When I became a dad, I was welcomed into a whole new world of choices and responsibilities. Some easy, some more difficult, but that’s what being a parent is about. It’s also the reason why Best Month Ever! Luckily, it resonated with me not because of some of the more gruesome and adult themes but about making the decision that impacts your kid. So, let’s dive in (and again, not a review for your kids).
Time to take part in a roller coaster of emotions with Louise embarking on a road trip of a lifetime through the late 1960s USA, trying to show her son Mitch how to navigate the often cruel modern world. I started this review by addressing parenthood. Best Month Ever! goes about the one question ‘What does it take to be a mother?’
Best Month Ever!
Telling good from bad was never easy, especially when you’re a single mum in her late 20s with a clever 8-year-old under your care. However, each choice you make in the crucial few moments we all know may change our lives for good in a split second, influencing what kind of person Mitch turns out to be and what values will guide him once he becomes his own man. I have deep respect for mothers everywhere, especially those who stay at home to take care of the kids (which is more stressful than a full-time job, trust me). Luckily, we have stuff like the internet and youtube; imagine growing up in the 1960s.
Best Month Ever! is a heavy hitter from the start. It’s the story of Mitch, a young black man recounting the month that preceded his mother, Louise’s, death. Louise was diagnosed with some terminal illness, and knowing that her days are severely numbered, she takes Mitch, who is eight years old, on a road trip across America to find someone who will be able to take care of him after she passes.
Struggles, Stereotypes, and Problems
Best Month Ever! Tackle racism, misogyny, and conservatism as it existed in 1960s America – or at least, the 1960s I know from the history books I taught at school. According to some of my colleagues, it falls short on many occasions and, unfortunately, perpetuates some of the stereotypes seemingly trying to be critiqued. There are cultural and racial biases perpetuated in a story from the perspectives of a single mom and a young black man in 1960’s America, which makes telling a nuanced, sensitive story overwhelmingly tricky. I must disagree from a European perspective, as it hits hard and feels like the ‘America’ I read about – then again, I grew up in the Netherlands, and not in the 1960s (but the 1990s) – so who am I to judge.
To shed some light on the accusations above, The main antagonist of Best Month Ever! It seems to be the horrors of rural America and the American south, as violence and abuse are around every corner. Gun violence is widespread in this story but is handled far too casually. For example, Mitch witnesses a murder up close early on, and rather than show any signs of trauma, Mitch picks up and fires several guns with no hesitation. However, the most jarring and violent sequence comes when Mitch and Louise find themselves in the home of a local KKK leader.
Louise kills the Klansman, then pretends to be him, and, with Mitch in the car, drives to that night’s cross-burning and attempted lynching, so she kills the other two members – and none of this has any impact on Mitch and is never mentioned again. Then again, I can see that Mitch is a traumatized kid with a sort of disfunction from the world – we see these things more and more but can place them into context nowadays (not to call this a positive movement, obviously). I found these parts of the story interesting and not as misplaced as some other reviewers.
Gameplay.
Gameplaywise it’s mostly point, walk and click (in which you make some tough calls). The whole game feels fluid and plays excellent. With each choice you make, you form the person Mitch will become at the end of the month, so it’s all up to you. I can’t replay games like these since I usually go for similar choices and end up with a similar outcome. It’s just not your average game and probably not one for most Nintendo Switch players out there. Then again, who am I to judge – I’m just a historian, dad, and game reviewer who says this game is solid (even though the story can be a bit sensitive to some people).
Conclusion
So to conclude, Best Month Ever! is excellent. At the core of the story is a single mother doing her best to cherish her final days with her son, while making sure he will be loved and looked after when she passes. Unfortunately, this core sentiment is tainted by some difficult moments and harmful stereotypes. Best Month Ever! It tries to tell a complex and loving story. Still, the inherent cultural misunderstandings of race and nationality can make those efforts fall flat and mar what is otherwise a serviceable narrative about love and family. Looking past these elements, you get a great narrative game with a parental struggle as a base for its story. Just try this one, trust me.
8/10
Tested on the Nintendo Switch.
