mind a lot of reading or being an emotional wreck for a few days. I think the payoff is more than worth it.

"Be a medieval artist," they said. "See the funny margin doodles," they said. I was NOT PREPARED for the emotional and intellectual sucker punch this game inflicted on me. It had deep conversations on art, life, loss, self-fulfilment, religion, language, culture, society, and more - but they were all weaved beautifully through the game, and never felt preachy or cumbersome. I truly felt that I was making meaningful choices in the game, while also coming to meaningful decisions in my own views on the world. I can't think of many other games that made me think so deeply - or cry so often. In terms of execution, the choices made by the team are just perfect. The art of the world and characters aptly evokes the styles of medieval books and murals, and even in its simplicity has just enough personality and animation to make the characters unique and come to life. The typography design - my goodness, how clever; using captions - a necessary UI element that is usually taken for granted - to say something about the people speaking them and about the world they live in, is just a stroke of genius. The sound design that accompanies those captions is also wonderful, as are the few poignant pieces of music that accompany some powerful scenes. And all of this is built on a foundation of a really interesting plot, that had me hooked, gasping, agonising at choices, and eventually satisfied, if emotional. I would say that most of Act 3 felt a little drawn out and out of pace with the rest of the game, but it was absolutely worth powering through to get the full experience. As a professional illustrator I related to so many bits in the game, and felt so seen (and occasionally personally attacked), so I deeply recommend this game to anyone who considers themselves an artist. But also to anyone who doesn't mind a lot of reading or being an emotional wreck for a few days. I think the payoff is more than worth it.