Perfect Tides: Station to Station

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Explore the difficulties of young adulthood again in Perfect Tides: Station to Station. Play as Mara as you explore a wonderful tale during a year of her life in a point and click adventure. This is the sequel to Three Bees’ award-winning game Perfect Tides, which released in 2022.

Perfect Tides: Station to Station is currently available on Steam for £16.75 or in a bundle with the first game for £23.92.

Perfect Tides – A Game About My Favourite Pastime… Chronically Overthinking

Pixel art of a person with brown hair in a white shirt and black pants resting, next to text that introduces them as Mara Whitefish, who lived on an island for most of their life. — How much bigger can a girl’s world get?

Gameplay

Point and click games can sometimes find themselves lulling in gameplay. This isn’t the case for Perfect Tides: Station to Station. Exploring the world and having conversations with side characters is the name of the game, however, Three Bees add small elements to the game to stop things from getting boring.

Mara is a budding writer making her way through college; finally starting to make friends and live life on the edge. She crashes at her friend’s apartment so she doesn’t have to catch the train. It’s a simple, exhausting life and that’s before you add the overbearing boyfriend.

These actions will have consequences!

Conversations matter. So does how you interact with the world. As a student, Mara (and you) have essays that need to be written, topics that are waiting to be explored, and relationships that need to be developed.

As you read more books and live life to the fullest, your understanding of certain topics grows, allowing you deeper insight into the world around you. This is important, as your classwork is dependent upon these topics. When writing proposals or coursework you have to pick a primary and secondary topic relative to what the project is about. This will affect the level of your work and your self-respect… so no pressure.

Only the most important thoughts on the brain.

Graphics & Audio

Perfect Tides: Station to Station takes a pixelated approach to art style. It goes beyond just the basic eight-bit, but matches the vibe of the game really well. It also transitions really well between close up shots and wider frames featuring more scenery. The art style is one of the many things that Three Bees perfects, adding a lot of detail in a way that keeps the overall vibes of the game consistent. The same can be said for the audio that shifts with Mara’s emotion.

Beyond the soundtrack, the ambient noises also add a lot. From the bustle of the party in the dorms to the quiet train ride home, everything falls perfectly into place. It even adds to the seemingly never ending meltdowns that Mara has to deal with, portraying her emotions in a way that can resonate through more than simple story telling. Honestly, even I was dreading hearing that ringtone come from Mara’s phone. Go away, Adam!

Pixel-art room with clutter, including boxes, a guitar, open closet, and a laundromat in the corner. A person lies on the bed, looking surprised. — Laying on your bed contemplating your existence is just a part of life.

In contrast, the silence makes up a lot. Going from music in the car to the pure silence as a big emotional moment occurs where Mara develops even more as a character adds to the experience of this game. Perfect Tides really has mastered the use of audio to tell a story.

Longevity

The overall story of Perfect Tides: Station to Station lasts around 10 hours if you’re not rushing through, and it feels like the perfect length. You can also go back and try different choices. I really want to go back and change how I react to Adam in the first quarter of the game and see how different the game plays after that. There are so many things that change that there are plenty of reasons to go back and replay this game.

Pixel-art scene in a lively room with people chatting. A speech bubble contains humorous text about allergies and a Walgreens ban, with a surprised character face in the corner.Text reads "My mom is actually banned from Walgreens nationwide because of a misunderstanding that I won't get into for legal reasons, so you must be wrong! I'm also personally allergic to bananas, and even talking about them causes my symptoms to flare up! Otherwise, I surely wouldn't change the subject!" — Unfortunately, it is that deep.

Final Thoughts

I went into Perfect Tides: Station to Station not entirely sure what to expect, but I can honestly say this is a gem of a game. Mara is an entertaining main character that you can easily connect to even though you’re thrown into the middle of her story. Everything works in perfect tandem to create a truly fun experience. My favourite thing about this game is that your choices actually feel like they have some weight to them, unlike other choice-based games where things feel inconsequential.

Perfect Tides: Stations to Station is an easy winner of the Thumb Culture Gold Award as it is an enjoyable little game, definitely worth the amount that it’s listed for. Check out the trailer below to get a better look at what’s in store for Mara.

If you’re looking for other games to add to your PC collection, check out our PC reviews here!

Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.

About Author

Alex Crooks

My favourite kind of games are the ones that make you cry… and by cry I mean throw your controller at a wall because I definitely dodged that attack but I’m still somehow dead. Or cry because that jumpscare was just uncalled for and now I need to recover before I can make my way down another scary, dark corridor.

I’m as old as the first Tomb Raider and feel like I’ve been playing games ever since. I’m a Playstation girlie that dabbles in Switch and PC games. Don’t ask me about Bloodborne unless you’re ready to listen to me ramble on for hours.

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Perfect Tides: Station to Station – PC Review