The Last Show of Mr. Chardish Review
Last week, I, along with many other people, was focused on the victory of the US election, which caused me to miss the truly horrific murder of a child. It was a reminder that the election of a less-awful candidate isn’t going to solve the myriad problems of this country, and it wasn’t alone. This past week saw continued exploitation of positions of power across America, including the concealing of child molestation by police officers and arresting teenagers on preposterously inflated charges. Private citizens were also displaying reprehensible behavior, including the white supremacist group The Proud Boys dropping the facade and a group of junior high students screaming racial slurs and death threats. I hope everyone remembers there’s still a lot to change, so local or national organizations can still use your help, whether it be monetary or volunteering. In the mean time, let’s talk about thespians.
The Last Show of Mr. Chardish tells the story of former actor Ella as she revisits the small community theatre where she got her start. Richard Chardish, an actor and director who co-founded the theatre with Ella, is either dying of or dead from an unspecified illness, prompting Ella to return and reflect upon Richard’s life and its impact on her own. To this end, Ella tours the now-abandoned theatre, walking among the props and reliving the plays Richard directed. Each play is a window into Richard’s past, clearly conveying his mental and emotional state as he went from ambitious upstart to lauded culture icon. However, because the end of Richard’s story is already known to Ella, and the player, it falls to her to find meaning in each of his plays as it corresponds to hints left in Richard’s final interview.
The thing about The Last Show of Mr. Chardish that caught my eye was its structure. The game switches back and forth between two different states: The real world, in which Ella is exploring the theatre, and the world of Richard’s plays. In the real world, players navigate the dilapidated Lindfield Theatre, finding notes and pieces of mail that give insight into the history of Richard, the theatre, and the community they served, as well as the entrances to the play sections. The real world sections are mostly unremarkable, but I didn’t mind because they’re there to convey players from one play section to the next while also providing some extra details here and there. The play sections are much more interesting. As they explore, players will come across five masks that are entrances to the five original plays Richard directed. Once the mask is donned, players take on the role of the play’s protagonist and proceed through the show, not as a stage performance, but a romanticized manifestation of what the play could be free of spatial and monetary constraints. Each show is its own level of the game, complete with a fully explorable world, unique mechanics, and a clear theme that relates to Richard’s life and feelings.
The first play, Solitude, is a puzzle platformer set in a world composed entirely of stages and theatres. Players must use spotlights to reveal objects and platforms necessary to proceed, reflecting Richard’s belief that being in the spotlight was the only way to move forward with his life. In another play, Symmetry, two robots must work together to escape a derelict factory. This is the first time we see Richard share the stage and it’s a telling of a new couple figuring out their nascent relationship. The two robots have different capabilities and the level’s main mechanic is sections where one robot must grant the other their special ability by temporarily piloting both robots. As the robots progress, players see Richard’s understanding of how romantic partners have different boundaries and desires from each other changes. Each play features narration and dialogue from Richard and others, as well as hidden bonus vocal tracks taken from interviews of members of Richard’s cast about him and his plays. I thought that every play was fantastic at evoking and exploring its individual emotion and story through both writing and mechanics, but I was honestly disappointed at the story they combined to tell. I won’t get into detail on behalf of those who want to play The Last Show of Mr. Chardish themselves, but I will say it’s a story I’ve seen so often before. It’s well done but unoriginal.
In addition to its atypical game structure, The Last Show of Mr. Chardish has another compelling aspect: the artistic style of the play sections. While in the real world, the graphics are good if unremarkable, but once the player enters one of Richard’s plays, the game switches to, what the developers call, “virtual reality painting.” Instead of having 3D models features such as trees, buildings, and even the ground, the world within the plays are built out of innumerable three-dimensional brush strokes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like this done before in a video game, and it makes each play feel like moving around inside an oil painting. The difference is striking and it puts me in mind of The Wizard of Oz when the movie switches from black and white to color. But it’s more impactful than seeing Dorothy in glorious Technicolor because the irrefutable similarities the plays have to the classic works of art makes it clear to the player that they are in a space beyond reality, they’re in the beautifully delusional mind of an artist. It might seem like a small difference, it certainly did to me when I was first looking into this game, but I honestly believe The Last Show of Mr. Chardish wouldn’t be as impactful as it is without it.
I hate to say it, but in spite of all of its creative new ideas, The Last Show of Mr. Chardish doesn’t quite hit the mark. I am genuinely impressed with the story being told over a series of plays, each with their own meaning and mechanics, and I admire the 3D painting art style but these ideas aren’t enough to overcome a plot that’s been told so many times before. Worse, this year has already had other emotionally moving games, like Spiritfarer and Embracelet, so the story of The Last Show of Mr. Chardish falls more flat than it might have in a vacuum. Maybe if there had been more plays, a more interesting story could have been told. As it stands, I was able to complete The Last Show of Mr. Chardish in three hours, and, while it was a somewhat lacking experience, the $10 price tag is low enough that I don’t mind too much. I think if you’re any sort of visual artist or involved in the theatre, want to see three-dimensional paintings, or are interested in a quick, above average game with heart, there’s no reason not to buy this game at $10.
Buy this game at full price
It’s worth every penny they’re asking
