Heilotes

A densely harrowing, unique experience that seems to have been engendered by the likes of Kafka or Beckett. After a replay it still grabs my throat and carries me away with the utmost subtlety, largely unparalelled in any media. One could argue that for a graphic adventure that relies on puzzles it doesn't present the (albeit challenging) most fresh or ingenious. Nor does it engage the player with tawdry tropes. Where it maybe excels is as a narrative vehicle, a maelstrom where level design and an unforgettable, stream-of-consciousness story melt together as if unborn and captivate both mind and heart. As a whole it remains one of the most imaginative, profoundly moving things I ever played. That it garnered so little attention only bespeaks a bias and an immaturity inherent to videogames and what surrounds them. I may sound hyperbolic, but I could never praise Strangeland high enough; I couldn't do it justice with 10000-words piece of prose poetry. It is a masterpiece. Just play it. The ride might be too intense at times, but you'll never regret it.