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Game of life nintendo switch review8/26/2023 But commit you must, and being able to see into the future only adds tension when the path you think you’re taking leads you to an outcome you neither expected nor intended. Much like in real life, nothing’s ever as simple as it seems in Atina or in Reverie, where parallel stories ripple back and forth, and yet there’s always a piece of the bigger picture that gets missed when you commit to one path. Don’t let the name fool you: Harmony is all about its conflicts, which are appropriately subtle at first, but ultimately bubble up to the surface in clever ways – such as in the wake of a pivotal character’s death, when another character’s personal ambitions become clearest as the supporting cast grapples with one of the better depictions of collective grief I’ve witnessed in a video game. And yet, the warmth of the community center which serves as Polly’s mother’s home is equally tangible, despite the fact that Polly’s feelings toward her mom are rightfully mixed. As we walk into the bustling Southern European city for the first time, clearly inspired by Athens, the miasma of apathy around us is palpable as bystanders hardly look up from their devices. Polly’s hometown of Atina – like Polly herself – is defined by its contrasts. Illustrious voice-acting and thorough character writing still do a lot of heavy lifting between bigger moments, giving ample space for my imagination to fill in the details. Aside from a few masterful cutscenes connecting major story branches – which left me yearning for an animated TV series set in Reverie – most of this story is depicted through text and basic visuals. But once I’d gotten a handle on all the jargon-heavy drama – which is made easier thanks to a built-in codex and the ability to read summaries of earlier conversations – I was eventually able to sit back and appreciate the deeply human story that I found myself embedded in. A few opening cutscenes do a great job of quickly setting the stakes, though the density of its exposition in terms of character backstories and pre-existing interpersonal politics made my eyes roll during my first playthrough. This pacing makes things pretty simplistic on paper, but not in a bad way you’ll effortlessly bounce between story segments and return trips to the Augural menu, where you can plan your next move on the board. This story is split up into five major acts plus a prologue and an intermission, which take roughly five to ten hours to complete – though you can breeze through it if you’re a fast reader.
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