Game Review: Virginia

If you’re looking for a straight forward, nonsensical and satisfying story; Virginia isn’t the game for you. But if you’re willing to be left emotionally and mentally confused like never before, Virginia is something you simply have to experience.

The first game developed by Variable State, Virginia on the outside may appear to be yet another story centric game in the vein of Firewatch or Gone Home but believe me when I say it is anything but.

Classed as a first-person mystery adventure, the game sees you fill the shoes of FBI graduate Anne Tarver as she sets out on her first investigation. In terms of story this is all I dare share, first because of how dependent the game is on narrative and secondly because I’m still not too sure what actually happens over the two or so hours of Virginia.

With no character in the game given a voice, the game’s story relies strongly on physical and symbolic storytelling. Whether it’s your FBI partner’s facial expression or the recurring sight of a dead bird; Virginia is a game not easily understood. It demands your undivided attention and even then can still leave you scratching your head.

Initially the plot made sense to me and though short of finer details was evoking some surprising emotion. As the game wore on however, things became a lot less clear and by it’s conclusion I was left confused rather confounded; which may or may not be what developers were actually aiming for.

That said, much like a very fine piece of art, Virginia is a game I still really appreciated even if I couldn’t truly understand all of it.

Whether or not Virginia is a game could be up for some debate too for though you control Anne, what you do never has any real effect on events and the control you have over her is limited to walking and looking at things.

Game or otherwise, Virginia is aesthetically very pleasing with simple shaping and bright colouring making the game really stand out. The way time skips around during the narrative also really forces you to pay attention and makes you take note of every moment you find yourself temporarily in.

Videogames have always been a powerful medium to tell a meaningful story and a game like Virginia proves that even if the meaning is lost in translation, the power of the medium means a game can still have a profound effect on players. While I’m no closer to truly knowing the story Virginia sought to tell, there hasn’t been a day since that I haven’t thought about Anne and the journey I went on with her.

Generally, I’m a fan of story structure and closure, Virginia however was an experience I was more than happy to make an exception for and I urge you to do the same.

7/10

Posted in Blog, Games