- Deeply empathetic Alzheimer's portrayal
- Beautifully crafted game experience
- Simulates Alzheimer's perspective effectively
- Profound, lasting emotional impact
- Clever, disorienting gameplay mechanics
- Disruptive mouse control bug present
Emotions
Players felt sadness due to the game's profound emotional impact, particularly its heartbreaking story elements. The depiction of gradual cognitive decline and the experience of living with Alzheimer's often brought reviewers to tears.
Appreciation stemmed from the game's delicate, respectful, and accurate portrayal of dementia, creating a deeply true-to-life experience. Reviewers valued the high quality, beautiful details, and the developers' effort, which helped them understand the illness better and raise awareness.
Satisfaction was derived from the game's overall high quality, including its presentation, subtle details, and smooth, immersive gameplay. Players found the experience worthwhile, often meeting or exceeding their expectations with its emotional and narrative elements.
Empathy arose from the game's realistic portrayal of daily life with dementia, enabling players to understand the patient's perspective and the struggles of forgetting. Many reviewers connected the game's depiction to personal experiences with family members, deepening their understanding and feeling for those affected.
Admiration was elicited by the game's artistic merit, beautiful design, and sensitive handling of its difficult subject matter. Reviewers praised its craftsmanship, storytelling, and the creative ways it portrayed dementia, resulting in a stunning and profoundly impactful experience.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 98% Ā· Negative 2%. Score: 2 / 100
Positives:
- Players found the game profoundly moving, allowing them to understand and empathize with the daily struggles, confusion, and emotional toll of Alzheimer's disease. For many, it resonated deeply with personal experiences, providing a sense of healing or a new perspective on family, memory, and loss. The game effectively uses its mechanics and narrative to put players in the shoes of someone suffering from the disease.
- Many players lauded the game as an absolute masterpiece, praising its stunning artistry, beautiful storytelling, and overall design. They found it to be a unique, well-implemented, and thought-provoking experience that showcases the potential of games as an art form. The story was particularly impactful, resonating long after completion.
- The game masterfully uses simple mechanics and environmental changes to depict memory fragmentation and confusion, making players feel disoriented and helpless. Elements like items appearing/disappearing and jumbled timelines effectively immerse players in the protagonist's fading reality without technical interruptions, showcasing impressive attention to minor details.
- Despite being a relatively short experience (around one hour), players felt the game's length was perfect and highly impactful. The slow, deliberate pacing was considered fitting for the narrative, allowing for full emotional immersion and comprehension without feeling rushed or short-changed.
- Players frequently complimented the game's beautiful visuals, simple yet loving graphics, and perfectly chosen music and atmosphere. These elements successfully evoked strong emotions and enhanced the immersive experience, with specific appreciation for the use of real family photos and clever scene transitions.
Negatives:
- The game evokes strong emotions, particularly related to the experience of Alzheimer's. Players found it devastating and heartbreaking, often connecting it to personal experiences with family members.
- Players consistently report a significant bug where the camera is forced to look at the floor, making gameplay difficult and breaking immersion. This technical issue detracts from the overall experience.
- One reviewer expressed regret that the game was released so late, suggesting it could have offered valuable insights or experiences if it had been available earlier. This point is based on limited feedback regarding timing.
Gameplay:
- Players highly commend the game's successful simulation of living with Alzheimer's disease from a first-person perspective. The design choices, including fragmented memories, changing environments, and a disorienting sense of time and space, effectively convey the confusion and helplessness associated with dementia. The home environment transforms into a labyrinth, and subtle, unpredictable changes deepen the immersive experience of memory loss, making players feel disoriented and unsure what to expect.
- Players describe the gameplay as generally smooth despite the intentional disorienting and 'trippy' elements. This blend contributes to the unique experience tailored to the game's theme of memory loss, ensuring the mechanics support the narrative intent.
- Instead of traditional puzzles or complex tasks, the game involves players in simple, mundane activities like watering plants or moving through rooms. This design choice emphasizes the everyday reality of the protagonist's life with dementia, rather than skill-based challenges.
- A primary narrative objective of the game is to reconstruct the protagonist's family tree. This goal serves to weave together the stories of Annie's family members, providing a deeper emotional context to her experiences.
- The narrative progresses slowly and subtly, allowing players to gradually uncover Annie's story and the complexities of her condition. This pacing enhances the immersive experience of memory degradation, mirroring the gradual nature of the disease.
Performance:
- Players reported that the game runs flawlessly on SteamOS, suggesting strong optimization and native support for the platform. This is a positive indicator for Steam Deck users.
Recommendations:
- Players overwhelmingly recommend this game, often highlighting its impactful story and emotional depth. Many consider it a 10/10 experience, suitable even for non-gamers or those who appreciate reflective narratives.
- Players advise potential buyers to be mentally prepared before playing, indicating the game likely contains emotionally heavy or challenging themes.
Miscellaneous:
- The game deeply resonated with players, especially those with personal experiences with Alzheimer's or dementia in their families. It served as a powerful trigger for reflection, fear, understanding, and even a therapeutic outlet for processing trauma and emotions related to memory loss, highlighting the terrifying loss of control.
- Players highlighted how the game masterfully explores philosophical questions about what remains when memories fade and the true meaning of loss. It emphasizes that memory is not solely individual but deeply intertwined with shared connections, underscoring the vital importance of presence and simply being there for loved ones.
- Players often discovered the game through social media platforms like TikTok or had it wishlisted due to its intriguing premise about Alzheimer's disease. The game successfully captured their curiosity, leading to immediate purchases and significant post-play reflection.
- The game is consistently described as having a short playtime, typically ranging from one to two hours. This duration makes it a concise, impactful experience without a significant time commitment, allowing for immediate reflection post-completion.
- A direct result of the game's emotional impact, many players felt compelled to spend more quality time with their loved ones. They were inspired to listen intently, share moments, and avoid postponing important interactions, recognizing the preciousness of these connections.
