As you participate in the memories, you watch each play out to a satisfying conclusion. Players experience each first hand via physical manifestation of the problem and hearing direct exchanges throughout. They highlight her brother’s bullying, her parents' tumultuous near-divorce,and a problematic college boyfriend. The overarching narrative follows Kay as she addresses her internal dialogue over her shortcomings within her relationships. Despite occasional arbitrary deaths, the story intrigues enough to push through these barriers to delve into what is a heavy-handed emotional story of acceptance over pain. The screen darkens as damage increases so some events feel unfair rather than difficult. This also comes into play when hurt by enemies. Scenes become hard to parse, making for more frustration than challenge. Keeping with that thought, certain story beats land with shades of darkness, which while thematic also increases traversal difficulty in a way that seems unintended by the developer. The movement can feel sluggish at times with occasional clipping or glitching of textures creating impromptu barriers or puzzles that are more difficult than they initially appear. The environments are punctuated with a “seagull” photo mode that allows for fantastic shots from brilliant heights and angles to display the beautifully crafted take on Berlin. The story progression keeps the barriers simplistic, with orb-collecting puzzles to continue the memory narrative or dangerous heights to ascend. One false move and you’re eaten alive in a fearsome fashion. The gameplay has light, low-stakes platforming across the submerged city, all the while avoiding the personified forms of Kay’s internal dread such as giant killer fish, devilish fiends, and trollish mollusks in giant conches.
Using basic 3D platforming and puzzle solving (collecting glowing orbs to progress), Kay addresses her inner anxieties and interpersonal memories. The world is limited to a few key environments, but they are reused effectively by covering them in a desert theme, submerging them, or employing other environmental effects. You control her adventures as she swims, jumps, and rides a motorboat to uncover her deep-seeded fears and emotional turmoil. Players are quickly introduced to Kay, a young adult in a version of Berlin taken over by the ocean. It’s a game with sailing chops that comes close to capsizing under the weight of its own lack of subtlety. Case in point: Sea of Solitude, the new Quantic Dream published 3D Platformer created by Jo-Mei Games. Indie adventure games historically seem to be perfect vehicles for emotionally impactful storytelling.
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