Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Sep 1, 2017
    100
    What Remains of Edith Finch is an absolutely beautiful and emotionally complex game. Despite a certain sense of morbidity in telling so many tales of death, the game is truly about the celebration of life. Despite all their differences, each family member is remembered more for who they were than how they were lost. This is a wonderful little tale that uses every second to the fullest, and truly should not be missed.
  2. Jul 24, 2017
    100
    What Remains of Edith Finch is an astonishing patchwork of inventive ideas rich in unforgettable moments. This is interactive storytelling in its truest form. A narrative adventure game that serves as another nail in the coffin of the reductive and derogatory term 'walking simulator', imbued with the ideas of a talented team working at the peak of its powers. This is a game that needs to be played. It's an essential new text in the history of video game storytelling.
  3. Jul 23, 2017
    100
    One of the most honest approaches to death ever made in videogames. In a medium where assassination is king as a way to advance, What Remains of Edith Finch turns it around and offers an experience as human as unforgettable. Between Six Feet Under, Gone Home and Big Fish of Tim Burton. One of the highlights of 2017. Necessary.
  4. Jul 18, 2017
    100
    Some people might be critical of the length of the game, but for me it’s like watching a brilliant movie, with outstanding writing, great acting and a superbly inventive design.
  5. Aug 15, 2017
    92
    What Remains of Edith Finch is one of the best narrative adventures I’ve ever played. It very well could be a contender for a Game of The Year category, or at least an Indie award for such. Sure, it does have a few technical faults, but it’s story will leave a lasting impression on you for days, and the beautiful imagery and fantastic voice acting fully immerse you into the incredible lives and tragic deaths of the cursed Finch family. While the credits rolled just after two hours, I truly feel that it’s worth spending $20 on given the presentation and story alone. I cannot recommend this game enough. What Remains of Edith Finch is a game that one should definitely experience.
  6. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Sep 19, 2017
    90
    A beautiful and haunting exploration of life, death and family tragedy.
  7. Aug 18, 2017
    90
    What Remains of Edith Finch knows its niche from the beginning and rarely strays, resulting in a cohesive experience that I was never jolted out of. It elicits the strangest mixture of emotions, and its different modes of storytelling are second to none. The controls don’t translate seamlessly from PC to Xbox One, but you don’t play this game for the controls; you play for the story, and the story is gripping.
  8. Jul 20, 2017
    90
    The exceptional story and inventive gameplay design makes Giant Sparrow's title a memorable trailblazer for walking sims. It sets a new bar for what the genre is capable of in its interactivity, and all narrative adventure games that arrive after Edith Finch may now have to consider challenging players with more than diary reading and tape playing. It's said that, in their infancy, each new medium copies the one it's following. In some ways, games are the successor to movies and we've seen plenty of cinematic games that crib the format of feature films. To take nothing away from such games, What Remains of Edith Finch is a shining example of what video games do uniquely well.
  9. Jul 20, 2017
    90
    A game driving us through a roller-coaster of emotions while exploring adult and tragic stories, narrated with exceptional sensitivity and humanity. A game you can't miss if you love story-driven experiences.
  10. Jul 18, 2017
    90
    A singular work of brilliance, What Remains of Edith Finch is one-of-a-kind; a real breath of fresh air that serves as a welcome reminder of video games' capacity to surprise and tell incredible stories. Stunning.
  11. Jul 19, 2017
    85
    What Remains of Edith Finch is important for many things: it's a step ahead in storytelling through videogames but ultimately it's just a collection of stories well told.​
  12. Jul 31, 2017
    80
    What Remains of Edith Finch is a real gem of a narrative game. It has a compelling story, beautiful graphics, and mechanics that are extremely easy to pick up, even for gamers new to console controllers.
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 313 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 34 out of 313
  1. Aug 11, 2017
    6
    My first and last 'story' type 'game'. Can this really be called a game without competition, points, or any action taken not influencing theMy first and last 'story' type 'game'. Can this really be called a game without competition, points, or any action taken not influencing the outcome? No. I'd call it the digital cartoon equivalent of a pop-up book. Essentially a tragic, somewhat depressing story told with beautiful visuals, this is less a game and more a literary visual art work. Full Review »
  2. Jul 22, 2017
    10
    Beautiful moving thought provoking and totally charming in every way. This is a very singular experience in gaming and not to be missed. IBeautiful moving thought provoking and totally charming in every way. This is a very singular experience in gaming and not to be missed. I suppose there are some who will not enjoy this very special game but I am sure those people won't even consider playing it anyway. For those of you curious or on the fence I highly recommend this game. Totally loved every minute and would love to elaborate but would hate to spoil the experience for anyone. Just lovely! Full Review »
  3. Jul 26, 2017
    8
    WREF involves very little gaming, per se, or any gamefulness for that matter; neither does it deliver story with a mystery to solve in aWREF involves very little gaming, per se, or any gamefulness for that matter; neither does it deliver story with a mystery to solve in a conventionally satisfying way. If you are intolerant of games that ignore these standards, steer clear. Yet it excels as a new kind of animal: an interactive movie with startlingly imaginative play modes (you get to live out a panel-by-panel comic book, eat humans as a sea monster, make bath toys ballet as a baby) and a novel, beautiful rumination on life, including an inventive twist on the main farce of video games: death and the infinite respawn. It also is quite possibly the best video game simulation of family-inherited madness that's ever been made.

    An unfortunately short experience, it is nevertheless an engaging, if not engrossing, long afternoon unto evening. For anyone looking for game design that pushes ideas to the fore, this one's worth the money, the try, and the reflections.
    Full Review »