Virginia Critic Reviews

Virginia hit me right in the chest, the kind of game I’ve wanted to exist for years, and the first game to actually nail it in a way that I think fully takes advantage of the potential. It is the game that titles like Dear Esther, Gone Home and Firewatch have hinted at, but in a way that evolves the interactive narrative form way beyond anything we’ve seen before. It’s a game to savour and talk about for years to come, one that left me, just like the inhabitants of Kingdom, Virginia, speechless.

There are very few games as emotionally affecting as this. The story is thrilling, powerful and thought-provoking, and the music sends chills straight through your soul.

Virginia is a taut thriller that strikes a fine balance between storytelling and interactivity in a way that narrative-driven first-person adventure games have not accomplished since their inception, thanks to its blend of classic cinema and exploration. It should not be missed.

Lyrical, trippy, darkly surreal. Variable State delivers a masterclass in visual storytelling and creates a uniquely Lynchian narrative set in the American heartland. The spirits are here and they are strong. One of the greatest video-game soundtracks ever recorded can be considered an added bonus.

Virginia's deviance from norms makes it the sort of game that demands to be discussed among friends and, in this respect, the comparisons with Twin Peaks are apt. Although there's only one ending to this game, it's confounding enough to leave multiple possible interpretations, which is often the mark of a great story. Such is its power and originality, I suspect Virginia will have significant influences over games yet to be conceived.

Virginia is a sharp thinking, plot driven single-player adventure like few out there. It borrows heavily from other games of its ilk, yet twists it into its own strange beast. Unlike plenty of others, such as Firewatch, Virginia also manages to actually live up to its premise and deliver a satisfying, thought provoking conclusion. I'd love to go deeper on this because Virginia is a game all about its story and it's delivered, but a mystery such as this best served piping hot with a cup of joe on the side.

Virginia is a really, really cool little piece of media as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into.

A weird and wonderful game that although short, leaves one hell of a mark.

Virginia is a great game for film lovers. The David Lynch universe is really well made.

Virginia shows instead of tells, with a raw, understated power and a calculated nuance that make even the smallest, most mundane details brim with narrative and emotional significance.

Virginia offers one of the best plots in modern videogame industry and features an OST that can be only compared to a beautiful journey. Even though its duration is too short, every player that enjoys a narrative game should give it a try.

Virginia is a living proof that "walking simulators" don't have to be boring. This is an exciting and engaging story that is different from a typical videogame. The narration - inspired by Twin Peaks and The X-Files - makes you really want to see the finale (which is great by the way).

As a whole, and occasional framerate drops aside, Virginia is wonderfully cinematic, and a fantastic story to inhabit as it unfolds. It's just not for everyone. Which is true of everything that's ever been made, I suppose, and in this case at least what has been made is new and different, and incredibly stylish.

Despite the poor interactive component, Virginia is a wonderful story that draws liberally from David Lynch to tell a story as crazy as it is full of symbolism.

At the crossroad between movie and videogames, Virginia provides one of the best narratives of the year with a game that has no dialogue whatsoever. A true experience.

It is easy to come away from Virginia inspired and reeling from the vision that the team at Variable state have conjured; it is impossible to come away unchanged.

Virginia is a fascinating first person thriller adventure and a tribute to David Lynch surrealism. Variable State used strong editing and fine music to tell an ambitious story based on friendship and loyalty.

One of the most quietly devastating moments involves a character simply shaking their head softly.

An interactive story that blends dreamy police procedural with Lynchian nightmare to intriguing effect

Virginia shows what can happen when people with a passion for games, story telling and perhaps a touch of avant garde get together and let their collective subconscious flow. It is not too out of place to say this is an art house game… perhaps the more populist thing to call it would be an intellectual game… the important thing to know is that it has the capacity to make you think and feel and any game that can do that is certainly a worthy title to add to your collection. Virginia helps solidify the notion that games can be art.