Perfect Tides: Station to Station

Perfect Tides: Station to Station is more somber than wistful, more grounded than nostalgic, and more realistic than fanciful. The 2003 setting feels circumstantial rather than deliberate as a storytelling device, and the autobiographical piece of it bleeds from every word of text.

An impeccably written, and brutally honest, adventure that explores the anxieties of trying to transition to adulthood

Perfect Tides: Station to Station is a messy, disjointed and incredibly uncomfortable window into the life of a writer who still needs to find their way in the world, but all of this comes together to build an amazing narrative that engulfs the player, showing them to embrace discomfort and learn to be their best self. Sadly, a lack of meaningful accessibility options does lose the game half a star.

Perfect Tides: Station to Station is one of those games that's so relatable it sometimes hurts. What's been created here is a game based on real life for real people. It's a game that says a lot about Mara, but it can also say a lot about ourselves and our relationships with others, whether friends, romantic partners, or family, but also about what we think of ourselves and how all these mundane experiences shape us.

"A deeply human and moving narrative" Perfect Tides: Station to Station offers a narrative adventure experience focused on college life and creative ambition, presented in a deeply personal and moving way. The strong writing, innovative mechanics, and polished art design make it a successful sequel and a title in its own right. Despite its relatively slow pace and limited world, the depth of the emotional experience and interactive choices make the game a valuable addition for fans of interactive storytelling.

Perfect Tides: Station to Station is the perfect point-and-click adventure for millennials but also appeals to younger audiences who are just turning 18 or are at least not too far off. Meredith Gran manages to paint a relatable picture of a young woman coming of age and I'm quite sure there are situations everyone out there will initially shake their head and ask, "Mara! Why?!" only to realize a moment later that they probably would have reacted the same way when they were younger. The writing tasks and books offer a bit more gameplay variety than its immediate predecessor, but it never gets truly difficult, which I didn't really mind. The dialogues and the story entertained me so well throughout the entire game and I hope that we will see more of Mara someday.

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Perfect Tides: Station to Station is a superb second chapter to an incredibly underrated point-and-click adventure, taking advantage of real-life stories and struggles to paint a beautifully moving and engaging story about a creative trying to make it big while making sense of the world. It too is a perfect time-capsule game of the early 2000s, filled with laser-sharp wit and references. Within is profound prose that uses an unconventional approach to game narrative to tell a divine coming-of-age tale that’ll be relatable to many. Bolstered by gorgeous pixel work, striking on-two’s animation and unique mechanics for the genre, Mara’s tales of love and loss as a creative in New York are quintessential storytelling for those who value game narratives. Come on in, the water’s damn fine.

I went into Perfect Tides: Station to Station not entirely sure what to expect, but I can honestly say this is a gem of a game. Mara is an entertaining main character that you can easily connect to even though you’re thrown into the middle of her story. Everything works in perfect tandem to create a truly fun experience. My favourite thing about this game is that your choices actually feel like they have some weight to them, unlike other choice-based games where things feel inconsequential. Perfect Tides: Stations to Station is an easy winner of the Thumb Culture Gold Award as it is an enjoyable little game, definitely worth the amount that it’s listed for. Check out the trailer below to get a better look at what’s in store for Mara.