The Gap (2023)

The Gap may suffer from some overly basic puzzle design and visual ticks, but this is ultimately an enjoyably mysterious narrative that's still worth the few hours it takes to see through. Its launch price feels a bit high for what’s on offer here, but we’d suggest scooping this one up the first time it goes on sale.

The Gap is in an intriguing and compelling idea. Unfortunately, it’s underdeveloped, and structured in a way that undermines something critical for any psychological thriller: if you’re not connected to an invested in the characters, then you’re not going to care about what they’re going through enough for it to chill you. The Gap also comes across as something that is badly trying to be analysed in intellectual terms, but fails to land on a distinctive theme that it can call its own. It’s great to see projects like this, from a games-as-art perspective, but it’s not one of the finest examples of that, either.

The Gap doesn’t drop breadcrumbs to lead players to the end, it uses megaphones to scream answers at you while also keeping you completely in the dark. It’s like if Verbal had started his conversation with “I’m Keyser Soze” but then been frustratingly vague about what he was doing on the day in question. The result is something that’s an interesting and big swing in the world of game storytelling, but it only gets a piece of the ball: it doesn’t connect enough for a homerun.

The Gap has a compelling and sombre narrative and an interesting premise that will appeal to fans of slow-burning mysteries. Whilst the puzzles could have been slightly more complex, this short game of one man's quest to save his loved ones is still a tale worth experiencing.

It’s been a little over a day since I finished The Gap and I am still processing everything that I experienced within the walls of Joshua’s mind, and if you choose to enter it, it will likely draw you in akin to the way What Remains of Edith Finch or your favorite narrative based walking sim would. Despite suffering due to a lack of direction on a few of the puzzles, it’s a game that you won’t forget.