Release Date: 31/08/2017
Played On: Win
Available On: Lin / Mac / Win
Time Played: 1h 1m
Progress: Completed
Developer: Might And Delight
Publisher: Might And Delight
There has to be a point in life when you realise that interacting with art can be an experience without form, or end. When I studied philosophy, I quickly learned that a lot of people really hate wrestling with questions that have no immediate answer. It seemed that no matter how compelling the discourse was, some of us can't handle a lack of definition.
To go a step further, I'd argue that this applies to all forms of art and representation. There will no doubt always be a struggle between open interpretations and the need for clarity and closure.
I can't remember the amount of times I've stood next to someone at an art gallery, only to overhear them criticising an abstract work because they don't understand it. The lack of understanding is fine, but I find it endlessly fascinating that many human beings have such a hard time accepting that which they don't understand.
Of course, this opens a whole can of worms that should probably be saved for a more appropriate occasion. The point is that I often think about these things when I play a game like Tiny Echo, which leans hard into the abstract and surreal.
On the surface it's a regular point-and-click adventure game. After a brief introductory scene of a desolate landscape, you're given control over a character with a giant eye instead of a head. Your task is quickly understood as you pick up a pile of letters, and are shown a tally stating zero out of thirteen.
We soon encounter a strange character on the next screen, who can be clicked on and interacted with. Upon doing so your character pulls out a letter as if to hand it to this odd creature, but instead of taking it with their hands, a shadow appears behind them. The shadow grabs the letter and we're taken to another scene featuring the recipient.
The letter we delivered floats to the ground, while our customer occupies the tight frame, surrounded by their idiosyncrasies. There's only the letter to interact with, which opens when clicked, revealing a ghostly hand that rises and clicks its fingers. The scene shifts and our new friend shifts their mood and action to something a little more animated. We're then shot back to reality where we appear to have fallen asleep, only to wake up and continue on our way.
This loop continues until all thirteen letters have been delivered and the game concludes. Finding and reaching each recipient takes a fair bit of exploration and obtuse logic of varying degrees. Many characters are hidden amongst the beautifully painted landscape and require multiple abstract interactions to appear.
I'm not too proud to admit that I turned to a walkthrough after hitting the first barrier, as I'm not interested in spending hours banging my head against the wall. Thankfully, I feel justified as there are certain areas in the game that make it virtually impossible to determine what needs to be done. If you're a point-and-click logic aficionado then you might want to stick it out and click everything you find, but I'd rather experience the art and move on to the next.
To that end, Tiny Echo is a wonderful mixture of visual and aural artistry. Each scene appears hand painted and dense with environmental detail and complexity. The landscape is entirely fantastical with absurd geometry at times, grounded by lush greenery and dark caverns. There are plenty of areas to explore, and discovering how they all interconnect will have you making mind-bending maps in your head.
At the same time you're surrounded by an audio landscape that's often teeming with life, and occasionally imposing and scary. Exploring the world of Tiny Echo is an assault on the senses, as there's rarely a screen without other life forms and creatures going about their lives. Clicking on each will trigger animations, most of which are little more than a tiny reaction to your prodding. However, every now and then, clicking on another creature will play a short scene of what seems to be their daily life. It all works in tandem to create a living world that you're moving through, no matter how surreal it may seem at first.
Tiny Echo is definitely an artistic game, as it does little to hold your hand along the way. You can right-click and reveal interactive objects or pathways, but there's nothing to help your interpretation of its purpose. While I very much enjoy the open-ended nature of such abstract storytelling, I can appreciate that this won't be to everyone's taste.
I'm a firm believer that art should be interpreted by the audience, and if an artist wants to convey a specific meaning, they have their work cut out for them. I suppose it's because I'm interested in the communicative aspect of art, which connects the artist with the audience in a deeply personal way. By allowing an audience to interpret art their own way, a more intimate and nuanced connection can be made, which speaks to the beauty of art itself.
So when I say that I think I have my own idea about what's going on in Tiny Echo, I'm aware that I may have missed the creators' point entirely. Don't worry, I won't spoil anything here, but the finale scenes of the game hint at what's going on, with a lot of room for interpretation. Suffice to say that despite how this artistic experience is interpreted, I feel like there's enough there to sink your teeth into.
Perhaps that's the ultimate job of an artist; to provide enough detail and suggestion to allow the audience to make up their own mind. Again, that's probably a discussion for another time, but it's relevant for this game either way.
Thus, I don't think Tiny Echo would be a game that everyone will get something out of. Just as my philosophy classes were frustrating as hell for many, the undefined narrative of games like this one, will always be a challenge to overcome.
Thankfully though, I love a lack of definition in art, so I had a great time exploring Tiny Echo's world and pondering each element. Even after the short play time I found myself briefly contemplating the overall vibe of the experience.
I've always considered the label 'interactive art' a little reductive for most of the games it gets applied to, but I wouldn't mind it so much here. Although, I still think there is enough gameplay and puzzles to make it more than an installation of sorts. Neither end of the spectrum should be considered a bad definition either way, but I love it when games explore niche areas that haven't been repeated endlessly.
Tiny Echo is a short little experience, but it's well put together and teases the player with enough ideas to get the imagination going. The beautiful world contains enough complexity to inspire interpretation, but remains abstract enough for the answers to remain elusive. Although, it's appeal is no doubt limited to gamers who are into artistic experiences already.