Hindsight Reviews

Hindsight is basically a 3D picture book that you can rotate in any direction, so that you may see every detail of each scene. The main mechanical goal of the game is to find the right angle to reveal the next scene hidden in key objects tied to your memories. It would, however, be inaccurate to say this is the main purpose of the game. Like many of Annapurna's games, this one is more about the story than the game-play. But also similar to their games, it tells that story from an extremely unique perspective using a novel mechanic of progression. If you like games that are more about the artistic vision than being mechanically fun, then you have come to the right place. Personally, I loved it Also, there are only 2 missable achievements, you can try to find them yourself, but I recommend using a guide. This game deserves to be played without worrying so much about missing achievements, if you are the type to hunt them.

An incredibly valuable story about grief, identity and unprocessed trauma. I absolutely loved the concept of perceiving events through objects that were important to the protagonist (visible in the mechanics of the game). The narration, the visuals and the music nicely set the tone, allowing the player to fully immerse in the story. Must play, especially for those who are interested in the exploration of grief and/or those who seek games that could help them process their own grief (it's 2/2 for me). The only negative I have to point out is the price, but that heavily depends on the country. From my Polish perspective, I'd suggest waiting for the game to be on sale.

This game is a beautiful glimpse into an otherwise horrible emotion: Grief. Grief is horrible in the sense that you hope nobody has to endure it, all while knowing that they will anyway. Grief will change you, and you can see that through this game, and sometimes grief is the window to a change that you might've assumed to be negative, but actually is what you needed to learn. It is shocking how much this game explores ideas I had thought myself, to the point of saying things that I had said myself verbatim. Similarly to how I defined grief earlier, I hope none of you can relate to this game; though eventually, we all will, and this beautiful story - told through compelling mechanics and visuals - can unsurface emotions you had forgotten you had felt, and let you face them again. I miss you, Brother.

Hindsight is a good narrative game who's talk about loss. The story is well made with his nice designs and his relaxing ambiant. I recommend it!!! 💗

Look, it's not awful....this is really a thumbs-sideways review. I just ultimately didn't find many aspects of the game enthralling enough to consider giving it a recommendation....... The positives are the general story-line (minus the sometimes clunky, sometimes trite/banal writing) and the graphics/atmosphere of the game. The negatives are that the gameplay is virtually non-existent (you use your mouse to move your view of the scene enough to reveal a hot-spot to click on, and it's almost never intricate or occult enough to require any effort at all, basically the mouse version of "move right to win" that people complain about with challenge-less walking simulators), and the details of the story are rather maudlin and the entire plot, while more-or-less emotionally engaging (to a point), could be summed up with "COMMUNICATE MORE WITH LOVED ONES", which is not exactly a ground-breaking premise and the execution of which might have you mentally yelling at the screen, "Well rather than feeling overwhelmingly sad/melancholy at all the things you've learned about your family, WHY DIDN"T YOU JUST TALK TO THEM BEFORE THEY DIED, YOU EMOTIONALLY STUNTED FOOL!!!!" Ahem. Sorry, got a little bit carried away/frustrated with the game's narrator. Which obviously caused me to view the game in a less than favourable light. To re-iterate, it's not a BAD game, it's just one that rubbed me the wrong way often enough and/or left me kinda bored and underwhelmed with both the narrative and the gameplay itself that I couldn't possibly recommend it. So, yeah.......not recommended, but obviously YMMV.

While this game is very similar to Annapurna's other game, A Memoir Blue, Hindsight shines where A Memoir Blue fails. Hindsight is able to more generically process grief and the nostalgia of growing up and trying to look back on old memories understanding that complexity of looking at things through rose colored glasses vs with the fresh perspective of realizing how certain things may have negatively impacted you growing up. It's a simple game that grapples with grief, relationships, and memories in a way where it's far easier to put yourself in this Japanese-American woman's shoes than Miriam's in A Memoir Blue as you're focusing on playing in hose water, chasing bugs, and climbing trees growing up rather than the more niche training in swimming to become an Olympic medalist. While A Memoir Blue is more interesting as far as learning about Miriam as a character, I think that Hindsight achieves their similar goal better by having a more boring and thus relatable vessel as the main character; Hindsight calls for your own introspection and inner child work as you look back and try to analyze both the different ways people can view memories of the same events and also the different ways you can look back on your own memories across time. I lost my dad a little over a year ago and this game really captures the mix of emotions of going through old belongings and returning to old places you haven't visited in years with a great deal of respect and artistry for how people, places, and things actively shape who you are. 6.5/10

Hindsight is a slow, thoughtful exploration of a life in reflection, triggered by the death of a loved one. Visiting a childhood home to pack up belongings, the game places you into a non-linear narrative where you experience first-hand sequences and standalone moments that represent memories of a place, of a time, of people. The game is wonderfully narrated, a single-sided dialogue from the protagonist to the deceased, a poignant reflection on an imperfect and very human childhood and adolescence. The use of visual ‘snapshots’, small scenes to explore and consider as the dialogue threads everything together, creates a strong empathy with the protagonist. There is a genuine feeling of moving through memories, sometimes sense memories triggered by a sound, sight or smell, other times a recollection of a specific moment or conversation. These are all collected into a linear story that uses a non-linear timeline to flesh out the protagonist and her relationship with her parents. The game does not have any particular big twists, but it is full of very human experiences that feel real and grounded, moments that are relatable and affecting. The art of the game has a visual flare, often feeling poetic with the monologue as they work together to represent events and emotional experiences. Minimal, but very effective and clear. A short but poetic experience that will tug at your heartstrings and possibly trigger a little self-reflection of your own.