Swann, a 16-year-old girl, is spending her last summer in Velvet Cove, Michigan before her family moves to Vancouver. In the parking lot of the local video store, she meets three other girls her age: Nora, Autumn, and Kat. The four quickly become close friends, bonding over their shared boredom and frustration with small-town life.
The girls spend their days hiking, making campfires, and sharing secrets. They discover a spooky shack hidden in the woods and decide to make it their base. There, they formed a riot grrrl band called Bloom & Rage.
They channel their dreams, desires, and fears into fantasies of fame and revenge on their strict parents. However, their intense emotions awaken a supernatural presence in the woods. This leads to a tragic event and a secret the girls keep for the rest of their lives.
Twenty-seven years later, in 2022, the group meets again in a bar on the outskirts of town. The bar has a special meaning to their story. Autumn has received a sinister package addressed to their band.
This package might reveal the terrible result of that fateful summer. The game switches between two timelines – the adults reminiscing in 2022 and their pivotal summer in 1995. Your actions in one timeline affect outcomes in the other.
Decisions made as a 43-year-old Swann at the bar are retrofitted into her youthful experiences.
Ghosts of Velvet Cove
This creates fascinating questions about cause and effect and the nature of memory.
The game explores how we shape and edit our memories. Throughout the game, Swann uses her 1990s camcorder. You can hit the right trigger to view the world through the camcorder lens.
You can record your own scenes and build themed sequences to store and edit. The dialogue system captures the energy and chaos of excited teenage friendships. Options and responses change depending on who you’re looking at while talking.
Characters often shout over each other. You can sometimes let dialogue options time out and choose to say nothing. This captures the improvisational nature of teen relationships.
Perfect contemporary references, from grunge band mix tapes to video players and troll dolls, support the game’s 90s setting. Exploring the environments and reminiscing feels like wandering through a themed pop culture museum. The mystery at the heart of the game is subtly introduced, leaving much to anticipate from the second part.
However, the characters and their fragile relationships stick with you. Days after finishing the game, these characters continue to linger in your thoughts. If you’re open to emotional young adult drama, you’ll be deeply invested in their story.
Image Credits: Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
Johannah Lopez is a versatile professional who seamlessly navigates two worlds. By day, she excels as a SaaS freelance writer, crafting informative and persuasive content for tech companies. By night, she showcases her vibrant personality and customer service skills as a part-time bartender. Johannah's ability to blend her writing expertise with her social finesse makes her a well-rounded and engaging storyteller in any setting.
