Name: Virginia

Publishers: 505 Games

Developers: 505 Games, Variable State

Genres: Action, Adventure, Casual, Indie

Platforms: PlayStation 4, macOS, PC, Xbox One

Released: 2016-09-21

Virginia

Virginia is a silent game that offers the player to become an FBI detective and solve a mystery. It was inspired by supernatural thrillers like Twin Peaks and X-Files.

Plot

As its name suggests, the game is set in Virginia, in a fictional country town called Kingdom. A small boy named Lucas Fairfax disappeared recently. The main protagonist, a young and inexperienced FBI agent Anne Tarver, has to uncover the mystery and find the child. Since she lacks the necessary experience, Tarver is accompanied by a higher ranking agent Maria Halperin. The two don't trust each other, but they have to overcome their differences and work together.

Gameplay

Virginia's gameplay is similar to interactive movies and "walking simulators." The player controls Anne and travels around the city, accompanied by Halperin, to find clues and learn more about what's going on in the city. The player has no actual control over the actions of the protagonist. Instead, he or she can only navigate Tarver over the city and then watch her act. The game is very short, and two hours is usually enough to complete it.

Style

The game is made in an intentionally low-poly visual style. There are no dialogues, neither in subtitles nor voice acting. The player can only understand the narrative through the facial expressions and body language of the characters, as well as the other clues.