Promesa

I think this game has a lot of positive aspects, but for each positive there is a negative of some sort. Visuals are, at times, very captivating and downright beautiful. There is very clear visual direction and intentionality, but sometimes it doesn't feel like it contributes to the landscape or "story" very well. Speaking of story, there is a very loose narrative that is attached to the game, which has relevancy at certain points, and at others it doesn't feel to be necessary. The sound design is quite good. The composer for the game, Domiziano Maselli, did a fantastic job designing the sounds and the recorded music fit very well... most of the time. I did think the inclusion of field recordings was tasteful, though like with other things, the actual meaning behind it got lost depending on the sound/narrative. I will say that the "negatives" that I have could very well be chalked up to me being a cro-magnon and not able to comprehend subtlety, or was intentionally left vague. It is described as surreal, which I think fits the open-endedness well as a descriptor. Overall, I had a good time exploring this game. I am not sure I would say it is worth the $7, but it wouldn't be a bad buy on sale. I also got to learn about Eremo from this game, an Italian art collective, which I will follow more closely. Cool stuff from them!