A Fresh Perspective on Point-and-Click: Station to Station

Okay, so, PAX East 2025, right? It was buzzing, as always, but this game — “Perfect Tides: Station to Station” — super grabbed my attention. Imagine this: Meredith Gran, the mind behind this gem, tinkering with the whole point-and-click vibe and making it, I dunno, juicy? For lack of a better word. Talking to people in the game isn’t just small talk, it’s like you’re leveling up in life. Wild, I know.

Now, if you’re like me and haven’t touched the original “Perfect Tides” — big deal. Jump right into Station to Station. You’re Mara, this 18-year-old wannabe writer, wandering around a city with more secrets than my old high school diary. It’s like a mashup of a scavenger hunt and an RPG, but with more heart and less sword-swinging, y’know? You yak with folks, gather ideas like Pokémon, and jot them down on your phone. These conversational nuggets are your game-changers. Kind of bonkers but in the best way possible.

Anyway, the whole city’s your playground. Maps are a joke here because you just feel your way through. No more combing through menus to “Look” or “Talk” — it’s as smooth as a skateboard on freshly paved street. Decisions matter. They can make Mara’s story twist and bend depending on which choices you make. So, there I was, trying to crash a party without even knowing the host’s name. Classic teen drama, am I right? Use your gut and go detective mode to figure out things. Ah, the wonders of awkward teenage quests.

And oh, emotions. This game’s got them in spades. At the con, surrounded by folks zonked out on energy drinks and hype, I felt this weird tug at my feels. Creator Meredith Gran put a lot of personal junk in there — stuff that’s both messy and touching. A year’s worth of playtime jam-packed into 16 hours, sprinkled with teenage woes and triumphs, hits your screens soon for Switch and PC. Keep your eyes peeled, ’cause this one’s a journey you’ll wanna take.