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[Review] ‘Sea Of Solitude’ Makes For a Fumbling Journey Of Self-Discovery And Hope

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Mental illness is a monster capable of driving one towards isolation; overwhelmed by anxiety and fear, it can be common for people to push others away when all feels hopeless. When people find themselves in such places, communication is key to healing, allowing one to find guidance and inner strength. This is what Sea of Solitude explores.

Similar to experiences such as Celeste and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Sea of Solitude is a story of discovering how to love one’s self and power through loneliness. While there’s some confusion regarding narrative context and a lack of any in-depth mechanics, Sea of Solitude is still able to provide an intriguing emotional journey.

You take on the role of Kay, a young woman who all of a sudden awakens to find out she has become a monster. In her trusty little boat, Kay explores a surreal world covered in a vast body of water. Throughout her journey, it is up to the player to help guide Kay through her struggles and help her grow. the game explores Kay’s emotional turmoil, as well as the struggles of her family

From the moment the game starts, one can’t help but notice the lovely visuals that make up Sea of Solitude. The game’s world is that of vibrant colors and murky shadows, all working together to provide emotional storytelling. As the player progresses through the story, the environment will shift in color; a variety of bright colors may appear with some delightful music, whereas shadows will arrive with more ominous sounds. The game world is moderately open to exploration; whether you’re swimming, running around, or driving your boat, one can move about the land, discovering small collectibles along the way.

If you’ve seen the trailer for Sea of Solitude, then you are already aware that the game world is full of big monsters. While they are intriguing to look at, the player will have to be careful with some of these monsters; there’s one whale-like monster that, if the player swims too long in dark water, the creature will come up and insta-kill them. Outside of being elements of gameplay, however, these monsters also serve as metaphors for the game’s themes.

There’s no hesitation in presenting the game’s themes to the player; Sea of Solitude is quite forward in acknowledging Kay’s loneliness and anxiety. Whether it’s through dialogue or environmental storytelling, the game does a solid job conveying the overwhelming and grim aspects of mental illness and loneliness. Given that the game takes place within a vast ocean, water makes for a clever metaphor for struggle. In times where Kay may find herself in a crisis, the water may rise above her and act violent; when she is on a path of enlightenment, the water may part for her. The game is broken up into several chapters where Kay will explore her emotional turmoil. Among the chapters are superb sequences that make for strong emotional moments, conveying a rich sense of desperation and loneliness. 

There’s a slight bit of confusion regarding the narrative’s context of time. With all of the emotional turmoil Kay is taking on, it isn’t clear whether these matters have taken place recently, or took place further in the past; we are never sure if all this turmoil is happening at once in her life. It is understandable that she would be hurting from each of these pains, but it would also help to have an understanding of where she is in the healing process timewise.

Moving Kay around the world is fairly easy; you have a designated button to toss a flare of light, which will fly through the sky and burst where you need to travel to next. Overall, Sea of Solitude has incredibly simplistic gameplay; outside of the platforming aspects and thin puzzles, the game is just short of being a walking simulator. It isn’t fair to say that these elements hinder the game at all; having the ability to progress forward without too much stress allows one to take in the story much more easily.

The puzzles feel like they are present more for aesthetics rather than gameplay. For the most part, you are just going from point A to B to C, jumping from platforms and avoiding monsters as needed. When it comes to sequences where you need to “solve” something, all you’re really doing is walking to one spot, interacting with something, and then walking to another spot to do the same thing again. There are several sections where Kay needs to collect multiple orbs of light to progress forward; rarely are these orbs of light in any difficult to reach spot. Most of them are just a matter of running in one direction, jumping on a couple of things, and pressing a button when you are near. There is an extreme lack of challenge in most of these situations.

There’s also a section where you are required to pick up an item that is being circled by enemies; picking up said item, you need to bring it to a specific locked area before the enemies catch up to you and steal it back. With a few exceptions, it felt like the A.I. wasn’t even really trying, but just attempting to give the illusion of threat. For players who want to take in the story and themes, this lack of gameplay depth won’t be an issue; if you are searching for more depth, however, then you might be disappointed. 

Having completed Sea of Solitude within five hours, I found the experience to have handled its themes with care. As the player progresses through the story, Kay discovers important lessons in combating feelings of loneliness and pain; these lessons make for valuable pieces of insight, useful to those looking to find solace from their struggles.  

Even with the thin gameplay mechanics and small bits of narrative logic that felt off, its world, characters, and story grew on me.

It is truly heartwarming when a piece of media, especially video games for all their interactivity, embrace subjects such as loneliness and mental illness. Our society still deals with problems of stigma, which in turn creates barriers for those who want to reach out for help but are afraid to ask. Video games, and art as a whole, have the remarkable power to move and inspire one another, to encourage inner strength and find our voice; Sea of Solitude is one of those hopeful experiences.

Sea of Solitude review code for PS4 provided by the publisher.

Sea of Solitude is out now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Michael Pementel is a pop culture critic at Bloody Disgusting, primarily covering video games and anime. He writes about music for other publications, and is the creator of Bloody Disgusting's "Anime Horrors" column.

Books

‘In Search of Darkness’ Book Review: A Must-Have for ’80s Horror Fans

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In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.

The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays by the authors Heather Wixson and Patrick Bromley. Both authors have been mainstays of film journalism, specializing in horror, for many years. Wixson began her career in 2007 with Dread Central and has spent the past ten years as the Managing Editor of Daily Dead, from which she recently retired to focus on books and other projects. She has devoted the past several years to interviewing and writing books about the Make-up and Special Effects wizards that have brought so much to film over the years, specifically the horror genre.

Bromley is a film journalist and critic whose work can be found all over the place including right here on Bloody Disgusting. He recently provided the commentary for the Vinegar Syndrome release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and is known as something of a Tobe Hooper expert. He is also the founder and editor of F this Movie!, an eclectic film website, and host of its accompanying podcast. So, to be clear, the authors know their stuff.

Wixson and Bromley divide writing duties roughly in half and though each has a distinctive voice, their writing styles dovetail beautifully into a cohesive whole. Each author plays to their strengths. Being familiar with both their work I didn’t even have to look at the bylines to know that Heather covered Christine and Terror in the Aisles and Patrick took on The Funhouse and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Wixson’s passion for make-up effects is clear and comes through in many of her contributions. In general, Wixson takes on the “big” titles, the movies that defined the decade the most, and Bromley covers what the more cynical among us might call schlock, but he would likely call pure cinematic bliss. There are exceptions and surprises, of course, as there should be (Patrick covers The Shining for example). Each essay dives into the history behind the film, the major players involved, the reception, and legacy with often surprising aspects drawn from interviews with the filmmakers from various sources and insights from the authors.

For all their in-depth explorations of each film, in general the authors keep their critics’ hats safely stowed, keeping in mind that every entry on the book has its fans. In fact, they may well have sold me on finally hitting play on some of the schlockier offerings of the decade like Evilspeak, Nightbeast, and Blood Diner. Hell, I may even give The Beast Within a spin for shits and giggles. The point is that this book is a celebration through and through. The authors are honest about the critical receptions of the films, which were often unkind, and sometimes let their own opinions shine through, but recognize how beloved even the schlockiest films can become given time and availability. And that is an ongoing theme of In Search of Darkness. What may have been dismissed in its day often becomes revered as the years pass. Variations on the phrase “the years have been kind to…” referring to various maligned projects like The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Blob and many, many others, can be found throughout the book for good reason.

Each chapter of the book also includes a rundown of the top horror movies at the box office for the year as well as the top movies of all genres for context. The final page for each year highlights some of the major news and pop culture events including the top songs, albums, and television shows. There is a large central section that pays tribute to the talent involved with the greatest horror films of the 80s including directors, actors, effects artists, and more. This section includes brief biographies of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Tom Savini, Barbara Crampton, Robert Englund, and many others presented in a dynamic and engaging fashion.

One of the beauties of the book is that it covers so much ground. Sure, you’ll find Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and the Halloween sequels in it, but you’ll also find deeper cuts like The Changeling, The Being, and Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I was happy to find the same love given to Frank Henenlotter and Larry Cohen as to George A. Romero and David Cronenberg. In other words, In Search of Darkness is extraordinarily eclectic, highlighting the diversity that truly defined what is often viewed as a homogenous decade. The authors make the case that the 80s was horror’s greatest decade, and with what they lay out throughout this book, it’s tough to argue against that. I even came across a film or two I hadn’t even heard of before, which has become increasingly rare as the years go by.

At just shy of $85, the cover price may give some horror hounds pause, but believe me, it’s worth every penny. This is a beautiful volume that every fan of 80s horror will want on their shelf or prominently displayed on their coffee table. Filled with favorite titles, hundreds of full color photos, insightful and informative writing, this is simply a must own.

You can order your copy now.

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