Sunlight is another game I bought in my mixed bundle on Itch.io and, similarly to many other games in general, it captured me for the cover image which it is presented with.
The green shoot in the center of the scene, the light from above, the painting-like aesthetic, even the title.

It immediately gave me the vibes of a philosophical or surreal game, and curiously it was both. Let's be clear: I'm not boasting about being some kind of clairvoyant or person capable of understanding exactly what every game I see is, but because the image communicated itself (given that it is in the developers' fundamental interest that this thing happens, if they want to attract the right target!).

And I have to say that the experience was surreal, too, in a very positive sense.

In Sunlight you'll experience a long, interesting virtual hike through an unknown forest, full of trees that with ethereal voices will tell you an allegoric and philosophic story about life.

A game that, regardless of whether you like it or not, turns out to be very original in its origins: developed during the Covid pandemic, with the means available working remotely and with the accompaniment of a soundtrack by Tchaikovsky sung by the award-winning choir Kammercoret Aurum.

NOTE: I'm also specifying here because it's important.
A big project of Krillbite is to plant a new tree for every download of the game. You can check the progress on their ECOLOGI page.

The graphics are definitely one of the main features of the game: created by handpainting the landscape using Quill, a 3D painting software in VR for Oculus, the forest looks like a real oil painting.
The whole environment is a fascinating whirlwind of color spots, where all the elements flow and blend into each other and it's not always clear whether you're looking at a bush or a grassy area.

On the Krillbite website it says that they "drew inspiration from expressionist painters, such as Monet and Munch", which at first glance is a definition that is certainly very fascinating and romantic to read.
However, I admit that I have some doubts, which I will now digress on for the pure cultural pleasure of doing so.

I would like to point out and underline that, in fact, these are innocent doubts and not a criticism or an attack of any kind, personally I find the graphics of the game extremely beautiful and perfect for the narration, the relaxing landscape, and the idea behind it truly original.

What makes me most perplexed are the artistic references: Munch is undoubtedly an Expressionist, but Monet is considered one of the founders of Impressionism and one of its greatest and most important artists of the movement.

Let's quickly look at the definition of both currents:

Impressionism: often short and divided brush strokes of pure color directly from the tube, with the aim of capturing the moment and the mutability of light. Nature is one of the favorite subjects, captured in salient moments of the day such as dawn and dusk, where the light shows its most beautiful light games. The most used technique is oil on canvas for its versatility, but there were also those who used watercolors, especially for quick sketches (and Monet is one of these).

Expressionism: broad and gestural brush strokes, vigorous and energetic, whose purpose is to capture emotional expression. The use of strong and violent colors prevails, distorted compared to reality, just as the shapes are deformed to emphasize what dominates in the human soul, the anguish and fears of the artist (and we certainly find Munch's style here). Not surprisingly, many of the scenes portrayed refer to social themes such as war, social difficulties such as poverty, alienation and mental illness.

That said, I'd like to point out that in my opinion, not only is Sunlight decidedly impressionistic, but it has practically nothing of expressionism.

Who knows, maybe one day I'll write an in-depth article about it! That would be interesting.

The forest is... a forest (a natural environment, therefore very Impressionist), sunny and very summery. The colors are bright and often saturated, they satisfy the "pleasure of the eye" and convey the "beauty of life".

It's true that the colors are not all pure (meaning without black) and that there are also darker colors and effects of light and shadow, but it's also true that this is a game and with the "painted" effect, Krillbite wanted a three-dimensional sense of space. Something difficult to achieve without somehow introducing the concept of "shadow" and "different brightness levels".

The general sense is therefore of being inside a painting by Monet or Renoir.

I conclude by saying that the Expressionist elements, if we really want, are contained in the narrative because (as I will go into more detail later), it explores an experience "from the inside" in a philosophical way, revolving around existential problems, emotions and ideas, sensations and thoughts aimed at the future.

Sunlight has no real "mechanics". It's a walking simulator in the strictest sense of the word but, dang!, to me it's so delicate and graceful and I honestly find it beautiful!

"Welcome. Are you sitting comfortably? Are you focused, and not thinking about whatever's bothering you these days? I'm not here to test you, please relax."

ITA: "Benvenuto. Sei seduto comodamente? Sei concentrato e non stai pensando a ciò che ti sta disturbando in questi giorni? Non sono qui per metterti alla prova, per favore rilassati."

This is the beginning of the adventure, an introduction that gently tickles your ears as you follow with your eyes a sprout growing and transforming into a tree.

Such an amazingly Relaxing Gameplaid moment!

From here, all you have to do is listen to a story.

A story that will be told to you in fragments, during which you can wander around and explore the beautiful forest and the clearings within it, basking in a wonderful golden and warm light.

When a fragment of the story ends, the forest and in general the whole atmosphere will darken and a multitude of "bubbles" of soft light will appear all around, each around a flower.

At this point you must wandre a bit, choose one and pick it

This is, in short but not too much, the gameplay of the game and this formula will be repeated at more or less regular intervals for the whole story. Each flower you pick will contribute to creating a bouquet.
You can choose any flower you want and there are many shapes and colors. You can create your bouquet with all the same flowers, or with flowers all of the same color or of all different ones.

There is no time limit for your choice, so you are free to explore and enjoy the environment and the walk as long as you wish, also using the game to lower your anxiety or banish some unwanted thoughts from your mind.
The pace of the walk is rather slow and forced, as there is no command or possibility to run or even just speed it up.

I strongly suggest you to follow these tips: put on your headphones and relax. Let the beautiful narrator's voice guide you through the entire story, accompanied by the thousand voices of the trees. Listen to the sounds of nature around you like the wind, the birds singing, the sound of your footsteps in the grass. Let the soundtrack and the choir singing it soothe your mind, sweeping away the dark clouds.

One thing I loved doing, during one of my games, is to stop for a moment near this or that tree and listen to a part of the fragment with that specific voice, then continue and find another. The voices are infinite, all different, of every tone, accent and age. Savor every moment, without thinking that it is only a game and that sooner or later it will end.

~MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING~

"The Cherubim Hymn" (Russian: Kheruvimskaya pyesn) by Tchaikovsky is the only piece that will accompany you throughout the entire story.

The hymn is one of Tchaikovsky's most famous works and an outstanding masterpiece of sacred music, part of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

The Cherubim Hymn is also called the Cherubikon, sung at the Great Entrance of the Byzantine liturgy.

Even though it is a religious piece, in my opinion it fits perfectly with the atmosphere and main focus of the game and I find the arrangement of this version somehow less... solemn?

To my ears the choir is much more ethereal than... solemn, in a way. The various voices that make up the multitude, sound more on similar levels, less strong and more suffused (can "suffused" be used also for sounds, as it is for light?), which is better suited to the environment of the "enchanted" forest.

Whatever the truth of the matter, given that I know very little about classical music and even less about sacred music, the choice was truly perfect, surreal as is the rest of the experience because, let's face it: at first listening/play, when we are still trying to understand what the hell is happening around us and we have not yet reached the point where we ask ourselves philosophical questions about the story (which we probably have not yet understood) and what the developers had in mind, an angelic choir derived from the Orthodox mass is not exactly what you expect!
E questo, secondo me, è il motivo per cui la scelta è perfetta. Estrania, come tutto il resto.

Plus, I have to say, it tends to remind me of certain parts of The Talos Principle.

Sunlight was a beautiful visual experience and even more so an audio one, where three-dimensionality is also and above all at the sound level. A sort of ethereal bridge that takes you to the limit between reality and fantasy.
Listening to all the voices of the trees is surreal and disturbing at the same time, sometimes to the point of feeling a bit overwhelmed by the number of "individuals"/single voices that can be heard and the multitude of accents and origins that betray only by passing by. Just as I was positively impressed by the realism of the effect of the voice approaching and moving away when passing by the tree to which it belongs.

Even though the gameplay is so basic, simple and repetitive, it wasn't a disappointment. In fact, in my opinion, it's almost necessary considering that there is a sort of "audio story" to follow and if it had been more complex, listening and playing at the same time would have been really very difficult.

Sunlight is supposed to be a relaxing game (or so I think), almost zen, closer to a guided meditation session, where you let the narrative flow while you distance yourself from worries and thoughts to keep your mind free and listen: the story, with its angelic choir and the forest, with its voices and sounds.