My Big Sister review for PS Vita, PS4, Xbox One, Switch

Platform: PS Vita
Also on: PS4, Switch, PC, Xbox One
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Developer: Stranga Games
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: T

Not too long ago, I reviewed a terrible game called Just Ignore Them. It was a point and click adventure game that was built around its narrative, except the narrative made no sense whatsoever.

My Big Sister was made by the same developers, and it, too, is a story-focused point-and-click adventure.

You can see why I might have been worried going into it. But it turns out all that worry was for nothing, because My Big Sister is a delightfully good game.

The reason it succeeds where Just Ignore Them failed is that its story makes sense, for the most part. I mean, there are a bunch of red herrings and multiple endings, so you never know exactly what to believe, but where Just Ignore Them had a plot that hopped from point to point without ever showing how those points were connected, My Big Sister takes the time to lay things out so that it all makes some kind of sense. This may not sound like much, but given how awful Just Ignore Them was, this is a huge step forward.

It also helps that the characters here are pretty solid. The story is built around Luzia, a tween girl worried about her titular big sister, Sombia, and it follows them through a twisting tale involving witches, murder, suicide, and all kinds of other darkness — except, because the characters are so engaging, it never feels like some grimdark nightmare. It?s undeniably weird, to be sure, but the weirdness works in this context.

All of that is to say: this is an outstanding game, well worth your time if you?re fond of off-kilter adventure games. I may have had my doubts going into My Big Sister given the developer?s track record, but the 90 minutes or so I spent playing through this game and all of its endings are proof that it has totally redeemed the developer, and then some.

Ratalaika Games provided us with a My Big Sister PS4/Vita code for review purposes.

Grade: A