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



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hope Lake: What Happened at this Boarding School?

-
Image
      Hope Lake is a point-and-click adventure about a mystery surrounding the disappearances of girls from the boarding school, several years after the school had been abandoned and the girls grown up. The untimely death of the Governess plays a key role in finding out the mystery of the missing girls. You play as Detective Kelly Wells, who is determined to figure out what is going on.     I personally LOVED this game. Normally I don't enjoy hidden item games, but the way they use that mixed with how they also include puzzles and mystery makes for a great game. Some of the puzzles were easy, some had mild difficulty, and then there were 2-3 that I needed help on. Thankfully my boyfriend is better at certain puzzles than I am and was able to help me with those extra difficult ones.     I really enjoyed the storyline as well. It took twists and turns that I wasn't expecting and built up the world to make a very immersive for the whole experience. The whole experience took me abo
Read more

A Game Like No Other...

-
Image
       Available for free on PS4, PS5, Epic Games, and STEAM, The Light in the Darkness is a dark and educational game developed by Luc Bernard. Bernard has a mission to remind people of the events of the Holocaust, so that the victims and history are not forgotten. Bernard's grandmother was actually a caretaker who looked after children who came off the Kindertransport in the UK.      The Kindertransport is German for "Children Transport". The UK took nearly 10,000 children, most who were Jewish, from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Free City of Danzing. These children were taken from Nazi controlled territories during the 9 months before the start of WW2. Often times these children were the only survivors of their family following the Holocaust.                  Why I Made It: Luc Bernard, Director of The Light in the Darkness (mopop.org)     This being said, it's understandable that Bernard wants to educate people on this historical event that aff
Read more

Times Gamers Passed Unexpectedly

-
Image
    So in my last post, I talked about horrible crimes associated with video games. Well, I've decided to explore the other dark side of that; unexpected deaths. This post will mostly be focusing on untimely deaths of beloved gamers, due to video games. I will only be covering a small handful of these cases, but you can easily find other cases online. Again, a trigger warning is in place for this post, as it still contains content that some readers may find distressing. Also, if you read any, read Calvin Riley's case. You may just be able to help bring an unknown killer to justice. Hsieh     Hsieh, his surname, was a 32 year old gamer from Taiwan. He lived in the second largest city, Kaohsiung. He spent much of his time at internet cafes, and his family stated that he often would disappear for 2-3 days to spend time at these cafes, as he was unemployed and felt this was the only place he could go. Unfortunately, in 2015, a staff member at the café found Hsieh motionless, at one
Read more