Forgotten Fields | Steam Review.

Publisher: Dino Digital
Developer: Frostwood Interactive
Steam Review

*Disclaimer: I was sent the code for this game in return for a review, all opinions are mine and mine alone.

Having a creative block happens to lots of people sometime in their life, it can be hard to pull yourself out of it and find a way to get your creativity back, Forgotten Fields explores just that, a struggling author named Sid can't pull himself out of it and it's our job to help him find his mojo again. It's not an uncommon thing for authors to halt their writing due to writers block which is why this game can be so relatable for so many. We start Sid's journey off in his house, it's very bland and not much around him but I gather that this helps with any distractions he may face, he is currently struggling to write a story to apply for a grant so he can pay for this bills, he knows something has to change but still forces himself into his writing whilst locked away, one day his friend Ajay appears at his door with an invite from Sid's mum to a meal where they will be wishing farewell to his childhood home. I like the sentiment to be honest, his mum must know that even though he wanted to be left alone this meal would mean a great deal to him.

This meal forces Sid to leave the comfort of his home and open his mind to the world and what is around him, it's the perfect chance for him to make the most of his surroundings and possibly help him gain some perspective and inspiration. Whilst we explore Sid's struggle we are also transported into the fantasy story he is writing, it becomes clear how his life and the story go hand in hand together and how his life experiences are influencing it. Whilst meeting his friends and family we see that becoming an adult hasn't been easy and Sid is at a very different place in his life compared to his friends. He has come to terms with losing the person he loves not due to death but to another man and has managed to keep the friendship with her even though he clearly still cares deeply for her.

Forgotten Fields is broken up into chapters, each opening the narrative for his mind to expand further and add more to his his story, unknowingly Sid has let go of trying to control what's around him and started to enjoy what's in front of him whilst reminiscing about the good times, sometimes a trip down memory lane can be a good thing. Now that the deadline for his story is looming over him it's clear that his time to keep on schedule is running out, choosing to be around his loved ones has a been a great benefit and let's his ideas flow. Combining more than one story into this short game gave it  a little more depth, mainly because we got to play as the protagonist in Sid's story and as Sid himself. Sid clearly wanted to make his story stand out and writing any old thing wasn't an option, I would have read the book he is writing, I love fantasy novels!

Progressing further into the game showed me that Sid is still trying to come to terms with his father's death and tends to avoid going home, making the step to go to this meal must had been hard for him especially when he then has to say goodbye to the house.Sid clearly has a vivid imagination and knows what he wants in life it's just giving him the extra push, he is a very liked and loved young man with the world on his shoulders, stepping into his shoes can be relatable for a lot of people over the age of 20, the developers have managed to put together a beautifully calm and collected game where the player is selfless and thinks of others rather than himself.

From my point of view it's clear that Sid did the worst thing he could possibly do by locking himself away as he made the outside world the issue for his writing not being able to flow when all along he had lost sight of what was right in front of him all along. This works though, it gives the game a deeper meaning and opens the game up to possibly having a sequel as it still feels a little unfinished, there was no inkling on whether or not his story was accepted for his grant, I didn't want to leave it where it ended. 

The calming music and spirited graphics pull Sid's story together nicely, I had a few issues with glitches on screen such as the coffee tray getting stuck to the sofa and the onscreen prompts for what buttons to press not disappearing from screen, they sorted themselves out by the next chapter though. There is an element of problem solving but it's pretty basic and easily done, I did struggle using the keyboard as it felt a lot more clunky to use than my PS4 controller. I played the game on my Mac and it run smoothly other than some glitches I mentioned, there is an autosave element for players who may forget to save (that's me, I'm one of them people). Forgotten Field started off as a kickstarter, the developers lucky got enough pledges to create a cozy narrative driven game and bring their ideas to life, I thoroughly enjoyed playing and I'm looking forward to seeing what Frostwood Interactive brings out next. If you want to check Forgotten Fields out, it's available on Steam now.