You And I

You And I is a really strange little interactive film, and I mean that in a good way. I follow Mark as he becomes lost in the woods with his friend Ace, and what starts out as a fairly simple situation gradually becomes much more confusing and uncomfortable. The game mixes comedy, mystery and psychological ideas in a way that constantly made me wonder what was actually happening. It is definitely not a normal adventure game, but that unusual approach is a big part of what made it interesting to me. The main gameplay is built around making choices between two options, which sounds very simple but works surprisingly well for this kind of story. My decisions affect the conversations and the direction of the journey, and I liked seeing how small choices could change the mood between Mark and Ace. It also makes the game feel more personal because I am constantly deciding how I think the characters should react instead of just watching everything happen. The FMV presentation is probably the thing that gives You And I its strongest identity. Rather than using traditional game characters and environments, it feels much more like an interactive film. The acting and strange visual presentation fit the bizarre tone really well, especially when the relationship between the two characters starts becoming harder to understand. I also liked how the game can be funny one moment and then suddenly feel much more unsettling. I enjoyed exploring the different paths because there are plenty of route endings to discover. The game also lets me go back through choices and skip scenes I have already watched, which is useful because I do not have to sit through the exact same sections every time I want to try something different. There is ultimately a major final decision that gives the whole journey more meaning, so I found myself thinking about earlier choices differently once I understood more about what the game was doing. The biggest weakness for me is the short length. You And I can be completed fairly quickly, and although replaying the different routes adds some extra time, it is still a very compact experience. I also think the deliberately abstract storytelling will not work for everyone. There were moments where I was interested in figuring things out, but there were also moments where I felt like the game was being confusing simply for the sake of being confusing. I did appreciate how willing it is to be weird though. The story touches on some very dark subjects, but it often presents them through implication, strange conversations and uncomfortable humour rather than showing everything directly. That gave the game a distinctive tone that I do not see very often. It also helps that the whole thing is free to play, so I think it is much easier to recommend when the main commitment is simply giving its unusual style a chance. Overall, You And I is a memorable little experiment that I enjoyed more than I expected. The simple choices, FMV presentation and strange relationship between Mark and Ace work together surprisingly well, and I liked having to piece together what was really happening. The short length and deliberately confusing storytelling hold it back a little, but I think the unusual presentation makes up for that. It is the kind of game I would recommend to someone who enjoys strange interactive stories and does not mind being left with a few questions afterwards. Rating: 7.3/10