OPUS: Prism Peak is, honestly, really difficult to write about. The latest narrative photography adventure from developers SIGONO INC and published by Shueisha Games is beautiful, heartbreaking, and all-encompassing. Once I started playing it, I got entirely lost in its world. From the gorgeous presentation to a narrative that will both hollow you out and fill you back up, it’s an experience unlike anything else I’ve played in recent years. It feels like the soul of a Studio Ghibli movie wrapped in the stylings of Makoto Shinkai, a mystical and gorgeous adventure that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
OPUS: Prism Peak: A Moment In Time
OPUS: Prism Peak follows Eugene, a down-on-his-luck 40-year-old, as he makes his way back to his hometown for a funeral. On his way, an accident happens, and Eugene finds himself in the world of spirits. He meets a young girl named Ren, suffering from amnesia, with only one thing pressing to the front of her mind: get to the top of a nearby mountain, one Ren is confident she calls home. Before doing that, you need to find the Seer, someone who can apparently help Ren before she disappears, all while being chased by an all-encompassing shade.
The following adventure is one through memory, regret, heartbreak, love, growing up, and moving on. You’ll peek through Eugene’s memories, drenched in fog and history, as you try to make sense of whatever is going on. Eugene and Ren can’t do it alone, though, as they meet a number of animal spirits that embody figures from Eugene’s life. They all have their own histories and brush up against Eugene and what he thinks he knows, making him confront his own regrets and the people he’s lost and left behind.
Spiritual Guidance
Each of these spirits is fading and at the mercy of the shade, a force that’s destroying and taking over more and more of the area. They’re losing their memories, their names, their history, and before they can help Eugene, he needs to help them remember. He does this using a camera, taking pictures to help show that they exist. You’ll take pictures in an area, with hints from a fire pit that point you in the right direction. It may be a picture of a billboard, or a broken-down train station, or flowers; each spirit has different parts of the environment tied to their own memories. They’re reminders that they exist, each leaving its own impact on both the world and the hearts of those around them.
All of these are tracked in Eugene’s notebook, where you piece together the history of Eugene and the world at large. It’s where you post pictures, fill in the blanks about the spirits you meet, and decipher a language that seems just out of reach. You hear it and understand it, but the true names of all the spirits are hidden behind it. It’s a fantastic way to keep the mystery alive, all while bringing the player deeper into the space.
Photos and Forgetting
The gameplay may be simple, but the impact it makes is anything but. Each picture is a reminder of the journey, of a moment, of someone who’s no longer there. The photo album is finite, each new picture potentially added at the cost of one further back. One memory in, one memory out. I always picked my favourites to hold on to, desperately clinging on to a snapshot of time that I didn’t want to let go. Despite my best efforts, life keeps moving, the hourglass keeps turning, and as much as we want to stay, moving on is inherently tied to living.
OPUS: Prism Peak just amplifies this with a gorgeous art style and melancholic music that perfectly fit. Each of the spirit designs and the world at large feels like Ghibli characters parading around in a world created by Your Name‘s Makoto Shinkai. There are so many shots that I genuinely want to print and hang in my own space, just an opportunity to see them again. The delicate piano that bounces around adds to the wistful vibe of the game, and when things ramp up, each track perfectly suits the moment.
The only real knock against OPUS: Prism Peak is its performance, which is hit-or-miss on the Steam Deck. Frame drops are common, and while they don’t impact gameplay much, they are noticeable. It’s still perfectly playable on Deck, and they were never bad enough to leave much of an impression, but they do exist.
Verdict
OPUS: Prism Peak is a reminder of all the beautiful moments in life, gently pushing you forward even when staying is all you want to do. We’re all made up of a collection of people, places, and memories, each one an imprint on who we are. It’s a beautifully heartbreaking story that moved me as much as 1000xRESIST did, another game that firmly sits in my heart. It’s a constant reminder to take things slow, breathe in every moment, and enjoy life for what it is when it is, before it all moves on.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: Steam Deck
