High times quickly switching to low times in "Perfect Tides: Station to Station"...

Pivot! Pivot!

While my previous playing session left a bit a bad taste in my mouth - a lot of things went wrong there - I was happy to find the next part of Perfect Tides: Station to Station to be more uplifting! I went along with Mara to an amazing karaoke session - I had to play the song myself and witness a perfectly synced performance! - and I had time again to read a book and write a better part of her story. Though I'm starting to think this stuff doesn't really matter all that much, even though they're the most obvious goals of the game!

Scaramouche, Scaramouche!

What followed were some fun times in bright and beautiful pixel art. A road trip with a panoramic vista, a relaxing trek into nature, everything seemed to be perfectly chill. But this wouldn't be an interactive young adult novel if it weren't for some conflict, and that quickly ensues. Not only between the characters, but also in Mara's own head. Which is such a shame. But you can't fight who you are, I guess.

What an idyllic scene...

There are also some external circumstances that make the job even harder, and suddenly I'm back fighting for time to read and write. It even feels that some writing assignments are impossible to complete; I received a new one the last day before Fall turned into Winter, with no chance to actually work on it anymore. Unless I missed that window somehow...

Breaking down again...

This is an immensely intense and complex story. I'm sorry to say that most of the time I hardly understand these people at all. Which makes me wonder if I really was anything like them at that age. The fact that I keep going and going with this game proves to me that it's really involving. There's a certain flow to it, with those ups and downs, it carries you along like a rollercoaster and the most astonishing thing about that is that nothing really "special" happens in this game. It's no grand adventure, it's simply everyday life and still, the drama and the humor pulls you along. So I'm very curious to see where this final in-game season will lead to...

You can find Perfect Tides: Station to Station on Steam and on itch.

Wasn't expecting "Perfect Tides: Station to Station" to have a "death" scene...

What a lively place!

After three and a half hours of playing Perfect Tides: Station to Station I had to take a break. A lot happened since my first steps as Mara into The City. Things started off going quite well, but Mara's boyfriend problems were a recurring issue I knew I had to deal with quickly.

Ah, alone in a movie theater... 

After succesfully writing two papers, reading some books and going to see a movie by my lonesome, I met a famous writer/blogger who invited me to a reading, followed by some drinks. Those drinks didn't sit well with Mara, though, as her mother witnessed when she went to pick her up from the station.

The Mainland looks like a (White)fish...

The game overwhelms me a bit with its possibilities. There's much to see in any particular location. There are hotspots which turn the cursor red, but you can also right-click on random background elements and get a description as well. There's a lot of detail put into this game, both in world building as well as character building. This game is like a novel, there's so much information to be found. No wonder it won the Excellence In Narrative IGF Award!

What shall we do today?

But Mara's computer has a lot to offer too. On the first day I was allowed to surf a bit before writing my paper, so the next time I sat down to work naturally I decided to check online first again. You never know if you could find something that might raise your knowledge of certain topics. However, time ran out before I could start on my next paper because I had to go to a party with my friend Lily. Who also had a book to trade, but I hadn't had time to read the ones I had yet that day, and it was too crowded and noisy at the party to read one there and then. So it kinda felt like a wasted day, academically speaking of course.

Looks like a relaxing evening, right? RIGHT?

To make matters worse, Mara's boyfriend kept checking up on her everywhere she went, so finally "the call" came in which Mara decided to break up with him. Suddenly I had a kind of mental health bar, you could say, and when it ran out, I got something like a Sierra random death message. I had to go through the conversation five or six times before I succeeded in giving the appropriate replies. He just wouldn't take no for an answer... I wasn't too fond of this sequence... But hey, I'm just the player, imagine actually being Mara in that situation...

And indeed we were...

But finally I succeeded, and suddenly the school year is over, it's summer and Mara is working at the library, enjoying a well-deserved break from, well, pretty much everything, I guess. I'm a bit confused though, because I thought I still had some writing assignments due, and one of the books I had just vanished from my inventory... Now I need to write a piece for another reading with that writer/blogger, and Mara also has a story she wants to rewrite. I tried to write the first piece, since that reading is that same night already, but it sounds like the quality of whatever I write is rather meh... So I don't have high hopes for this event...


You can find Perfect Tides: Station to Station on Steam and on itch.

New game: "Perfect Tides: Station to Station" playthrough!

New game!

Earlier this year I played Perfect Tides by Three Bees developer Meredith Gran, because its sequel was about to be released. A bit later than expected, I'm finally able to play through Perfect Tides: Station to Station! It has quite the same appearance as the first game, but there is a lot more gameplay to it this time.

Daniel has a big place...

It's the year 2003, and we meet up again with Mara Whitefish, 18 years old now, as she's attending classes at the State University of Creative Studies (SUCS) in The City. She's staying over with this guy named Daniel so she doesn't always have to make the trip over to her mother's house. There's a girl named Rosetta there too, who's also staying there together with her boyfriend Grey. So, Mara seems to have acquired quite the social circle since last we saw her...

Quite the robust interrogation system...

Mara uses her cellphone to collect people's names and a variety of topics. Some characters can be questioned about these. It's a handy tool, but not the only one in this game. Because after one hour of playing, I've discovered it has its own version of RPG mechanics. Thankfully in this first hour you get a bunch of tutorials explained by the narrator, whom Mara often argues with, funnily enough.

Wait, I have to do homework in this game?

Mara has to write assignment papers, with very strict deadlines I might add, for which she needs to do research. She can do this by looking things up online or by talking to people. She can also find books and other publications related to the topics on her cellphone. These topics can then be used for her papers, by combining two of them to give the papers a particular angle, and you can slowly raise Mara's knowledge about the topics as well so her papers get better. It feels like giving more academic purpose to your explorations, and for now seems to take your attention away from the more social aspects of Mara's life.

Ah, city life...

However, I've learned that Mara has either a very insecure or very possessive boyfriend named Adam; she met him two years ago but he lives a ways off, so he's very high on trying to control her comings and goings from a distance. The narrator does a very thorough job of digging into all the details. Nothing is left to interpretation. Mara is definitely who she is and we are merely onlookers; we don't get to shape her character. And you are constantly told not only the facts but also details of people's personalities. It completely reverses the old adage of show don't tell, leading to often large blocks of text. 

I always love visiting the library...

Mara works at the library (yay!) and I just got her more work on coming up with a new system to catalogue books when she was actually trying to ditch a shelving job since her school paper was due instead. Oops. After her library work I went to one of her classes, where I got yet another writing assignment. As if I don't already do enough writing in real life... Anyways, finally I went to a dorm party, talked to some people and accidentally gained possession of a dubious magazine. But it turns out I can use it to raise my knowledge on the topic of sex, so I'm sure that will come in handy sometime.

I hear you, girl...

The most important message about this game is probably that there's no one right way to play it. It's all about the experience, you won't be able to see and do everything, but neither are there good or wrong answers to it all. Well, I guess I'll just to have play and see what happens next!

You can find Perfect Tides: Station to Station on Steam and on itch.

Finished "Perfect Tides" but missed lots of content...

A very Willy Beamish type street...

After playing through summer and fall, and as the ending of Perfect Tides drew near, I had a feeling I had missed out on lots of stuff. At first I was a bit frustrated by that, since I'm more into linear adventure games without optional content and where you can't miss anything that's important.

First time I'm able to enter this room...

But I realized almost immediately, this is exactly the way it's supposed to be. As a teenager - but actually as an adult still - you don't really know what you're doing. You're living your life improvising all the way through. You can make plans, but they won't always work out. You don't always have obvious goals. And there is stuff you will miss out on or fail to do, very often because you weren't even aware of them. That's just what life is like.

Love the winter version of this game!

As soon as I entered the harvest festival, I realized I should have planted the seeds I found at the start of the game. But I never seemed to have a chance to do so; the story just progressed. I failed to get my mom a gift for Hanukkah for the same reason: I never seemed to have the chance to find anything for her. Then I started thinking perhaps it was linked to those photo negatives I developed at school, but I never seemed to have the chance to go back there and actually develop the photos themselves. Other things kept getting in the way, you might say.

I'd have dumped him for his driving style alone...

Knowing all that now, Perfect Tides truly has replay potential. But do I really want to? I experienced Mara's story, basically a full year in Mara's life. Or at least my version of it. You can't have do-overs in real life, and for me the story is quite wrapped up. After 7,5 hours, this is the story I got, based on the efforts (or lack of, apparently) I put into it. And I'm fine with that.

My thoughts exactly...

While I wouldn't immediately describe Perfect Tides as a feel-good game, it does fall into the cozy category for me. There's nothing difficult about it, except perhaps regularly needing to revisit all locations to find that one trigger that will progress the story. But the game has depth too; I really enjoyed the narrator's dialogue, going deep into Mara's feelings. While I didn't always understand Mara's behaviour towards others, I certainly recognized that general feeling of being lost in the world, unseen by others. And this is exactly what makes it stand out between other games. It's the interactive version of a young adult novel, of a coming of age story, and I really appreciate the efforts that went into making this.

Happy Hanukkah!

While I might not play its sequel, Station to Station, immediately, I will definitely check it out some day. For now, it's time for another classic playthrough. I'm going to return to the magical year 1990, and this will be the very first time I'll play a game by Legend Entertainment. It has a totally different user interface and gameplay style than I'm familiar with, so I'm sure it'll be quite the experience!

You can find Perfect Tides on Steam and on GOG!

It's fall in "Perfect Tides", and lots of drama has passed by...

Beaches are cool...

So after my first introduction to Perfect Tides, I slowly started to relate to the main character Mara very much. My first real relationship was with someone I met in a chatroom as well, so I can totally recognize her excitement and enthusiasm.

ASL?

You move through the storyline at a steady pace. Usually it's apparent where you're supposed to go and what you have to do. Sometimes, though, I was afraid I might have missed something. Often when you talk to someone - like Mara's mom, for instance - you can go with them but they'll ask if you're ready or not. Then you have the option to go immediately, or to wait a bit so you can still do other things. But I never know what else to do, so I've always gone with them straight away. So I don't know whether there might be optional tasks you can miss out on this way.

Dreaming of my next cruise...

There are puzzles, but they don't amount to much. The focus lies on playing through Mara's life as a teenager. And once again, it becomes very recognizable at times. I was an awkward teenager as well, with goofy hair and childish clothes. I never really felt accepted at high school, always felt as the outsider. It got better in later years, when we all had grown up a bit. But at Mara's age? Yes, pure hell.

Sneaky ninja...

But playing Perfect Tides makes me glad I'm not a girl. I get very uncomfortable playing as Mara. I'm constantly afraid something bad will happen, that someone will take advantage of her. There are so many boys - and men - around her, it feels like it's only a matter of time. One guy at school actually showing his, ahem, reproductive organ to her during class... Another guy trying to persuade her to kiss him in an alley...

Party time!

The story takes place in all seasons. I've already had spring and summer, and four hours into the game it's fall. Winter is still coming, but I can only guess where the story will go. Mara's online boyfriend Staggle has to be part of it, but I'm also expecting something world-shattering, something far worse then Mara's brother cutting her off from the internet...

You can find Perfect Tides on Steam and on GOG!

New game: "Perfect Tides"!

New game!

Since Meredith Gran of Three Bees will release its sequel Station to Station soon, it's the perfect time to play the first Perfect Tides! I've heard some good things about this game, I just never got around to it before. Its graphic style reminds me a bit of Willy Beamish, with its quite detailed pixel art but with a sharper look to it.

And that's all you need to know!

Your name is Mara Whitefish. You live on the island of Perfect Tides. As she returns home from getting groceries on the mainland, Mara's friend Lily tells her she had sex with someone. Immediately I thought, how old are these kids?! Because they looked like ten years old to me. But no, they're actually fifteen. Which doesn't make it much better; guess I'm rather old-fashioned that way. I just don't see my own fifteen year old son engaging in that kind of activity; or any kind of activity where he needs to let go of his PS5 controller, for that matter...

Home sweet home...

Anyways, after finding my way home, and doing an errand for mom, I was kind of lost and didn't know what to do next. So I roamed the island a bit. It's a very 90s point 'n click user interface, where you can cycle your mouse cursor between walk, use, talk, and any active inventory item. You can also choose these actions from the menu bar which pops up at the top of your screen. So indeed, very Sierra. Selecting an inventory item to use somewhere is a bit cumbersome, though, but that's a minor nitpick...

Weekend at Simon's?

Eventually I found my way inside the house of an older friend, Simon, who kind of invited me over for dinner tonight. If I can bring my own food, that is. So okay, that's a clear goal. Only I already visited every location on this island (or so I thought) without finding anything food-related, and Mara won't take the groceries back out of the fridge at home...

One hilarious quit-screen!

But traipsing around some more I did find some things and suddenly, after an hour of gameplay, night has fallen. Perfect time for a break and writing this blog post. It is a bit awkward playing a teenage girl as an adult male, but I do remember my own obsession with the opposite sex when I was fifteen... and thirty-five... (I'm happily married now!) So yeah, I'm sure it'll be okay...

You can find Perfect Tides on Steam and on GOG!