Virginia is a strange little game whose startup says: Hey, do not play me in 60 frames per second; it’s not you too healthy, you know. You’re better off in 30 because it is closer to the experience of the film – and Ubisoft says so. Well, they don’t literally throw out this message, but “warning” stands as the movie experience for Virginia is important considering that the game is designed as a movie with the rapid changes of scene. Literally, at one time you’re walking around the room, and the next second you’re transported to ride in car. That unusual technique of sudden changes of the scene is useful for action because it constantly keeps moving. Permanent dynamic is good for gameplay because the story unfolds in a very smooth way by combining the personal problems of the main hero and the case where she works. You play the role of FBI agent and you’re looking for a missing boy, but this search is not slow as the other point and click adventures, but is strictly linear and it’s practically impossible to get stuck anywhere.
You can’t get stuck because there are no puzzles that you must solve (for example to combine objects), as well as the action parts in which you die. In this game, you’re just watching how things go when you click on something to happen. It may sound boring, but it is refreshing to see such a formula of gameplay with some atypical activities for videogames – type drinking beer and watching the sunset. In addition, Virginia has quite a surreal scenes, for example, dreams that give you an indication of a resolution mystery, which are slight homage to the works of David Lynch.
At first it is strange that game with a minimum interaction and superficial mechanics can be interesting. But the special charm in the design of Virginia is that the characters here do not speak. All these simple interactions would be boring if characters would react to them by talking, but this way, they don’t have to be monitored closely in order to understand what is going on in the whole story. In principle you have a unique feeling of solving the mystery by game of pantomime, which is somewhat new concept for such adventures.
Although this guessing game is initially interesting, Virginia at the end switches into the third gear so you do not have time to interpret what is actually happening. After an hour and a half adventure is already over, but you probably did not understand a thing. Comfort is in the fact that Virginia is one of those stories that can be understood in different ways, and meaning of game is primarily defined by your experience during game play – for example, how many details have you explored in every nook and what links you are able to decipher between reality and illusion.
If you join online discussions about what this game represents, you will find some pretty fascinating observations and theories that raise some interesting questions. Some theories say that Virginia has a strong sexual tone, which is ether ingenious , or by accident, perhaps even imagined. At the end is sure only one thing, and it’s that experience of this games will not be complete if you watch it on YouTube, but it also will not enlighten you if you cannot stand the games in which FBI agents do not shoot a gun.
