The MISSING: J.J. Macfield And The Island of Memories (PS4)

Hidetaka Suehiro, or Swery65 (as you may know him) is a master storyteller. Mostly noted for his work with Deadly Premonition. He is no stranger to the darker themes in gaming, and is not afraid of tugging at the players' range of emotions. In "The MISSING" Swery65 takes on a topic less tackled this time around. Something he brings into light in such a way as to be heartbreaking, and true to life. His characters, fictional or not, embody his idea that people should not feel ashamed of who they are. Along with this heavy hitting precursor that comes in the form of a similar noted quote the developer also discloses his intentions on touching base on topics such as sexuality, and suicide. Two additional themes that coincide with the main character's plight.

The MISSING, a chapter based story in the form of a puzzle platformer, begins with a mildly intimate relationship based romp between a girl known as J.J., and her lesbian interest Emily. For an undisclosed reason the two girls take a boat trip to a mysterious island off the coast of Maine that is fabled for being tied to a civilization who honored the lost. It is an island of memories, and for their first moments there both J.J. and Emily find comfort in each other's embrace until sleep comes calling. J.J. awakes abruptly to Emily's muffled voice, and missing presence. In the midst of a storm she sets out to find her friend, but with some odd encounters, and happenings along the way.

Early on things such as beastly apparitions, and spirit animals giveaway what the plot is all about. It's not hard to figure out, and as the lines before the gameplay begins said this is a game about not being ashamed of who you are. That, and suicide. Without giving any further spoilers away the game has you control, or play as J.J. Macfield as she hunts for Emily. Constantly shouting out to Emily, and facing puzzles which are rather grim in design. J.J. learns early on, and throughout her chapter arranged journey that death doesn't come so easy. That whether she burns, is dismembered, or bludgeoned she can still come together in natural form. The catch being sometimes it takes the use of her limbs or her broken body to move forward, and advance through the eerie nightmare she is now a part of.

Hints for the real world intervene on occasion as she tries desperately to find the one she cares for. These information tidbits come in the form of menu accessible text conversations that can be brought up via J.J.'s smartphone. Doughnut diner mascots, and collectible donuts will also be found scattered across the various platforming areas for the collecting. Most of what J.J. will be doing aside from piecing together the realization of her predicament is interacting with the environment, nature's creatures, and items as she continues to hunt for Emily. Along with the given tasks at hand J.J. will also have to escape from boss-like apparitions depicted as grotesque victims of suicide, and face off against them using both the environment/puzzle elements, and her own body, or body parts.

Nothing in the game is laid out for you in the way of puzzle solving. You are simply given the basic controls early on which includes using "SQUARE" to call out to Emily, and to interact with items as well as"CIRCLE" for crawling, and lying flat on your belly to reach hard to reach places. Most of the puzzles involve some sort of trauma to J.J.'s body. Whether it be dismemberment on sharp/pointy objects, or being hit so hard by something the world turns topsy-turvy you will need to use both J.J.'s normal and trauma state to get to the next area. Recovering from trauma is possible only if you do not let J.J. take too much damage. Pressing "TRIANGLE" when prompted by a doll-like representation will pull J.J.'s broken, and brutalized body back together.

The smartphone apps which come with J.J.'s menu based smartphone include a selection of different options on the side. You'll find unlocked conversations between J.J., and people of interest in her life. This sheds light on her background, and details leading up to her current problem. There's that as well as an artwork gallery, soundtrack listings, and cheats that can be toggled on or off. There's a lot of reading between the lines to do, and a lot to uncover as you face along with J.J., the realization of her actions, and choices in life. It's not an easy journey to take on as a gamer, and as I said before it will tug hard at your heartstrings. Having made some poor choices myself regarding suicide this game hit home harder than I ever imagined it would. While J.J. and Emily's journey was vastly different than my own I can sympathize with their situation. Just know that going into this game you will be faced with some hard truths. And as Swery65 so boldy stated we should not be ashamed of who we are.

The Verdict ...

Though the controls are clunky, and the puzzle solving sometimes difficult I think this is a game worth seeing through to the end. It makes you think about life, and death. Particularly what we do with our life. I think it has a powerful underlying message, and that the gameplay delivery isn't that bad at all. If you fancy something meaningful in your gaming library definitely pick up Swery65's latest gaming masterpiece. I don't think you'll be disappointed.