91) The Gap (2023)

Beginning development in 2016, The Gap began with the "simple" idea of traversing the multiverse. The story focuses on neuroscientist Joshua Hayes, whom we control, who by the time we begin the game has lost it all. We awake, disoriented and confused, in his apartment in the not so distant future. With clear signs of a troubled life, with missed calls, subscription services lapsing, and nothing but the faintest and concerning clues as to what has led us to this point, it's up to us to unravel the events that have brought us here, and work to try and restore what has been lost.

As we explore the apartment, we begin to find pieces of information that slowly reveal our history. On the wall of our living room is a not at all crazy chart of events and how they connect together, which we begin to fill in as we explore. These pieces of the puzzle often lead us down fragmented memories of our past, telling a depressing and frustrating tale that, like many such stories, begins with Joshua meeting a woman with a strong personality in college. We learn that she eventually becomes his wife, and together they have a daughter, both of whom are absent in our current time.

As we hop around between the present and our memories of the past, we're presented with a number of puzzles that, while I'm sure one could brute force their way through them, primarily rely on our observation and ability to parse important information out of seemingly mundane occurrences. We find that Joshua has fallen down a rabbit hole of sorts, pouring himself into what others believe is crackpot theories and bogus science as he struggles to prove that the existence of déjà vu can lead to exploration of parallel universes. In doing so, he hopes to find the cure for a genetic neurological condition that ways heavily on his family.

While the story gets more than a little dark and deals with some questionable sci-fi pseudoscience, the feelings the game evokes can easily relatable, especially for anyone who's had to watch a loved one slowly lose grip of their mental faculties do to forces well beyond anyone's control. The deep seated desire and urge to do something, to try literally anything to help undo the damage is a sadly all to real emotion. It handles this and other heavy topics, such as the breakdown of a family and the uncomfortable feeling of remembering even the most negative of events, with a great deal of respect. It's made clear that while our lead and the people around him may not have always been the best people, there was still a great deal of emotions connecting them, and it helps to make the world feel more real.

The Gap isn't for everyone. It deals with heavy and depressing topics with a smattering of humor and levity that never takes away from the bigger issues. Some of the puzzles are nebulous, and the story is presented in such a fragmented way that it can be easy to lose track of what's going on. Still, I found my time with the game to be thoroughly enjoyable and I marvel at the level of respect and detail that went into presenting its narrative. If you allow yourself to be immersed and can follow the blend of literal brain science mixed with a dash of sci-fi shenanigans, then The Gap will reward you with a deeply rich story that will stick with you well after the credits have rolled.