The Last Show of Mr. Chardish Review: A Winning Performance

The Last Show of Mr. Chardish dances the line between a precious narrative about the theater and a highly relatable meditation on regret and solitude, where the blessings of romantic love get traded for the Icarus glide to artistic achievement. It’s a kind of walking simulator, most immediately relatable to What Remains of Edith Finch, but has alternate emotional and intellectual intentions which set it apart, intentions which land with unexpected impact.

Ella McLane is in her golden years and ventures out to the Lindfield Theatre, an important landmark in her life where she treaded the boards as a young actress and set designer with her partner Robert Chardish, a playwright, actor, and theater director of some renown. That was half a century ago, and in The Last Show of Mr. Chardish she finds herself drifting through her memories of that time, perhaps considering whether it was ill-spent or worthy, whisked away into dream-like short playable scenarios that recall their work together.

The Last Show of Mr. Chardish is strictly linear, with Ella navigating through rooms and theater refuse with a tape recorder in her right hand, bottlenecked into each chapter of the tale. She frequently listens to snatches of an interview capturing some of the director’s final comments and reflections on what appears to be his deathbed. The audio adds an irrepressible melancholy to the proceedings, one that is punctuated with each playable memory based on old plays where Robert is, as in life, at the center.

The Last Show of Mr Chardish Review Theatre Grounds

As in What Remains of Edith Finch, The Last Show of Mr. Chardish diverts into alternate minigame-like segues that stir the walking sim stew, though none are quite as playful or confrontational. They’re all uniquely beautiful, functioning like interactive 3D painted environments in third person, where the player controls a masked abstract representation of Robert. These chapters have great contrast with the exploration portions of the game, which are themselves rendered with attractive textures and a beautiful countryside haze; the run-down theater and its environs look splendid, scattered with collectible documents and ephemera that enrich the evolving story.

The quaint small-town qualities of the theater also echoes nicely with the private relationship at its center. In the avoidance of spoilers, Ella and Robert had a deep union fundamentally bolstered and challenged by their shared creative work, a dynamic detailed with appreciable nuance. What’s ultimately powerful about The Last Show of Mr. Chardish’s narrative is the way these details are paced throughout - equal parts via the exploration segments and the segues - and though the story isn’t unpredictable or even exactly unique, it’s relatable and rewarding. It calls to the compromises and regrets collected by creatives focused on their art, speaking to late-life doubts of how those choices indelibly affect the ones they love.

The Last Show of Mr Chardish Review Solitude

The shift from first- to third-person is handled well but can seem a little unusual when playing on keyboard. Luckily, The Last Show of Mr. Chardish s hot-swapping, so players can plug in a PC-ready controller and pick it up every time they begin one of the “performances,” which is commendable. These sections ittedly feel a little stiff and lack the polish one would expect in a pure platformer, but they aren’t likely to give players who just want to complete the story much trouble. That being said, a flying performance is a highlight, as well as a fantasy-themed level which focuses on adding color to a black-and-white world.

The Last Show of Mr. Chardish also features an elegant piano-prominent soundtrack that really seals the deal, a great showcase for the instrument which emphasizes the drama at the story’s center. The game is only about two or three hours long and best played in one sitting, thanks to its excellent pacing and lack of fluff. It’s highly and most easily recommended to those who enjoyed What Remains of Edith Finch, and though it’s brighter, calmer, and overall simpler in most respects, none of that makes it a lesser experience. The Last Show of Mr. Chardish is a lovely gem that will stir player emotions on until its heartfelt end.