Spiral – An Emotive Journey through an Old Man’s Unravelling Mind

“Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.” – L.M. Montgomery

Overview

Spiral is a charming walking simulator, with elements of puzzle games, RPGs, adventures, and other genres. It follows Bernard as he explores his memories through the limited viewpoint of his unravelling mind.

Narrative

Spiral’s protagonist is an elderly gentleman named Bernard and the game follows him as he descends down a spiral staircase visiting memories from his past by entering a plethora of doorways. The game spans five eras of Bernard’s life, from childhood onwards. As he explores each memory, he narrates and provides extra details and insight for the player. His earlier memories are retold with ease but during later recollections, he encounters difficulty with details, making mistakes that are evident to the player after experiencing earlier moments. The narration is very emotive at times, and Bernard’s voice acting definitely elevates the experience.

The game portrays his struggle with cognitive degeneration in a sensitive way that is poignant without being too overwhelming. The game remains fairly positive throughout, however, and could possibly have done more to stress the impact of such conditions as Alzheimer’s and dementia on both the person affected and their loved ones. In general, however, the writing feels nostalgic and emotive, without feeling saccharine or hyperbolic.

Gameplay

Spiral is primarily a walking simulator and players control Bernard as he explores his memories. Whilst Bernard is older the run function is unavailable, though it is possible to move faster within memories where he is much younger. Elements from other game genres are drawn on and the player must solve occasional puzzles, play mini-games, complete stealth sections, and even play a DnD-style game called Castles and Creatures that mixes tabletop and RPG-esque gameplay.

The memories sometimes depict more poignant life events but more often portray day-to-day life and innocuous happenings such as building something with his father or making mischief with his sister at a library. The experience is quite slow-paced, which mostly suits this type of game, however, some moments felt a bit too drawn out and there is definitely some room to make things more succinct, this is especially true of the first half of the game. A journal details Bernard’s perception of different experiences for added insight and detail but also shows objectives, character information, and information about the C&C game and its various enemies.

The are a few minor bugs in the game, such as being forced to sue the mouse for a a fishing task later in the game instead of the controller, visual issues such as sitting on a chair and the character not returning to an upright position for a while after standing up, and a pathway not opening during the C&C game after changing direction during a bit of dialogue. Some bugs required a restart of the game but luckily autosaves happen frequently meaning this did not cause too many issues or much repetition.

The game is quite relaxing overall, with activity levels varying throughout. Activities like flying the kite, or other mini-games are a lot of fun but can require a good amount of focus whereas general exploration, or listening to narration, have a bit more of a casual feel. These peaks and troughs prevent the game from feeling too overwhelming or stressful despite the sometimes challenging subject matter.

Styling

Spiral features a stylised 3D art style that uses a vibrant but cool colour palette and atmospheric lighting. The scenery is quite pleasing and includes a good amount of detail, patterns, and textures to create an engaging environment to explore. The character models feel a little dated, with angular features, stilted movement and often a complete lack of social animations. Overall the visuals are interesting and suit the style of the game well.

The soundtrack has a good amount of variety, though it is dominated primarily by relaxing piano music that matches the casual gameplay, its melancholy undertones also fit the game’s more serious subject matter. The music never feels intrusive and always fits the current scene. The sound effects are fun and implemented well to help increase the player’s sense of immersion.

Summary

Spiral is a moving and enjoyable experience that portrays its difficult story and subject matter with tact and empathy. It is not without flaws but these are fairly minor and far from game-breaking. It will take between 6 and 10 hours to complete, depending on how thorough the player is, and provides a good amount of gameplay for its price tag. It offers stylised visuals, delightful characters, a heartfelt narrative, and a strong mix of relaxing and engaging gameplay with a lot of variety. Overall, it is a fairly casual experience that portrays an experience of memory loss in a sensitive but not overwhelming way. I enjoyed my time playing Spiral and would recommend it to anyone looking for something that will pull on the heartstrings a little.

If you’re looking for more emotional games that focus on Alzheimer’s and dementia, you may be interested in these reviews:
Alzheimer’s: Memories – Emotive New Interactive Fiction – We’ll Always Have Paris – A Short but Moving Experience – Before I Forget: Upcoming and Emotional Exploration Game

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