Disappointingly clichè love story within Florence

Whether you are on the edge on trying out Florence, I would argue that you should not. In this post I share my disappointments.

Florence is a rather brief experience. It took me 45min to complete. I don’t mind the length, for these kinds of games the main goal is to have something noteworthy to tell. But has Florence really made a proper use of the brief time it has reserved from a player?

My main gripe with this game is just how incredibly clichè this whole story is. Even for a love story. It’s just so disappointing that it made me physically roll my eyes. And to think that this game has won several awards, is baffling at best.

I have vowed not to spoil games in my reviews, so I can’t say much. But what I can say is that the ending baffled me. What started as a love story now ended up glorifying hustle culture. That perverse twist of plot just left me an unpleasant taste. Sometimes I even laugh a bit, it just feels ridiculous.

The developers of the game have tried to turn this little story into something more interactive by making simple puzzles/actions that advance the story as you go. The idea itself is not bad on paper but the execution feels half-hearted — I felt like I was doing captchas that prove my humanity.

If you are into these kind of interactive shenanigans, check out “What Remains of Edith Finch”. The developers of that game have done a much better job. I’d argue it’s what Florence wishes it could be execution-wise.

That’s about it. The review might be a little harsh but I find it important to give my honest feelings — I’m here to share my personal experience.