Forgotten Fields – A Nostalgic Journey

“He was still too young to know that the heart’s memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burden of the past.” – Gabriel García Márquez

Overview

Forgotten Fields is a casual narrative game about a struggling writer named Sid and follows him on his journey to visit his family home one last time before it is sold. Players must visit old friends, relive memories and help Sid with his writer’s block!

Gameplay

The gameplay is pretty straightforward and mostly consists of exploring and engaging in dialogue. There are some puzzles and mini-quests to complete, however. These include finding and collecting some laundry after it has blown away, helping set up for dinner, pushing a boat into the sea and more! There is a nice amount of interactivity with minimal difficulty. While the tasks remain satisfying, they do not pose too much challenge, in keeping with the game’s casual feel.

Narrative

Forgotten Fields’ narrative follows Sid as he battles with writer’s block and visits his family home for the final time. Players join Sid as he embarks on his journey, visits old friends and revisits past memories. As he does so he is also making notes for a story he needs to write for a deadline later that evening and the player reveals both narrative sections in tandem. Sid’s story is a fantasy tale of magic and mages providing an interesting contrast with the slice-of-life tale that is Sid’s real life. Dialogue makes up a large part of the game and has some fun choices with varying levels of impact. It is thoughtful and well-written, with conversational themes matching those of the game, namely nostalgia, the past, the present and the future.

Styling

Forgotten Fields combines somewhat low poly models with a mix of plain and painterly textures in warm vibrant colours. It has a heavily stylised appearance with atmospheric lighting and jittery animations. The visuals suit the style of the game well and fit nicely with both parts of the story.

The game’s often emotive soundtrack is a highlight of the game and features a huge variety of dynamic and scene-setting tracks that range from foreboding string music to enchanting twinkling piano and bluesy guitar numbers. The ambient sound effects such as birds, waves and engine noises are immersive and help bring the different settings to life alongside the music.

Summary

Forgotten Fields is a cosy and casual game about nostalgia and moving forwards. It offers two engaging narratives, an engaging and relatable protagonist, uniquely stylised artworks and a mesmerising and varied soundtrack. Overall, it has a lot to offer and is a great example of interactive fiction. I’d happily recommend it to fans of the genres or of Frostwood Interactive’s other works such as Unwording.

Looking for more interactive fiction? Check out these reviews:
Wayward Strand – A Curiously Heartfelt Interactive Fiction – A Walk With Yiayia – An Emotional Stroll Around the Neighbourhood – A Memoir Blue – An Emotional Dive into the Past

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