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![](\"https://items.gog.com/the_wreck/separateur_3.png\")
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\n ![\"The](\"https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-wreck-review.jpg\"\n)
\n Video games often try to mimic movies, but none do it quite as literally as The Wreck. The game is told via a screenplay, with the protagonist a strange mix of narrator, creator, and star. It's a bold risk that I'm not sure either works nor justifies its odd structure, but it does display the levels of creativity The Wreck is hiding, which only become more layered as the narrative unfurls. Unfortunately, it's also emblematic of the game getting in its own way a little too often. There are clever ideas and intimate storytelling here, but the execution is as likely to frustrate as it is to intrigue.
\n\n\n \nAt its heart, The Wreck is a visual novel with light point and click elements, and sees Junon worrying about her mother, a famous artist who has been hospitalised. Although, 'worried' might not be the right word. Junon's mother is at the point where her life support may need to be switched off, and the only person who can legally make that call is Junon - a fact she learns at the hospital that day, as her mother had forged her signature on the initial papers. The Wreck is centred around a decision in the future that causes you to confront your past.
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There's a repeated chorus throughout The Wreck which involves, as you might have guessed, a car wreck. We see Junon driving down a road, swerving to avoid a deer, and crashing into a tree. As she does so, the contents of her car fly around her, and clicking them will reveal a memory. These items change as the game goes on to reveal more of the story, and each batch must be clicked in a specific order. However, this isn't a puzzle to figure out, just a linear narrative, which can be irritating to figure out after repeatedly clicking on a lighter only to discover the game wants you to click on the book.
\n\n![\"The](\"https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-wreck-junon-in-front-of-her-car-with-freak-out-written-on-it.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5\")
The wreck plays out time and time again, in the exact same way apart from the objects, and linking back to the game's themes, you're never sure if it's in the past or an imagined future. Whenever Junon gets frustrated with someone at the hospital, we see her walk to her car, unlock the door, and have the wreck. After the story that item unlocks, we're back at whatever moment Junon became frustrated and she has calmed down. I'm reluctant to go too far into the story when that's such a crucial part of the experience, but I don't think the game did enough with this concept, despite building the central mechanic around it.
\n\nThis aside, there are two elements to the game - the past, and the present. In the present, we see Junon in conversation with various people, and will occasionally make a choice about her response. Far more often though, we hear Junon's inner thoughts and can select highlighted words for extra details, though I don't think this impacts her response options. We can also highlight random flashing words around the world, which will give a deeper insight into Junon's reactions to what other people say to her.
\n\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-wreck-junon-talking-to-her-sister.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5\")
Being able to explore a character in this fashion is interesting, and that we get to understand her more with no impact on the world feels like a nice deconstruction of the typical 'exhaust the dialogue options' approach, but Junon just isn't interesting or pleasant enough to carry the story. Besides, I don't think it connects well enough with the screenplay approach either to make thoughts the dominant narrative device over speech.
\n\n\n\n\nThe second part of the game is the past, which are these wreck-based memories. Here you will see a whole memory play out, then rewind it to various places so that the aforementioned text appears on screen. As you click them, the memory will change slightly as Junon remembers more of the day, or her perception of the day changes and develops. This grows in complexity as the game goes on, and its creativity and interactive storytelling is a major highlight. Unfortunately again though, it gets in its own way. Even if you have discovered the full story of the memory, the game will not progress if you haven't clicked on every single piece of text, even if it only offers tertiary information that doesn't help your understanding of the situation at all.
\n\nThe Wreck is a creative game that uses the unique storytelling abilities of a video game well, but is either too caught up in specifics or tries to push too many ideas at once. While Junon's sharpness is deliberate, the narrative and delivery of the story doesn't do enough to keep you on her side, and makes her a chore to get along with at times. The Wreck definitely isn't a car crash, but it might feel like a scuff to the paintwork.
\n\n![\"The](\"https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/the-wreck-review-card.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5\")
Score: 3/5. The publisher provided a Nintendo Switch code for the purposes of this review.
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