Where the Water Tastes Like Wine (PC) Review

The protagonist of this strange title is a bindle-carrying skeleton who's taking a nice road trip across the US of A. You are tasked with collecting stories from people, in order to pay a debt to a bipedal grey wolf with a knack for Tarot-Poker - and that's Where the Water Tastes Like Wine; a game where harsh reality and trippy folklore collide; a game that's not like any other. Is it a good game, though? Well, for starters, it's not really a 'game,' as it belongs in that weird corner of the medium that can't be given a specific label, and there's no better way to explain why, other than showing a "day" in the life of this bony hero.

Skeletor is free to choose a direction and simply follow it, in a world that's actually the entire USA map, with various points of interest scattered all over it where one can "collect" stories - brief scenes, or encounters, which can range from the everyday and mundane, to the downright bizarre. These are basically still images with a little bit of text underneath, and usually offer two choices, and thus various outcomes. Furthermore, these go through broken telephone-like "mutation," and can be told back to you by others, with some extra, over-the-top details. The mission, however, won't be to just collect stories, but to find specific characters and share them with.

These guys and gals are the, almost archetypal, people you would expect to find in a story taking place during the American great depression; ordinary people of all colours; people depressed, sad, angry, hopeless, and lost. They request stories of love, hope, excitement, or fear - you provide (if you have anything), gain their trust, and thus ease their pain, and make their tongues a bit looser. After that? Keep on searching for stories to collect and share. An hour into this and it's obvious that Where the Water Tastes Like Wine does a fine job at capturing both the charm of oral storytelling, as well as giving some strong Americana vibes throughout.

The stories, crafted by an assortment of different writers, are of very high quality, with the only problem being how needlessly wordy they can sometimes be. Visually, apart from the 3D world map which is... well, ugly (or Alpha version-ish), the still images look very good despite their simplicity. As for the voice acting, besides Sting, who is just decent (his use an obvious marketing tool), the rest of the crew is simply perfect. In all honesty, though, it's the music that truly shines here, with the main, very hum-friendly theme being offered in various forms, from jazz and blues, to country and Mexican folk music, depending on which state you currently roam on.

Sadly, and while being a drifter has its own unique magic (and this title captures it mighty fine), that lasts for about an hour or so. You see, the more you play, the more it becomes easier to realise that walking this world is probably the best cure for insomnia money can buy. In fact, if it wasn't for the awesome music, this 10-hour-long quest would simply be unbearable. Yes, one can hitch a ride every once in a while to reach an area faster, but 99% of the experience is all about watching the behinds of a skeleton as he walks from one ugly-looking region to the next. For the sake of the following argument, however, let's just say that there was absolutely no gameplay at hand...

Unfortunately, for something that's all about stories, they aren't something worth the trouble. For starters, these aren't pieces of a larger tale. Sure, most tales are interesting and relatable, but it's pretty much as exciting as walking into a bar, and sharing stories with... well, somebody. As previously mentioned, the writing is great, but that's never enough, and the main reason is how you actually feel more like a passenger than someone who shapes the world, or, at least, take part in what's going on. Some would argue that this is just what kind of game it wants to be, and they would be right... but that doesn't make the trip worthwhile.

In the end, the main issue with this is its extremely strong, artsy vibe. "Oh, dear, but it has captured the hearts of critics; it has won awards; it features a very strong cast of voice actors and writers who are part of the industry; and, most importantly, it… means stuff!" Well, there's a reason why people have fallen in love with the world and characters of something like Final Fantasy VII, despite its "ridiculous" fantasy elements, and lack of "meaning" - it has heart. Where the Water Tastes Like Wine doesn't have one, as it's just another example of an indie-produced, pretentious piece of software that doesn't really say or do what it thinks it does.