It was hard to write this without giving spoilers since I’m still in Act 3 and haven’t finished the game yet. But I wanted to take a break and share my first impressions. A friend of mine said, “Ezgi, you really have to play this,” and I thought why not start now? Up to Act 3 what first caught my attention was the tension created by the Paintress character but after a while what truly captivated me was the incredibly detailed world. I often found myself stopping and just looking around; noticing the play of light and shadow, the streets and the small objects made me feel completely immersed in the game.
The use of light and shadow or clair-obscur in art in the game demonstrates a deliberate manipulation of contrasts to guide the viewer’s attention and create depth within the scene. In art clair-obscur refers to the technique of juxtaposing light and dark areas to produce dramatic tension and highlight certain elements, a principle that is clearly reflected in the game’s visual design. These contrasts not only shape perception visually but also reinforce narrative and thematic nuances, emphasizing the moral and psychological layers within the story.
The aesthetics are another joy. Scenes inspired by late 19th century and early 20th century France, La Belle Époque, are incredibly elegant and dramatic. Street lamps, ornate buildings, light fog, and intricate motifs… everything is so thoughtfully crafted it feels like looking at a painting.
And the music! Lorien Testard’s compositions complement the scenes perfectly. Sometimes I just listened to the music and watched the scenes for minutes without moving. The combination of music and visuals makes this digital world feel like a true piece of art.
I’m not going into turn-based mechanics or gameplay for now; I want to avoid spoilers. My emotions are so stirred that I wanted to leave this post here as a personal reminder. I forgot to capture screenshots from the game, so instead I’m sharing this beautiful Reels link about it.
