Set in the depression era, Dim Bulb Games and Serenity Forge, has brought us all a unique story with a hand drawn atmosphere. An Indie game that was released at the end of February, Where The Water Tastes Like Wine brings players in to a diverse RPG adventure game that will stick with you after the game is officially over.
For anyone that appreciates history or a good historical game, players travel as a skeleton through a map of the U.S. and gather stories (true ones) from people that lived in the depression era. Along the journey you gather stories from characters on your way while trying to pay off laboring debt. While on this journey, players will need to interact with the characters multiple times to unlock more stories and features. It will be up to the player to connect the stories with the individual needs of the characters they meet. Set in a unique environment, the 2D imagery on a 3D map creates a fun visual. As a bonus, all the art was hand drawn to bring everything together for a complete story that captivates.
Where The Water Tastes Like Wine is a slow paced experience. Players travel by hiking, train, through big cities and countryside. Having a slower experience isn’t a bad thing however, because this provides a larger experience in the end. The narrator sets the scene for everyone and twists and turns don’t come too soon for the next story. The pacing really sits well because each story (which can be dramatic or simple) gets exactly the time it needs to be presented. In some cases, you will comes across some folklore, for example, about a camera that takes the lives of people that have been photographed.
During your adventures, sitting with characters to hear their stories is key. It’s when you reach further characters that you’ll start to see that somehow these tales are like the telephone game. For example, there are people that believe they are related, then as you come across more people, they too believe they are related and it may be up to you to set them all straight. Where The Water Tastes Like Wine has a small mechanic where each story is represented as a tarot card and you will need to use these cards before interaction to provide a story to the next person you meet. Some characters that may be sad will want an uplifting tale. So, these tales become like currency. To progress, these stories will cause characters to open to you more in order to gain more insight to use later.
Although the meat of the game is collecting stories, there are some mechanics that will really play in to finishing the game. With over 20 hours of gameplay, your character, the skeleton, will need to make sure that he is healthy enough to continue his journey. The light survival mechanics involve health, exhaustion and just good timing. For example, there are some activities such as getting on a train that may require money. You can do some odd jobs to get the funds or risk getting beat to death by a cop for sneaking on the train. Meeting an untimely end could stop the adventure quickly.
Between the amazing visuals and stories, there is little reason not to play this game. Every story connects you to the people in the stories and possibly even your own home. This is why Where The Water Tastes Like Wine is probably one of the best games I’ve played. Something about traveling and getting to know the background on these people just keeps me wanting to play it more.
9/10
Where The Water Tastes Like Wine is available now on PC
