It has been precisely a year since my siblings and I finished the emotionally draining task of auditing, packing, and emptying our childhood home. This experience ended with the anxiety-inducing drive in our father’s worn-out Renault Megane, its clattering and untrustworthy brakes presenting a final ironic danger to my well-being. The vehicle, a representation of the prolonged administrative aftermath of our loss, was sold to someone who was willing to take it off our hands.
The whole experience, from the final moments in the hospital to the car’s sale, took 11 months. In contrast, the game “A Storied Life: Tabitha” effectively compresses a similar journey into just a few hours. In the game, you are asked by an elderly friend to tidy her cottage after her passing. The gameplay features a reverse “Unpacking” process, where you decide what items to throw away, retain, or auction. Furthermore, you draw inspiration from the items kept to rewrite her memoirs, engaging in word puzzles that provide a bittersweet comfort, granted you adjust to the distinct writing style.
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