A Raven Monologue is a beautiful experiment with an obscure story and melancholic undertones. As one reviewer has put it: "this game made me sad and I can't understand why".

I won't claim that I understood the game either, but its imagery recalls certain philosophical and religious ideas. It seems that the raven's journey could be a metaphor of a soul going through the cycle of rebirths (a central tenet in Buddhism and Hinduism, among other religions).

Before we begin, I must say that my knowledge on the subject is very limited: I've just read something here and there years ago. So, keep in mind that my interpretation comes from a layman's perspective.

I'm not including any references or definitions, but you can easily find more info online if interested. Also, all the gifs I used are slightly edited versions of the ones found on the developer's website[mojikenstudio.com].

As promised, here's my take on the game as a metaphor for the rebirth cycle (Saṃsāra).



The raven (immortal self, Ātman) finds himself in a colourless room (interim state before birth), waiting to go into the vibrant town (be born into this world). He's a got a cage (a frame of future personality) with a stone in it (karmic burden from past incarnations). He'll soon step through the door (start his new life).

Note that the raven will stay black and white throughout the game (not lose his otherworldly quality even when manifested in a mortal form).



First the raven meets a young girl and gets a blossoming branch from her (gains some life experience during his younger years).



He puts the flower branch into the cage, next to his stone (integrates the new experience into his karmic makeup).



The raven then walks further and meets a middle-aged man at the middle of a bridge (reaches his mature years). He gets a green branch from him (more experience).



A dry branch from an old man (life lessons from the older years) is acquired next.



Finally, the raven walks into a forest (approaches the end of his life) and meets a girl child (representing a new life). Now the raven can talk about all the things he got on his way here (share the experience of his long life).

Note that the three branches may also represent the three guṇas comprising the world: sattva (goodness, purity), rajas (passion, activity), and tamas (darkness, apathy).



The girl offers the last object - a spinning pinwheel (the mystery of the wheel of existence is unraveled)...



...which turns into a stone a moment later (the raven realises that his current life and knowledge have created more karmic matter).



As the raven walks back home (recollects his past), he sees everyone as big stones this time (past actions are re-evaluated as burdensome karma).



After the bridge the scenery loses its colours (he dies).



The remaining colourful objects, the branches, dissolve as the raven tries to hold onto them (he wishes to keep the details of his previous life, but they are forgotten).



The raven may walk out of the door again and repeat the route (live another life), but this time he sees everyone as stones from the beginning (his insight about Saṃsāra in the previous incarnation wasn't completely erased, unlike the mundane memories).



When the raven reaches the forest, he sees another pinwheel (the cycle of rebirths continues).



The poem in the store description also uses some symbols supporting this "reincarnation theory".

Do you still wander around without end? - being stuck in Saṃsāra, a "cycle of aimless drifting, wandering or mundane existence"

Crafting colors under the still and silent - living ephemeral lives as opposed to the unchanging ultimate reality behind/above them

Let us go home
To the place devoid of reality frame
Where I shall watch over us even without a logical form - an allusion to Moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirths and reuniting with the ultimate reality (Brahman)

Feel free to share your thoughts on the game's symbolism or on anything else. You can also check other people's interpretations on the game forum and in some reviews.