Behind The Frame: The Finest Scenery is a short, indie experience with an emphasis on artistic beauty. For any players with an appreciation for art or anything pleasing to the eye, this is a game to experience. Developed by Silver Lining Studio, this experience is sure to leave a warm and content feeling in those who play it. Join an aspiring artist as they work to complete their masterpiece. Joined by a pesky cat and a grumpy neighbor, the tale is short, sweet, and inspiring. Join us here at VIBE as we review and explore Behind The Frame: The Finest Scenery.
Relatable Main Character
The main character of this charming tale can be related to by every player. She is an aspiring artist who is uncertain of her future. Throughout the game we see her work at her own pace to create art pieces for exhibits and do everyday tasks such as cook breakfast, listen to music and surf the web on the laptop. This does sound mundane; however, there is a sense of tranquility for the player with a combination of relaxing music and pleasing to the eye art style. There is a twist in the game relating to the identity of the main character. As a result of this, I don’t want to give it away and instead encourage you to check out the game for the exciting and enticing story that unfolds.
Interesting Characters
Throughout Behind The Frame, there is only three visible characters. Our main character, a lovable cat, and an old oil painter that lives in the apartment across from the character. However, the identities of all characters are explored and delved into as the story unfolds. Despite there being minimal interactions between characters the player gets a sense of a rich, captivating, and emotional story. Each character has a tale to tell and players will enjoy the stark changes throughout the story.
Simplistic but Fun Puzzles
The game featured several artistic themed puzzles. Pictured above is a dot to dot which involved traversing the environment to find the directions the dot to dot should follow. At first, it was confusing, but, once the player gets into the swing of the nature of the puzzles, they become enjoyable. Additionally, other puzzles involve drawing missing objects onto paintings by comparing it to the original and trying to acquire passwords to progress the story. The puzzles seemed simplistic enough, but often led to a bit of thought provoking critical thinking. The puzzles are a far cry from complex ones and allow the player to sink into the relaxing vibe Behind The Frame gives. As a result of this, the game continues to be an enjoyable, calm experience which is a massive strong point.
Love & Loss
Behind the Frame focuses heavily on the themes of loss and love. The story is definitely one of the best short interactive experiences that is currently on consoles and PC at the moment. Overall, the game takes roughly 45 minutes to an hour to complete. However, this is not a disadvantage. The game has enough of a powerfully driven story of two lovers who were the right people, but not the right time. I found myself emotionally invested by the end and, without giving too much away, I cried like a baby at parts. The story lingers even after you put the controller or mouse down for the last time.
Melodious Music and Artsy Abstracts
The soundtrack for Behind The Frame was the definition of tranquil and serene. The music often played when players interacted with the cassette player and complemented the tone of each scene. There is a moment where the main character is in a field of lavender and the song that plays is perfect for the scene. Playing this game on a rainy day gives immaculate vibes and allows players to sink further into this beautiful world created.
The game heavily focuses on art as the main character is an aspiring artist. Truthfully, the game gives an intense feeling of studio Ghibli. Especially, when the character was cooking food. For avid fans of Studio Ghibli, you will know the food looks good enough to pluck from the screen and eat. The two main characters are symbolized by colors throughout the story with red being for our main character and yellow being for another character. Additionally, the ending credits featured several references to famous paintings. As pictured above we say the iconic “scream” painting being reenacted by the main character. A nice nod to art and artists!!
VIBES SCORE
8.5/10
Thank You
As always I would like to extend my thanks for checking out another one of my articles. Behind The Frame was my type of game from start to finish and is definitely a short experience that will linger for hours. I would encourage anyone willing to give this a try, but if you are still unsure check out the trailer below and form your own opinions. If you’re sold, it can be purchased on consoles and PC. For convenience here is the steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1634150/Behind_the_Frame_The_Finest_Scenery/ Additionally, if you enjoy Behind the Frame or other short indie experiences check out a previous article on an indie game called Florence. There are several similarities which can be drawn between the games and both focus on the art style and music heavily. Check this out: https://vibethenook.com/florence-heartbreak-healing-and-hope/
26, Indie Game connoisseur. Also a hamster mum, fiancée & working in the addiction field. Gaming and writing are my escape and comfort for when the world gets too much!
