Sanctuary (Denial) - The father talks about how he doesn’t care about where he is going and how he will get home The 5 platforming levels represent the 5 stages of grief.
Madeline is an extension of the father’s younger persona and a depiction of how he thought of Fred then. The father still greatly misses his uncle and decides to tell his daughter a fantastical story as a form of grief. But for those who want to dig deeper.Ī Story About My Uncle is really about the father coming to terms with the passing of his uncle. The game’s story doesn’t need to be overly dissected and can still be enjoyed as a pure platformer. It took a couple of hours for me to think about the plot and I replayed the prologue and epilogue over again, but I think the game’s story is rather deliberate and ingenious. Some might be disappointed that there wasn’t more meat in the conclusion, but I would disagree. The game ends rather abruptly once you discover uncle Fred. The last level adds on a severe amount of challenge that feels unfair especially since the game is presented as a light-hearted first person platformer. Overall I was impressed by the grapple mechanics, until the last level where there is a noticeable spike in difficulty. A Story About My Uncle also adds glowing symbols to areas where Fred has used his grapple to help guide players along. This game seems designed for speed runners in mind. There is a sense of freedom, flow and creativity to the grapple mechanics that is exhilarating. It’s hard to put into words why the platforming in A Story About My Uncle works so well, so I recommend watching videos of it in action. The rest of the story is mostly told through narration as you jump from platform to platform. The father journeys towards his uncle’s observatory and is transported to a mystical world where he believes his uncle may have traveled to. One day, the father discovers that his uncle is gone and has left him a crystal powered grappling suit. The father reminisces how he loved his uncle and would visit his home. He decides to tell a tale about his uncle Fred. The narrative is about a father telling a bedtime story to his daughter.
Ironically, A Story About My Uncle doesn’t really tell much of a story and is seemingly just a set of 5 platforming levels that can be completed in a few sittings. The game has a sense of rhythm and momentum that feels utterly liberating when you successfully jump from platform to platform. A Story About My Uncle helps mitigate these problems by introducing you to a powered high jump, a grapple mechanic and eventually a rocket booster. The genre is exceptionally rare because first person platforming is tricky to get right: it is difficult to judge distance between platforms and see where you are landing. Non-violent: A Story About My Uncle is a First Person game, but it is driven by non-violent gameplay and a heavy emphasis on story and atmosphere.A Story About My Uncle is a first person platformer.Take your time to explore the world to dig deeper into the narrative. Emphasis on story: While searching for your uncle you will meet creatures with stories and fates of their own.Explore the world: Visit a wonderful and exciting world - from paradisal caves, to lost civilizations and harsh, mystical landscapes.Grappling hook: An empowering mechanic that gives you a sensation of speed, flow and vertigo like you’ve never experienced before.Soar through a game world with a unique art style and a mysterious story that unravels before you.
The movement in A Story About My Uncle is a crucial part of its core gameplay – focusing on swinging through the world with a grappling hook that gives the player a wonderful sense of speed and freedom. Take help of your uncle’s mysterious inventions that let you jump incredibly high and far through beautiful scenery, uncover clues to your uncle’s whereabouts, and meet fantastical creatures that will help you on your journey. A Story About My Uncle is a first person platforming adventure game about a boy who searches for his lost uncle, and ends up in a world he couldn’t imagine existed.