When the Darkness Comes

                

                WARNING: If you suffer from depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts, please DO NOT play this game. Also take caution if you suffer from epilepsy as there are several areas containing flashing lights.

                Well, now that the warning is out of the way, let’s talk games! By the way, I personally ignored this warning, but I did have an excuse. Gotta review games somehow! This “game” is more of an experience/walking sim, rather than a normal game, which I love. From my perspective, you are almost inside the dev’s brain. It starts off as a calm, but kinda odd, place to be, but eventually you see his true emotions come out.

                This game is complicated to explain, just because of the depth of the mind in the game, and the fact that I believe each person can interpret it differently. Before I get too deep into the psychological part of this game, let me talk about the game-play and graphics.

                This game is split into 15 chapters. Each chapter lasts only a few minutes, but there are 3 chapters that do take a little longer, due to their difficulty. I do appreciate the fact that the dev did take the time to make subtitles, due to me always having a hard time hearing dialogue in a game, especially if I’m playing at work and can’t have the volume up too loud (in fear of judgement from the guys that work at the facility LOL!) The game is creepy from the get-go and only continues to get more and more unsettling.

                The controls and sensitivity are great and easy to maneuver, making the game enjoyable without having to worry about messing with control sensitivity. Graphically it’s a beautiful game, and interesting to look at during some levels. There is so much variety within the game and the level designs, which keeps it interesting. Another thing that keeps things interesting is the sudden changes behind you. This is a quality that I wish more game devs did, as it is one of my favorite things to see a game to. It, almost without fail, will send a shiver up my spine and make me more cautious and observant of my surroundings. In my opinion, the smaller the change, the creepier the vibe.

                Now to get a little more serious. The main theme of this game is dealing with depression and anxiety. The dev really gets into the dirty side of dealing with these metal illnesses and he actually shows different way people handle them.  It shows the truth behind how many people feel with these illnesses. It shows how a lot of people with these illnesses struggle to accept certain things without questioning and are very hesitant.

                Personally, I am all too familiar with depression an anxiety, being diagnosed in my early teens with severe depression and anxiety (social being the worst). I felt like I could really relate to what the dev was portraying with everything in this game; the numbness, suicidal thoughts, wanting to be left alone, the questioning. Everything.

                In light of the theme of this game, I have listed the number of the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. Please, if you are feeling, depressed, anxious, suicidal, or have any other mental illness that could lead to harm, please call the hotline or reach out for help from a local therapist or a trusted doctor.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255