It's February 13th and I have played 7 hours of Perfect Tides: Station to Station.

There's this sort of implementation in the mode of gameplay that feels so satisfying and it's centered around the idea that the character is inhabiting style of gameplay present (words failing me here). In less annoying words, the game is designed with the awareness that you are going to play it as an adventure game sicko. I encountered this in Disco Elysium with regard to the "Jamrock Shuffle", the main character's patented investigation style that involves wandering around investigating every object of interest possible. This has likely come up in a less annoying form in a earlier game, but as someone not In The Know with regards to video games this is the most stand out example. In the case of Perfect Tides: STS you take on the role of Mara who's sometimes annoying and a lot of times socially inept, and because your main method of engaging with the game is complicating ideas in Mara's head through conversation, you are encouraged to talk with anyone who will listen, and exhaust every conversation topic in order to secure those little advancements to Mara's understanding. Do you really think talking to you elderly grandmother about sex will help you in the long run? What about death? Would she like to talk about that with her granddaughter? So far, there haven't been any negative consequences for bringing up the wrong topic at the wrong time and that even further incentivizes you to just chat on and on. It feels great.

Because I so thoroughly am enjoying my time with the game I don't want to get into the particulars of the story (in case a stranger might consider playing), but just know I've been completely swaddled in the blanket that is STS's story line. I care about Mara Whitefish so much. I want to maybe close things out next week, it's a possibility but we'll just have to see.