Recent reviews by SophieSorrow

This game is delightful.

I backed this game on Kickstarter in 2019 as I have always enjoyed what Cyan creates since I was a young child, and I wanted to see what was next. I took the unusual step this time, having spoiled myself so thoroughly in Riven, of not reading any of the updates and more-or-less forgetting about the game until its release last week.

The puzzles in this game are more reasonable than previous entries, more akin to Portal, and I really enjoyed that. The world itself is absolutely enthralling, and I want to draw specific attention to the environmental storytelling. Many of the other reviews and posts in the community discussions have said that the game more or less doesn't have any story. Having played to the ending....I'm not sure if I agree, but I can see their perspective.

As I have aged, I have become more engaged in the world around me, and no longer look to games & fiction to provide me with a world to escape into. A world to explore perhaps, but not escape. Firmament did precisely that. Despite having little more than a narrator, a faceless announcer of prerecorded messages, and a handful of written materials; I found myself pausing to look at the world and imagine the lives of the Keepers. Heck, at the stage of the game where I was presented with their photographs, I spent over 10 minutes just looking into their faces without really intending to.

This is a stark contrast to Quern: Undying thoughts, a game I adore but cannot stand the plot of. That game creates a sense of false moralism for no reason other than presenting the player with an artificial choice right at the ending. Firmament instead just gives you a world, lived in & abandoned, and lets you fill in the gaps with your own wonder.

That may not be what everybody is looking for if they are accustomed to more difficult puzzles, or dense dialogue & journals. For what I need at this stage of life, something gentle that I can take my time with, a place I feel compelled to linger within rather than sprinting off to the next puzzle to fully engage my brain with, and a place to visit that feels larger-than-life, Firmament was perfect.

So I guess if you're a woman in her mid-30s who has grown disillusioned with the state of modern media, and is so engaged with her life outside of games that you just need a gentle vacation, this game is precisely what you're looking for. Though, it turns out the player character is a man.

Great work Cyan, can't wait for the next one.

Had a blast with my friend. Replay value is minimal but who cares when it's so much fun. Maybe I'll have us hit one another in the head with bricks so we can do it again with fresh eyes.

Too much melody, not enough harmony.

The first nostalgic nod to old LucasArts adventure games that actually holds its own in comparison. The feel of the game is dead on, the humor is exactly what you would expect in adventure game that grew up, and the length is just right. The puzzles aren't that tricky, but that's not really the point. Don't skip this one.