Perfect Tides: Station to Station
Perfect Tides: Station to Station Media
Critic Reviews for Perfect Tides: Station to Station
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.
Station to Station doesn’t require that you have anything to do with writing, schooling, or even the time period it’s set in. The only thing it wants from you is to remember what it was like to doubt yourself while the world went on. In this way, it turns small, everyday moments into something deeply meaningful.
Stepping into Perfect Tides: Station to Station felt like being a teenager again: angsty, emotionally heavy, and stuck in that strange limbo of a summer holiday where everything feels too big. Consuming a story about another angsty, emotionally heavy girl trying to navigate the world, I felt seen in a way I hadn’t since my teen years.
But there’s more here than just the pieces I connected to. Perfect Tides: Station to Station is filled with so much life that I think anyone can find something to relate to.
I enjoyed Perfect Tides: Station to Station far more than I expected I would. It’s gritty, entertaining, and painfully relatable. It’s also very likely changed my opinion on point-and-clicks forever. For a simple, somewhat emotionally exhausting, story-oriented game, it definitely hits the mark. There are areas where I felt it could have been improved mechanics-wise, and I doubt I’d play through it again, but I do absolutely think it’s worth a try for anyone with an appreciation for storytelling, art, or comically large eyes.
Perfect Tides: Station to Station is a coming-of-age story filled with moments of real happiness, and just as many moments of self-doubt. There are times where Mara, the protagonist, is fully depressed, and the game doesn’t shy away from exploring that. It digs into relationships and intimacy, along with everything that comes with them: heartbreak, hurt feelings, and broken friendships. And choosing dialogue options during those moments truly put me right in the thick of it with Mara. I also love that Mara is a writer, and that part of the experience involves writing papers. It pushes me to explore, learn, and gain experience so I can write better, which is a clever mechanic that fits the story perfectly. The art is phenomenal too, adding even more weight to the emotional rollercoaster the game delivers. But at the end of the day, it’s the writing that makes Perfect Tides: Station to Station stand out. Mara is flawed, but she’s also incredibly relatable, and it’s hard not to get pulled in and root for her through the entire journey.
"Perfect Tides: Station to Station" is not a game that overwhelms me. It accompanies me. It challenges my patience, my compassion and my willingness to think in small steps. This story of an uncertain year is told in cautious pixels and whispering sounds. It is a quiet, honest look at growing up. Those who engage with it will experience a game that is not spectacular, but deeply moving.
Review in German | Read full review
