Update One Hundred and Forty-Six: 25 March 2018

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Huh. You know, I don’t know how to feel about this game.

There are a few things I can say with certainty about Journal. It has some good ideas that could be executed with a higher degree of polish. It builds a narrative in an unusual way. It’s certainly more engaging than Kairo, their other game I played. It was engaging enough that I played it straight through in one sitting, actively interested in learning more.

But I can’t say that I liked it.

It’s a weird duck. Just as I was getting into the groove of things, just as I was immersed, one of the characters would do something unnatural - something too dramatic, or dumb, or just plain unsympathetic and the writing misstep would bring me out of the moment. While I definitely relate to the kind of themes the game was wrestling with, I can’t say I found the main character all that compelling or indentifiable.

It’s a cool concept, and definitely something you should give it a shot whether on sale, in a bundle, or won in a giveaway. I’m glad I played it, even though it’s left me with mixed feelings. I’ve certainly spent two hours on worse things!

Next up: Another super speedy one!

See you soon!