We all get lost in the past sometimes, don't we? That's what these scenes felt like, an opportunity to look back on the past, even with all its complexities and difficulties, and figure out what they mean to us now. These scenes were abstract and formless, the images warm and comforting, the internal monologues sometimes sad, and more often than not reflective, often reminding me of some of the more surreal sections of Neon Genesis Evangelion. There are incredibly beautiful scenes that use real but distorted photography of locales I imagine were frequented by either Melos Han-Tani or Marina Kittaka, the pair of developers that make up Analgesic. Our three protagonists, all of whom share Taiwanese heritage, are subtly forced to confront their pasts, in order to better face their futures. If I had to pick a single theme about Sephonie, I would likely land on memories. The reason I stayed for so long, though, was because of the way the game deals with nostalgia. I was initially drawn to the title for a number of reasons, including my love of expressive movement in games, and the fact that Sephonie comes from the incredible team Analgesic Productions, also the creators of the Anodyne series. Stylistically, I personally think it feels like a forgotten 3DS game (the highest of compliments I can offer), though it is obviously inspired by platformers from the N64-era all the way up to the PS2.
It follows three biologists on their exploration of the titular island. Sephonie, if you haven't been treated to the knowledge of its existence, is a 3D platformer with a strong emphasis on parkour-esque movement. So when a game like Sephonie comes around, and manages to take my fond recollections of all those 3D platformers I played as a kid while offering a more mature, contemplative idea regarding what nostalgia can be, you can absolutely guarantee it will end up being one of my favourites of the year. We're constantly inundated with reminders from the games industry of how good games used to be, with remakes that don't quite capture how we remember things being. Hollywood is desperate to cash in on the memories of those raised in the 80s with reboots, sequels, and the like. Nostalgia as a concept is probably one of the most alluring things in art at the moment.
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