I have not been able to stop thinking about this game. It is not really a game though, rather an experience. You are a spectator to this story.
5/5

The worst guy you spoke to at university.

Alright, to start things off right away: This is a recommend for me. If you love an experience, and especially a surreal, liminal, aloof one, then this piece of "game" is simply not to be missed out on.

Now we get into the actual review for The Beginner's Guide.


My cousin Jason gifted me this game as my belated birthday / Christmas gift, and I'm truly grateful for it. It's exactly as mentioned, an experience that lasts about an hour and a half to two.

The game started off pretty abrupt, as the narrator just threw you into a sandbox map right away, but the narration was excellent and though visual presentation was abrupt, story-wise and narration remained cohesive. A walking simulator indeed, you really can't call this a game, most fitting word for The Beginner's Guide would be an "experience". Throughout the experience, things felt liminal, and it reminds me of a game I deeply appreciated: Superliminal. This wasn't better than that, in terms of content delivery, flow, and level execution, but narration was what really carried the entire game.

The relationship established in this "game" between Koda and Davey resonates with me very well, as I too faced a similar relationship before. The invasiveness, feeling of failure, needs for validation, and pushy nature of Davey were what I saw within myself. The Beginner's Guide also tackled the misery and suffering present in the nature of creative works very well. It did not get lost in what it is trying to tell.

My favorite chapter would be the Note chapter and the Housecleaning chapter. Both felt so... human, genuine, and raw.

The Beginner's Guide was truly a brilliant experience that well, might not be for everyone, I definitely appreciate it for what it is.

Is it worth the price? I would say get it on sale, like my cousin did. Full price for the experience is still good, but you would expect more from the game because of the price you paid. Again, narration was what gave this game the feeling of liveliness and soul, not the graphics (graphics' just mid fr)

All in all, it is most definitely worth your time, and you will come to appreciate this game if you have been through "that state" before in your life.