GAME

It's such a great feeling when something comes out of nowhere and knocks you right over. I played a demo for this in a next fest last year on a whim and was immediately smitten with it. I've been championing it ever since and the full release did not disappoint me even one iota. This is such a smartly constructed work, making great use of the hard cuts from scene to scene that e.g Blendo Games or That Which Gave Chase have shown can be super potent. The wider world it takes place within is so amusingly bizarre, it's constantly dangling all these little details in front of you that show an enticing slice of the weird ways it is close-to-but-not-quite the same as our reality. The depersonalisation caused by everyone wearing a crazy helmet is an especially bold aesthetic choice, and there's some really imposing architecture in there that's delightfully framed by the initial camera angle in a scene. Plus the decision to not even remotely explain the titular game everyone plays is so good. All these things that are recognisable from sports/games we know like 'endzones' (but the endzone is a building), a gameboard and a big pitch, thrown into an unholy mix with other, more unsettling things that leave you eternally wondering what the ♥♥♥♥ these people are doing and what the wider society must be like if this is what's on TV (probably not that far from our own though heh eh folks heh) Then under all that eye-catching initial impression you get this really deftly executed portrayal of a toxic devotion to winning passed down through generation after generation, inevitably scrambling the brains of parent and child both. It goes to some real dark places whilst maintaining a fantastic sense of humour and it always feels right on the money regardless of its tone at a given moment, sometimes even combining the two (one hard cut in here is one of the funniest bits of juxtaposition I've seen in any game ever) without losing any sympathy for the events. I've not personally experienced this dynamic as it relates to sports and thankfully have a much better relationship with my parents than seen here, but I definitely recognise aspects of it in my life and even for me it hit on a nerve at points. There's multiple routes through too so you get to explore several sides of how this tragic little tale could play out and each manages to feel natural Just super happy with this one, I've no doubt it'll be way up there for my GOTY. A confidently made gem striking out on its own in every way. Deserves to have way more eyes on it. I love games and I love Game :3