Rainy Day (PC)

Source: Screen Capture

Rainy Day is a text based game created by Thaisa. This game is very near and dear to my heart, as it depicts an existence plagued by anxiety and/or depression and the never-ending cycle of trying to get out. Trying to be productive. Trying to be meaningful. Trying to BE. It is not a long game, but it gets its own blog post cause it’s special and because I said so.

This game is all about choices. It’s easy to just pick the choices that you think are right. “She/He needs to go to work, so just get up and go to work already.” But the point is try to try to put yourself on another person’s shoes. It’s not a matter of “can” I get up, its fighting the voice that says, “SHOULD I even get up? What is the POINT? What will CHANGE if I get up today?” In the case of anxiety, it’s a lot of “WHAT IF... (insert terrible scenario here).”

This game will loop you through the same sequences of dialogue until you muster your way out and get out of the house to go to work. You have rent to pay. You must be an adult about this. How will you react when everything seems to go wrong? Will you be able to salvage what is left and move on? Or will you retreat and return home where you feel safe and secure…?

The art of the game is simple, often just small sketches, but I felt that the design really fit the game very well. The emptiness of the rest of the page with just that one small illustration matches the feelings of depression, I think. There is also a lot of blue, which is often associated with that down in the dumps, feeling "blue" of depression. The aesthetic is just well done.

I have struggled with depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember, and this game is so very real to me. You can try to call in sick to work, and you wonder why you are sick of people and you get this screen:

Source: Screen Capture

This entire screen is my life. My life of anxiety. It takes me forever to even call and make a doctors appointment. I know it needs done, I know that delaying is ridiculous but the feelings can be so overwhelming. I enjoy games that are given more meaning. Being able to relate to a game makes it so much more of an experience.

In any case, that is why this game gets a special blog post, and it so important to me. You can certainly try the game for yourself. It is free and can be played right from your internet browser by clicking *here* to go to the Itch.io page.

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell