Bailey Harris

I think this is Dontnod’s best game to date. There’s a playable trans character, Native American characters, and Dontnod handles their stories with such care. You can tell their work on both Life is Strange games were building blocks to get to this story; they took the things they did so well in those games - the journal/sketchbook, collectables, dialogue, and narrative - and fully mastered the craft of these story-driven experiences. But I think the most wonderful thing about this game is the theme. It’s all about dealing with your past and all the burdens that end up weighing on you, and how you choose to deal with them. If you choose to forgive and confront your past, you can fully move on and be free of it. But if you let it follow right behind like a ghost, you will be trapped in a perpetual loop of grief. And this message is so powerful right now, when it feels like the world has completely given up on empathy and compassion towards other people. Thank you Dontnod for making such a beautiful and breathtaking game!