This Is Forever

There are times when a journey seems to be the only viable cure for emotional unrest. As liberating as the thought of wandering around the world with no purpose or care might be, it seldom happens for most of us. It is still possible to escape, on the other hand, as long as you can consider yourself satisfied with a virtual adventure instead. Thus, video games never turn down a weary soul.

This Is Forever can barely be considered a game, because it kind of lacks the proper elements to be one. There are no high scores, no missions, and no characters to interact with. Instead, it’s just you and a calm world, with no other purpose than to walk around and find your way further. Music keeps you company along the way, and there are certain objects you can collect as well.

These objects include a guitar, a note, a ring and a key to unlock a gate, so they are pretty random. On the other hand, they can also signify something, at least if you want to fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere. Although the game world is pretty big and open, the way to these objects is rather linear, since there are usually obstacles that force you to follow a certain path.

The adventure feels a lot like a journey, in the sense that you start at the base of a mountain and you have to travel along a river to the ocean. You can tell where the objects you have to collect are by looking up, because each one of them has a light pinpointing their location. This makes it easier to navigate the map, but you can still get a bit disoriented if you do not pay enough attention to the environment.

The level design is top notch, on the other hand, since everything from the trees, to post-processing effects and level design blends seamlessly together. The water can look a bit rough from a distance, mostly because of the annoying texture pattern, but it’s a minor inconvenience. The soundtrack is nothing short of brilliant, especially since the music evolves as you manage to find the objects and make your way forward.

In the end, This Is Forever is the perfect way to reflect and meditate a bit when you need it, even if the linear progression of the game makes it difficult to play it multiple times. However, the journey can mean something else every time you take it.