If you’ve yet to play through Giant Sparrow’s masterpiece, you may want to avoid this bit of news as as it spoils the fate of one of the members of the Finch family. In What Remains of Edith Finch, Edith returns to her family house as the last living member of the Finch bloodline. As she discovers the secrets that it holds, she uncovers the final moments of her family members in short stories that give a unique view into those tragic tales. Here’s where we start getting into spoiler territory for one Finch family member stories, so if you don’t want to know any more, stop reading now.
Minor Story Spoilers Below
Edith’s brother Milton is alluded to have gone missing for much of the story, until finally, near the end, we get a glimpse at who Milton was. Sat atop one of the highest shaky additions to the Finch house, Milton’s room is an art studio that holds some very familiar elements for those that played Giant Sparrow’s first game, The Unfinished Swan. The simple black and white paintings are obvious allusions to this stylistic puzzler, and the yellow footprints are yet another feature that could be found at later chapters in the painterly title, not to mention the sketches and models of familiar environments and settings.
As you can see in the video above, the story seems to be that Milton found a magic paintbrush and painted himself a doorway into the wondrous realm that The Unfinished Swan takes place in. Of course, one could assume that this is just a clever Easter egg, and that Milton’s disappearance is much more benign in nature, but Creative Director, Ian Dallas confirmed otherwise.
In a reddit AMA with the developer, I posed a question about whether the universes were truly connected by the reference to The Unfinished Swan, or if it was simply an Easter egg. This was Ian Dallas’ response:
“Yes, I’d consider it canon.
Also worth pointing out, since I’ve seen some confusion about this online: Milton is The King, not the protagonist, in The Unfinished Swan. The protagonist already has his own perfectly serviceable name, Monroe.”
When you take that information into account and then dive into the story of The Unfinished Swan, it creates a beautiful epoch that only stands to enrich the narratives of both titles. With this connection confirmed, it appears that their are definitely mystical elements that have influenced the lives and deaths of the Finch family and makes you wonder what other seemingly figurative deaths may be interpreted on a more literal level.
The reddit AMA has a bunch of other great answers from Ian Dallas about the development of What Remains of Edith Finch and you can check it out here. Stay tuned for our own interview with the developer as we try to pry open a few more Finch family secrets.
