I thought Farewell North was going to be a cute game about a dog in Scotland, but I've come away from it with lessons to learn about handling loss

GamesAdventureI thought Farewell North was going to be a cute game about a dog in Scotland, but I’ve come away from it with lessons to learn about handling lossWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Kyle Banks)

Owner petting the dog in Farewell North

Any piece of media involving a dog is bound to trigger an emotional response from me. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t know why it happens. But it’s inevitable. As soon as there is a dog and any sort of emotion, I’m usually a blubbering mess. So, when you spin a narrative that combines loss and companionship and pair it with a tail-wagging companion, I’m bound to be enchanted enough to put myself through whatever turmoil lies ahead.

Adventure gameFarewell Northwhisks you through the Scottish Highlands, except things aren’t quite how I’d imagine them to be. Rather than being bright and luscious, the world is grey and dreary, until Chesley the border collie begins to bring colour back. There are a variety of mini games to help you achieve this, such as games of fetch or herding sheep. Not only are these minigames a fun way to shake up the standard exploration element of the game, they are a vital key in unlocking the story that unfolds the further you go.

This visual representation of my progress was enough to keep me wanting to work my way through the game, but the story is what kept me truly captivated. Rather than solely being a sweet tale about companionship between a woman and her dog, Farewell North puts an affecting spin on things. It’s a story that is so willing to get you emotionally invested in its four-legged protagonist, then reveals a tale of loss hidden between the lines. The further you delve, the more this opens up, and before long you’re learning the reasons why you’ve been whisked to the Scottish Highlands, and the significance the trip holds for your owner.

It feels bittersweet rather than sad, though. I never found myself emotionally drained while playing. That was a surprise, since any grief-led story involving an animal is quick to reduce me to tears. It meant I wanted to make my way through the game at a steady pace, rather than tearing the bandaid off the second things took a turn for the worse.

So even though I went into Farewell North thinking I was due a wholesome story about companionship, I’m not disappointed with what actually unravelled. Sure, companionship does play a huge part of the adventure, but my main focus was on the way it made something as heavy as processing loss so approachable. I won’t be quick to jump back in the canoe and play through the story again—mostly for my own sake—but it’s definitely a game I’ll think about whenever I need a little extra help processing something.

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