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

Losing Control (PC)

"An occasional foray into negative emotions makes feeling normal that much sweeter." --Brandon Mull

Source: Itch.io Page

Losing Control is a game created by Lisa Janssens with programming help from Stef Colruyt. Losing Control is a game about the importance of negative feelings, and coming to terms with them. You play as a young lady, wrapped in winter gear, braving a snow storm. As you traverse through the storm, you will come upon small areas that almost appear as shrines. Examining these areas will provide some dialogue regarding a particular emotion and how it negatively can impact a person.

When I first started playing, I felt like we were almost going through the Kubler-Ross model for grieving. However, it soon struck me more as a piece on depression, or even many mental illnesses in general. It could apply to a myriad of conditions and circumstances. In the game you follow a circular path, similar to a cycle, and you trudge your way past each of the emotional landmarks a total of 3 times as your character comes to terms with her emotions and finally accepts them.

Source: Screen Capture from Game

I related to this game on a personal level. The feelings and emotions described are real feelings that many people experience through their lives, and it my case quite frequently when my depression flares up again. By walking a circular path, you’re going through the cycle of identifying your emotions, thinking of what those emotions mean to you, and finally accepting your emotions and using them in a positive way.

I like the graphics and imagery of the game. The void and emptiness of the snow backdrop adds to the feeling of the game, and the storm shows the struggle that the character is making to get through her feelings.

Source: Screen Capture from Game

Overall, I feel the game achieves its goal—to express the creator’s feelings and to help others who may be feeling the same. As I said before, in my struggles with depression, I recognize the cycle all too well. It’s a cycle that those who suffer with chronic depression know all too well. The game is thoughtfully written and lovingly crafted into a wonderful display.

I highly recommend playing the game for yourself, especially if you have experienced depression or other mental illnesses that involve your emotions. The game is free to download and play, and you can do so from the Itch.io page *here*.

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

Free Itch.io Games #3

Hello, Friends! It's that time once again to take to Itch.io and find some free games to share with all of you lovely people! Good or bad, be sure to try these games for yourself, and let me know what you think. Without further ado, here are 4 more ~free~ Itch.io games for you to try for yourselves!

1. Control

Source: Itch.io Page

I don’t know if I would necessarily classify this as a game, as it is more of a statement about society. Control is a short game created by Chalk In Rain, to make a statement about guns in the world. “We wanted to make something about what people can expect to happen when a gun is in their hands,” reads the Itch.io game for the game. I think the message is received. While you have a gun in your hands, you cannot actually shoot it. If you keep your gun aimed at a person however, they may shoot back.

That’s really all there is to this game. A simple message about how people react to guns. If you want to see it for yourself, you can find it free on Itch.io *here*.

2. The Longest Night

Source: Itch.io Page

The Longest Night is a short, but relaxing game of “connecting the dots” in the constellations. TLN was created in collaboration by Finji, InfiniteAmmo, and bombsfall on Itch.io. I fell in love with the idea of this game as soon as I saw it. As a stargazer myself, I couldn’t wait to see what this game had in store—and it did not disappoint. The graphics are cute, not overly complex, and the characters are nice too.

Gameplay wise the game is simple. Around the characters a wheel with the appearance of a star chart will rotate. As it rotates, there will be stars to connect into constellations. Each star as you hover over it makes a musical note sound, which was nice. Each constellation also has a little story to go with it, much like our own constellations and astrological signs.

Overall I thought the game was delightful. The music was relaxing, the gameplay wasn’t taxing, and I enjoyed the subject matter. This game is worth 20 minutes of your time, and you download and play it for free from Itch.io *here*.

3. Solitude (Solitudo)

Source: Itch.io Page

Solitude is a short game that is more of an interactive sketch. Solitude was created by Alexandre Ignatov, and can be seen as an examination of life with anxiety and/or depression. As the name implies, the character you play as has isolated themselves. The entire game takes place inside one room, and doesn’t have a definite end. You can read your journal, or check your emails to see the reasons that your character chose to isolate themselves over.

Outside of the room is a large black void, and the words “Don’t leave the room.” You can venture into the void and get lost—like I did—or you can throw all of your belongings into the void. Walking in the void, lines of dialogue may also appear at the bottom of the screen. The lines of dialogue show the characters depression and anxiety, “They will judge me.” “I am too ugly.” And similar lines.

Overall I enjoyed this little game because it felt relatable. I’m a sucker for games that bring light to mental illnesses, even if not expressly. You can download and play Solitude for free from Itch.io *here*.

4. Amoris Flores

Source: Itch.io Page

Amoris Flores is a lovely little visual novel style game created by Rugiku, about a time after humans have eradicated themselves from the planet. Plants have evolved and even become sentient. You are a human who survived by being put into cryostasis.  You are awoken by Rose, a humanoid plant, and she takes you to the plant kingdom. There are several choices to be made and each one will impact how your story plays out.

This game is rather charming. I enjoy the character designs and I love the idea of sentient plant life. I love the variety of music that is offered throughout the game as well. The backgrounds, although simple and some of them I even felt my 8 year old daughter could have made, are cute. I liked the different characters, although Succulent gets my favorite character vote... and the bees. Cause they're adorable. 

My only problem was that the game, while interesting, didn't offer up a satisfactory explanation about the humans, and what exactly was going on. At one point it's mentioned that there were other humans but that the plants made a great human sacrifice. Rose doesn't really give up any definitive answers and the game left me feeling a little unsatisfied with the whole thing. I can't stand the uncertainty! Still the game is an experience to be had. I was able to get 3 different endings, but perhaps there are more. You can try the game for free from Itch.io *here*.

As always, be sure to leave words of encouragement, or constructive criticism, to help these developers grow and better their content! 

Happy Gaming, Friends!

Bell

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