Hindsight (2022)

Hindsight occasionally harmonizes mechanics with meaningful themes, but the overall impression feels hollow the more I look back.

Hindsight is still an experience that feels real, brings out the best and worst emotions, and provides an accurate portrayal of the grieving process. The longevity of the experience is a blessing due to the emotional strain it puts on the gamer, and also a curse as it isn’t replayable for any reason other than personal choice. It’s a great tale and one that everyone should experience.

Tackling tragedy in games is important, but doing it well requires empathy, awareness, and a deft hand. Hindsight takes an important story and makes it relevant and relatable by scaling down its narrative to a quiet, personal level. Hampered only slightly by a few design choices, its masterful blending of art, music, interactivity, and writing make it a subtle triumph and a story well worth being told.

As a game, Hindsight isn't difficult to play or frustrating to figure out. Rather, it asks us to consider what questions we might ask our loved ones when they're gone, perhaps nudging us to start that meaningful work now, while we still have time. If you're looking for an experience that's light on gameplay but heavy on the heartstrings, Hindsight is very much a sight to behold.

Hindsight is an interesting analysis of the ways we can play with memories via the use of objects that symbolise important aspects of our lives. The game's mechanic that allows players to explore the protagonist's memories and piece them together will be something that most will connect with as our memories shape the way we see the world. However, it is the pace of these memories that lead to frustration and a disconnect from the story. The narrative, though beautifully written, is constantly repeating itself and becomes tiresome pretty quickly. Hindsight is an aesthetically beautiful game with fun and thought-provoking gameplay that unfortunately lacks in its narrative execution.