Okay... I don't know what to say. I beat the game... I experienced the game practically a few hours after the update. And I wanted to write my opinion, thoughts on what I played right after I finished the game. But all this time I was unable to express my thoughts in words. What I'm going to write now will be long and I'm sure most people won't read it. But I feel I have to say something, and I'm grateful to anyone who reads this. There will be spoilers here, so if you haven't played this game, do so first.
Incredible. This word best describes what I experienced playing Arches. I am usually a critical person when I evaluate various creations of popular culture. I've seen a lot of visual novels and other creations in this fandom, but also in other fandoms. Many of these creations were of very poor quality. I am often disappointed when modern culture tries to show very schematic plots in a very unoriginal way. It's obvious that many plots will be schematic because there are many works around the world, but even a schematic thing can be shown well. And I like many traditional forms, like the fight between good and evil, etc. but any traditional form can be retold in a new way. Also, many modern works of culture try to move people's emotions by causing shock through drasticness, jumpscares and through sweetly sad plots. These works, instead of causing a stir of emotions in me, often cause laughter or embarrassment. In many works, the characters appear artificial and devoid of depth. Many works understand in a very simple and distorted way the problems of the modern world and people. Often looking from a very flawed perspective. Some works try to be artificially moralizing. And I am somewhat of a moralist, but I believe that the moral in history must be shown well. It can't be shown right in the viewer's face screaming: THIS IS GOOD, THIS IS BAD, YOU MUST BELIEVE IT OR YOU ARE BAD. A good work must present its moral and thought in a subtle way to make the viewer think.
Arches does not make a single mistake of modern works of culture. I really haven't experienced something as good as this game in a long time. In a way, I regained hope in modern works of culture. But now to the point.
Arches shows a very genuine and very realistic love relationship between two people. This is not a relationship based on sex. This is also not a relationship based on childish emotional ecstasy. It's not a perfect relationship either. This is a truly living relationship transferred from real life. Not everything goes well in this relationship. Not everything goes perfectly. There are many things that go against being perfect. And paradoxically, thanks to the fact that this relationship is not perfect, it makes this relationship perfect. Problems often arise in relationships with other people. Cameron's trauma and mental issues are a challenge in this relationship here. It is a challenge for him and for Devon, who does everything to support his partner. In life, we often struggle with our own problems, but in a real and honest relationship, we struggle with problems together with someone we love. The purpose of a relationship is not always to be fulfilled for yourself. The purpose of a relationship is to help each other to make each other better and to try to become better ourselves. Devon and Cameron share a strong love for each other and we can feel it. We can cheer them on to solve their problems and to survive in a difficult situation. We can be happy when they are finally together and overcome the problems in their relationship. We can be sad when they argue, but feel relieved when despite the arguments, their love turns out to be stronger. I personally observe many gay couples in real life who don't do well in relationships and quickly break up. I personally experienced such situations. Every couple, straight and gay, should see this game. Especially a couple who have some problems.
The game very realistically shows what trauma is. The end of the game shows it best. We can look into the minds of the characters very thoroughly, even though the narrator is in the third person. For me, it's easier to identify with a character when the narrative is in the first person. That was something I really liked about Echo. It's easier to show the character's thoughts in this way and it's easier to identify with him. The narrative here is third person. However, this is very good, because we have not one but two main characters here. This helps us see what's going on in the bigger picture. It's also done in such a way that we can empathize with each character very well. We can really feel the perspective of Cameron, Devon and even Arturo. Each of them experiences the events of the echo differently. Of course, Cameron's perspective seems to be the clearest here, but others have not been left out.
In the face of the modern wave of mental problems in the world, this game corresponds well with our times. Showing love in the context of the fight for the mental health of your partner (and the fight for your health), which is so strong that it can even endure sacrifices such as the lack of fulfillment of sexual needs. But back to the issue of trauma and struggling with trauma, this game shows hope. There is always hope, even when you feel like there is none. You have to fight for your health. Sometimes you can be too weak. Then a close person and trust in them can be helpful. It's good to have someone like that.
The game also touches on philosophical struggles. At first, the main character seems to be an atheist and a bit of a nihilist as well. At the end, however, there is hope for life after death. We don't know what awaits us when we die and whether the reality after death is good or not. But we can still hope, and I think hope is important here. Hope can break nihilism and give our lives meaning. I myself hope that there is a heaven and I will be happy there. And that everything will be better there than it is in this world. Hopes for heaven and something after death is also a reflection of our hope each day for a better tomorrow. I like that the game doesn't romanticize suffering, but shows suffering as it really is. From the side of thought, from the side of psychology and also philosophy. In suffering, the most important thing is hope, and hope can really save us. However, the game does not impose philosophical views on whether or not to believe in life after death. The question remains open. It's a good decision in my opinion. This does not impose views on anyone what other works of culture are trying to do. At the same time, this does not make the message subjective. This makes the message objective and adequate to everyone.
The game shows well some people's problems with their own identity. When a lot of terrible things are going on in your head, sometimes you lose yourself. You lose a piece of who you used to be. You often behave differently than you want. You often do things you regret. You ask yourself who you really are in the face of doing things that contradict yourself. It is necessary to always remember that if a part of you is broken and you have trouble putting yourself back together, it is always possible to fix it with help.
The last thing is the brilliant psychological horror. This game rarely scares you with monsters outside of you, but attacks you with monsters inside your mind. The atmosphere and tension are very well built. The action starts slowly at first. Then faster and faster. At one point, the action keeps a fast pace and keeps you in suspense, they release that tension from time to time. It's a good thing the game isn't too long, because that could spoil the tension. This can be done by other people and what can happen in the head of a person after difficult experiences is a greater horror than a monster walking in the forest. I think Echo combined these two aspects in a good way. Here the monsters have definitely gone aside. This is completely opposite to the smoke room where monsters are the main bogey in the smoke room. I feel like there are also some direct references to us, the players. One of the monsters looking at the scene where brian strangles cameron seems to me to be us gamers watching the tragedy happen like a spectacle. I will never forget the moment when cameron is staring at us centrally. Such moments additionally involve the players in the events that are happening. It's not a direct fourth wall break, but it's done in a very subliminal and clever way.
To sum up, it's been a long time since there was such a work that would engage me so completely. It involved my feeling, emotions, thinking and everything else. It's a really good visual novel that we can learn a lot from. I also hope that such works of some people raise their spirits and help or raise awareness about really important problems. Thank you very much for this game. It was worth waiting for.