Station to Station: A Fresh Twist on Point-and-Click Adventures

So there I was, wandering around PAX East 2025, and man, did I stumble upon a gem. Perfect Tides: Station to Station by Meredith Gran — ever heard of it? Yeah, me neither. But let me tell you, this game had me all kinds of curious. It’s like this quirky mash of point-and-click meets RPG with a sprinkle of real life awkward teen drama. Sounds wild, right? Trust me, it is.

Alright, so here’s the scoop. The protagonist, Mara, is just 18 — doing that whole “figuring out adulthood” gig in a bustling city. And you really don’t have to stress if you missed the first Perfect Tides because diving into Station to Station is like joining a dance halfway and still nailing the moves. I mean, I barely knew what I was doing, but I felt like I was catching on quick.

Anyway — wait, am I jumping ahead? Probably. Let’s backtrack. This game is all about human connection or whatever. You chat with folks in the city and jot down these random ideas like they’re important — they’re not. Or maybe they are. Who knows. But it’s such a neat twist on leveling up, like an existential Pokémon. I couldn’t stop thinking, “Why hasn’t anyone done this yet?”

Now let’s talk about navigating. The city is, uh, overwhelming (if I’m being honest), but you won’t get totally lost. Mostly. The interface is smoothed out, so none of those clunky “Look At” or “Talk To” options — just a free-flowing convo with people who might just change your path entirely. Wild, right? These casual chats and choices — oh, boy, big impact. Mara could end up at a crossroads, metaphorically speaking. The weight of decision was palpable — y’know, like teen dilemmas, because those were always straightforward (not).

Okay, at one point I needed to crash a party, right? But I had no clue whose party it even was. So there’s me, piecing together context clues like some detective on a Netflix mini-series. It was this neat little reminder of those “am I an adult yet?” moments we all love to hate.

Oh, and at one point — not sure why this stuck with me — the game kind of makes you sense teenage anxieties, like they’re breathing down your neck. It’s so personal to Gran, you can feel it. There’s something raw about it, a touch of authenticity that’s rare these days.

In short, Perfect Tides: Station to Station might not have lasers or dragons, but it’s got heart and an odd authenticity that just clicked for me. Watch out for it on Switch and PC someday soon. You’ll thank me later, or not. Whatever floats your boat.