Annapurna Interactive has a type. The publisher behind beautiful games like Flower, Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, and the recently concluded Kentucky Route Zero, they’ve excelled at providing experiences in interactive media that few other publishers have done. Of course, they almost only make things that will stoke the flames of the “is it a game?” debate.

Florence follows the all-too-normal and relatable life of Florence Yeoh. It’s small in scope, giving it a quieter, more personal feel than your typical game or interactive story. There’s no central mystery or hook, there’s no epic development, nor is there much of a challenge. Quite literally, it just follows what appears to be a year or two in this woman’s life.

I’m not inclined to get into discussions about what constitutes a game or not. These debates can get pretty wild and are ultimately irrelevant. (There are people who are so specific in their definition that they wouldn’t include Naughty Dog games like The Last of Us as a “video game,” but rather as an “interactive movie.”) Still, it would be fair to describe Florence almost as more of an “interactive comic.” The story is told through unfolding panels of beautiful artwork, occasionally with some animation behind it.

The strength of the interactivity is not in how it changes the story. Unlike other story-driven, action-limited games like Telltale’s The Walking Dead, Florence doesn’t have players decide where things do. It’s not even a choose-your-own-adventure experience like Netflix’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch or the latest Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. What lead designer Ken Wong does, though, is use the interactivity in clever ways to enhance what we see unfolding.

Take, for instance, the early stages of a budding romance between Florence and her cellist crush, Krish. Though we never get to see the actual words they say, players are responsible for putting together the speech bubbles. At first, there are a lot of pieces and they fit together like a puzzle in order to make a complete thought. Eventually, as the game moves forward in time, it becomes super easy. There are fewer pieces and it takes less time to see how they all fit. It’s a clever little way to depict conversation becoming easier, further making us feel the comfort around Krish that Florence is feeling. Similarly, as tensions grow and arguments break out after they move in together, the speech bubbles fit less with natural, easy pieces, but with sharp, jabbing edges. Though you can’t “lose,” it’s still stressful trying to quickly put together speech bubbles while Krish is doing the same and starting to overpower you; a great representation of what it can feel like to be in an argument and you struggle to find the right words or the right way to put things.

There are other interactive elements that strengthen the emotional core. Brushing your teeth or matching numbers for work is mundane and tedious. Putting a picture of the couple back together during the breakup as all the pieces drift apart is shockingly resonant. And packing things up after you placed everything when you moved in does a lot to convey the sense of blurred lines as you untangle from a serious relationship.  None of it is a challenge, but it all enhances the feeling of the story. It goes a long way to showing what interactivity can do for storytelling. It doesn’t have to just be “pick an option” like we’ve seen in books and television (and sometimes video games themselves). Wong follows up his excellent mobile game Monument Valley with another sweet and beautiful experience. It’s refreshing seeing someone specifically interested in exploring non-violent experiences in the medium.

Some criticism has been levied at the game for its ending. In the months after Krish and Florence’s breakup, we see our titular protagonist finding her own path and essentially living out her dream of becoming an artist. It could be argued, as some reviewers have, that it gives a pessimistic view towards romance; that love gets in the way of one’s individual dreams and passions. However, I posit that it actually gives us an optimistic view of love. Though she and Krish ultimately end up broken up, their time together clearly influenced Florence. She spends the early days moping and sad about the break-up, as one would expect. It is with the art supplies that Krish once gave her that she starts to ground herself and move forward. Her time in the relationship was clearly a positive experience overall, and that love and support still moves her. There’s this notion that a break-up must mean the end of everything, and to be sure, sometimes it does. But that relationship was not pointless. It wasn’t a waste of time. And it didn’t “hold her back.” Our choices and priorities frequently change throughout our lives. How we move forward will often depend on the people we have cultivated relationships. Florence and Krish might not stay together, but that love was real and that experience was important for both of their growth as individuals.

It might still be using something of a cliche, but is it possible to tell a love story without that?

Reductive Rating: It’s sweet!

Directed by: Ken Wong

Developed by: Mountains

Available On: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Switch