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In each of the first 3 chapters you’ll be working with a different character. In the first it will be the budding composer and violinist Wilma, who is trying to find her muse in an isolated cabin, but who randomly discovers friendship with a man who calls her randomly on the phone. In the second you’ll help guide the aspiring artist Franz, who is trying to refine his eye while approaching his subjects as complex and layered. The third features a driven young woman, Emma, who aspires to prove herself as a capable mathematician but must grapple with the fact that society doesn’t believe females capable of higher-order thinking. Each of them has their struggles and desperately want to prove themselves, but their inspiration typically proves to be organic, triggered by the sounds and sights around them, or by interacting with others. Even before the final chapter looks to then bring everything together to a conclusion there are terrific overlaps and intersections of these character’s lives that is satisfying. Mechanically playing the game most resembles a point-and-click adventure but it also plays out like an interactive story in the Telltale vein. There’s no inventory management or proper puzzles to solve, it’s usually more of a matter of exploring what’s around you, deciding how to interact with other characters, and then following each chapter’s story to its conclusion. The main criticism for The Lion’s Song is that, depending on what you’re looking for, it is more of a meditative experience than a game per se, but it easily got its hooks into my interest nonetheless. Whether your goal is art or a more intellectual enterprise singular focus can only yield so much, true inspiration often comes to you when you least expect it. The recognition and exploration of this is something I found fascinating and compelling to see through the eyes of each character. In particular I found Emma’s story the most compelling as her journey to seek legitimacy in a male-dominated field ended up having much in common with the solution problem she was trying to solve. A wonderful added note is that at the conclusion of each Chapter you’re able to see the major decision points, reflect on the path you chose and how it matched up with other people who’ve played the game, and then have the choice to see how making a different choice at that point would have changed things. While the overarching narrative doesn’t change much seeing alternative outcomes can be interesting. Overall I was entranced by the stories in The Lion’s Song and their themes. The interconnected nature of the characters, both in terms of how they find their inspirations and even intersect in small ways with one another is well-planned and executed to help deliver its point. Though it doesn’t have much gameplay to speak of for its price it offers a unique and introspective experience on the Switch I was glad to have the opportunity to enjoy.
Justin Nation, Score:Nindie Choice! [8.0]