HINDSIGHT

Everyday objects become portals to the past in this wistful narrative adventure

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Developer Joel McDonald

Publisher Annapurna Interactive

Format PC, Switch

Origin US

Release Late 2022 

Joel McDonald has only just started giving us the lowdown on his followup to topiary puzzler Prune, and already we're wondering whether to end the call. "You're 47 years old," he begins. We're just about to say, 'Look, it's been a rough year' in response when we realise he's actually talking about Hindsight's central character. "The next minute you're suddenly seven again," he continues. Chance would be a fine thing, eh? We uncross our arms.

McDonald goes on to outline the story of what he's calling a "narrative exploration game": you play as Mary, who's called back to her childhood home to clear it out after her mother passes away. The initial mood, as you'd expect, is fairly downbeat. The washed-out palette spells that out even before we hear our lead's first thought, delivered in a slightly flat voiceover she can't work out whether or not to be comforted by the fact that the house looks as it always did. She gathers up a handful of mail and sits down on a porch swing that rocks gently with a creak at McDonald's prompting.