What Remains of Edith Finch invites you to discover the twisting tale of a family and a curse. The main character, Edith Finch, tells the complex narrative of a family torn apart by a perceived curse that haunts them.
Creag Isle is a single malt from the Islay region of Scotland. A very mild representation of the peat flavor expected from an Islay scotch, it has a surprisingly complex flavor and good balance. I thought that the robust flavor and smoky, warm finish made it a great pairing for this story.
Nose:
-Game: What Remains is an excellent example of enhancing an already interesting story through atmosphere and immersion. From the beginning, you are drawn into the eerie silence of the woods surrounding the house. Once inside, you get an odd feeling. There’s junk and books and things piled everywhere, but it doesn’t feel ominous, but something is off. “Nothing in the house looked abnormal, there was just too much of it. Like a smile with too many teeth.” (Edith) You feel a sense of reverence, but at the same time the house and surrounding woods seem to be inviting you to come and see what mysteries are hidden inside.
-Scotch: You get a strong scent of the smoke in this scotch up front but there is something beneath it that pulls you further in, much like the dark woods and ominous surrounding of the Finch house draw you in to investigate the story further.
Palate:
-Game: The game uses simple mechanics of point, click, and navigation puzzles to have you progress through the house and the story. The story is driven through either Edith’s monologue and journal entries or the stories you read of each family member from their perspective. The house itself is one giant puzzle that leads you on a winding path through its various secret passages and sealed off rooms. Each story that you collect is delivered through a medium unique to each person’s story.
-Scotch: The peaty-ness from the nose is still present in the palate when you take a drink, but as that mellows out on your taste buds you also get a nice rounded flavor with notes of sweetness to counteract the smoke. That same rounded experience applies to Edith Finch as you explore this house and learn the family’s story in an adventure that gives you sweet and tender moments after the initial dark and foreboding first impression.
Finish:
-Game: When Edith Finch began, I thought this was going to be more of a menacing and unnerving story. However, it surprised me with the depth and thoughtful perspectives on each character in this family and how they were all afflicted by the perceived family curse. You get to know each member of her family through a flashback that leaves you melancholy about their eventual death because the game does a remarkable job of connecting you with each character and their struggles with the curse. More than that, it left me with a contented feeling for the main character. While you could describe the story of this family as a tragedy, there is a sense of triumph felt through the journey of Edith, one that involves her finding purpose and accepting her fate. It is a bittersweet tale in the truest form. Susan Arendt of Polygon has a great quote to sum up this story: “In What Remains of Edith Finch, death is a certainty and life is the surprise”.
-Scotch: While this whiskey doesn’t have a particularly long finish, it does have a lingering flavor of smoke and vanilla, bringing to mind the bittersweet feeling left by this game that will leave you wondering about it for a while after you finish it. What role does destiny, or even a curse, play in how we view our purpose in life? Did the family members have a say in what happened to them, or did the curse create a self-fulfilling prophecy, brought about by the awareness of such a curse? These are the kinds of questions the Edith finch leaves you with and makes you want to go back and explore that rickety old house for more hidden secrets of the Finch family. This game has a surprising amount of depth, as does this scotch, and I would highly recommend picking up both!
Story Mode Scotch 