Unfortunately, current conditions means that many of us are locked up inside our homes. In the meantime, if you’re itching for a camping experience filled with all the adventures and anxieties of being a teen and raising a teen, then Wide Ocean Big Jacket is for you!
Created by Turnfollow, Wide Ocean Big Jacket is a short narrative=based game for PC and for the Nintendo Switch about a camping trip involving young teen Mord. her new-boyfriend Benjamin, and her uncle Brad and Aunt Cloanne as they embark upon a camping trip in the woods. The game takes careful note to present its characters, and especially its young teens, as simultaneously larger-than-life and all too relatable as they explore what it means to enter new phases of their life, as Brad and Cloanne also come to terms with their own lives.
Despite the forays into melancholia, Wide Ocean Big Jacket is a deeply hilarious game, where the interplay between characters creates a charming chemistry and leads to absurd situations, particularly through the overzealous machinations of Mord.
The charm of this game is further amplified by the direction of its low-poly artstyle, with the twig-like proportions and movements of Mord and Benjamin emphasizing their youth. This game captured my heart immediately, and I hope you’ll give it a chance as well! It’ll be a nice getaway from home (in your home)!
Note: featured image taken from store page for Wide Ocean Big Jacket.
DSGN-264-401 Art / Design / Digital Culture 