The success of the narrative is completely reliant on the finale resonating with the player, something it doesn’t work that hard to achieve. It’s an ending that finally begins to weave things together into a more meaningful message that drops everything and rolls the credits before it could really complete the exploration of the message, and while it doesn’t leave you without saying its piece on the whole affair, it is likely to leave you hungry for more of the more thoughtful discussion found at the end rather than the slow unfolding of a story book tale that, during the rest of the game, had a very simple underlying message to it all. It sounds like a deep theme with some legs, and it doesn’t necessarily squander it, but we only exit the realm of simple presentation and get into a more thoughtful and profound look at it all right before the game ends. Soon though, Monroe will uncover storybook pages telling the tale of a king who painted his own kingdom, and we move into the game’s main message of the troubles creative types experience with realizing their imagination and leaving a mark on the world through their creations, along with how the reactions of others and the world can impede or influence it. However, one night the swan in the image leaps from the canvas and leads Monroe off into a strange world, and at first, all the game’s story seems interested in is the pursuit of the swan. The tale itself involves a young boy named Monroe whose mother was a prolific painter who seemed to never finish her art, but with her passing, all of it is lost, Monroe only able to keep an unfinished drawing of a swan as he is sent off to an orphanage. The game is not unaware of this though, the game showing you opening and closing a picture book to play or exit the game, but it does lead to very little complexity being present in the narrative, and since the game seems to fall into the tropes of art games and narrative driven experiences, it does feel like it comes up a bit short by committing to a narrative style that doesn’t do the tale being told many favors. Sentences make sure to simply highlight an emotional response rather than leaving any ambiguity or using wording beyond saying “Monroe was happy”. The lazy giant isn’t just lazy, he’s the laziest giant ever whose laziness is reiterated even after he’s identified in the same sentence as a lazy giant. Cutscenes involve a storybook image being drawn as a gentle, motherly voice almost like a kind kindergarten teacher reads the words to the player, the words themselves often having the simplicity of a children’s tale as well. The Unfinished Swan has the elements that fit the mold of a tale that can be presented to an adult or child and have both extract something from the experience. While neither part is done poorly, it feels like the gameplay may turn away children and the straightforward story might not have enough meat for an adult to sink their teeth into.ĭespite the fairy tale like presentation, I do not think the story is necessarily aimed at children. For the story, we have what seems like a fairly unironic storybook approach that touches on fairly simple themes, and on the other we have a relaxed and experimental 3D exploration game. The story half and gameplay half of The Unfinished Swan aren’t necessarily incompatible or even an ill fit for each other, but it does feel like the game is trying to court different audiences with each half. If You Like This Game Then Buy IT, Support The Developers.Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out what exactly a video game is going for, and The Unfinished Swan seems to be one of those titles.
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