Being a gaming journalist, it doesn’t happen that much that a game catches me by surprise. I play games on a daily basis and have seen a lot the last couple of years. Ranging from shooters to obscure indie games, there aren’t that many games left that leave me behind deeply impressed. I started up Virginia with a lot of doubts but was left behind confused and yet deeply satisfied. This isn’t a game; this is an interactive story, a journey waiting to be discovered.

Variable State 

Virginia is published by 505 games but developed by Variable State as their first game ever. It’s based on a true story and takes place in early 90s Virginia. You take control over a female FBI agent, trying to figure out a missing person’ case. This sounds like something you would encounter in plenty of other games but nothing comes close to what Virginia does.

Variable State made sure the game captivated the player during the two hours it takes to reach the end of the story. It’s not a long journey but it’s a journey filled with the inexplicable, a story that reminded me of shows like X-files, Twin Peaks and even the Leftovers at some points. As said before, you don’t play this type of game for its great gameplay, you play this because you want to embark on an unpredictable journey, a journey that will be in your memory for a very long time after you finished the game.

Incredible setting 

Explaining a game like Virginia on paper is extremely hard since everything revolves around the experience. Let me try to explain the beauty of the game and its setting a little more, so you get an idea of where you’ll be spending the next couple of hours. Virginia is created in a very colorful cel-shaded world where the colors blue and red play a crucial role. Everything you see is created with a lot of details and although it has a cartoony look, you can easily connect with the characters and their world. Most impressive are the night skies, colorful trees and incredibly realistic grass.

A story you won’t forget

The world is very important since it’s everything. There’s no text or whatsoever, the game simply ‘shows’ you where you’ll need to go. Instead of being one big scene, the game skips to other settings constantly. This can happen at the most unpredictable moments. One moment you’re laying in your bed, the next moment you’re walking down the road. The game is filled with these jumps in time and this results in some confusing yet intriguing settings. As said before, red plays an important role, once you open a red door; you never know where you’ll end up. The game tells a story in a way no other game does.

Orchestral music

To make the game even more impressive, the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra created small masterpieces to accompany the player on his journey. Without text or narratives, the music is the only element left to create a certain atmosphere. Sometimes you’ll hear relaxing music and you’ll be able to kick back, relax and enjoy your coffee while events unroll. At other times, the music sounds a lot harder and even threatening. These segments feature a lot of images in a very short period of time and will get you captivated to your screen until it’s over.

The scenery is impressive and you’ll run into some strange settings you simply can’t explain. The story starts off rather realistic, but the more you advance, the more supernatural and confusing it all gets. Without the music, it won’t have the same effect. With the music, it transforms into a masterpiece.

A game like Virginia isn’t easy to explain without actually playing it and that’s exactly what I would like to recommend. Go play Virginia, embark on your journey and be surprised by the intriguing, confusing but satisfying plot. Watch the events unravel in front of your eyes and live the life of a female FBI agent desperately struggling to solve tons of problems. Virginia is a small masterpiece and although you can finish it in around two hours, it will most certainly leave behind its mark.

Score: 4.5 out of 5