Even if we're united by our mutual pain, or by our shared struggles, we're all human, and as trite as it might sound, we're all just trying to swim against the tide of life without drowning in its many ups and downs. Sea of Solitude reminded me that we're all so much more connected than we think we are. There's always hope that things will get brighter. It's a constant reminder that as dark and oppressive as loneliness or your internal struggles can feel, you can always find the light again. On your boat, or on foot, you follow Glowy, a ball of light that guides you through the murky darkness. There's so much to be interpreted from the many hidden metaphors and artistic representations in Sea of Solitude, but time and again throughout my journey with Kay, I kept clinging to the light. It's as though the very way you push Kay forward through the water instils in you the message that even when you feel like you're struggling against the current, you can find a way to stay afloat. The water and the act of controlling Kay to keep her moving through the "ocean of tears" is indirectly encouraging. There's something so poetically sad about the idea of travelling through a world submerged in tears, but it's one of many examples of how much depth there is to Sea of Solitude's artistic direction.
I loved the thought of driving around that ocean of tears through the rooftops of Berlin." "When I had the blues, I imagined the city and me drowning in an ocean of tears. "When I was 17, I moved to Berlin and started my career as a comic artist," Geppert tells me. The water, as Geppert explains, was inspired by a feeling she once had of wanting to drown herself and the city around her in tears. When I ask Geppert what inspired the submerged setting, she explains that it came very naturally to her because she was born and grew up on the shore – her family are fishermen. When the tide rises or falls, some hidden secrets reveal themselves, as if feelings that Kay had buried deep down come up to the water's surface. It's often as though Kay is being drowned, or overwhelmed, or even overturned by her own feelings. To me, the water became a visual representation of what it feels like to be lonely and to struggle with your own emotions. You constantly have to work around it or against it. Sometimes it'll wash over Kay, or push her down to the ground, or even block her route. As you journey through the story, the water dictates your path throughout each chapter. There are so many metaphors buried beneath the surface of Sea of Solitude, but the most striking one is the water itself. And if you keep trying, one day, you'll succeed.
It reminded me that trying is all you can ever do. "As the fantastic Frank Sinatra sang once in one of my all time favourite songs 'That's Life'," Geppert says, before quoting lyrics that can be so clearly felt throughout the experience: "'Each time I find myself flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race.'"Īs I progressed through Kay's story in Sea of Solitude, giving up never crossed my mind because I knew that I would get past the obstacle if I just kept at it.
We all fall, from time to time, but we can also have the capacity to get right back up again. I like to think that Sea of Solitude is also telling us that, eventually, you can get past any bumps in the road, or stumbles you make during your own life, too. Because, eventually, you'll get where you need to be. This instills the idea that you should always keep trying. Instead, Kay stands right back up – at the point just before you failed – so you can easily try again. Sea of Solitude is made up of chapters with different obstacles to overcome throughout, but there's something very encouraging about the way Jo-Mei's adventure doesn't set you back very far every time you don't succeed.
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