Annapurna Interactive’s What Remains of Edith Finch for Sony Corp.’s Playstation 4, Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox One, and the PC, relays a string of untimely deaths that plague the Finch family through short, impactful games that emote the brevity of life itself.

Developed by Giant Sparrow, What Remains of Edith Finch is a mystery game in which Edith explores the Finch House to find out why she’s the sole survivor of her family. Basic controls include the left analog for movement and the right analog for contextual actions.

Through a series of mini-games, Edith discovers from a first-person perspective the cause of death for each of her family members. Fantasy-based games range from becoming multiple animals to a comic book character. Some are from a human perspective including a baby in a bathtub and a person who works at a fishing cannery. While some stories resonate better than others, most do a fantastic job of relating the situation to the user with short interactive sequences.

One story in particular, Lewis Finch, brilliantly relays how someone can be a fully functioning human being while simultaneously suffering depression through an allure of a simulated fantasy game.

The graphics engine is standard at 30 frames-per-second. Despite some frame rate issues, much of the world is well-rendered and well-lit. The music track ranges from mysterious to peaceful respective to the mood found in each story.

What Remains of Edith Finch works very well in it use of the video game medium to tell a story. Through its mini-games, narration, and human elements, it tackles tales of death with humor, humanity, and heart.