The game being focused on in this review goes by the name of “That Dragon, Cancer”. This game is an adventure and simulation game created byThe game being focused on in this review goes by the name of “That Dragon, Cancer”. This game is an adventure and simulation game created by Ryan Green and his wife, Amy. Together, the couple created a touching game that mimics the journey the Green family went through while their son, Joel, was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer. Instead of being a light, fun game, “That Dragon, Cancer” lies more on the serious, and maybe even triggering, side of the spectrum. Though there were some parts that were quite lively, the game itself might be slightly emotionally draining in my opinion, especially for those who might relate in any way. As for replayability, I feel that it is a very good game, however, I also I feel like one might just play this game just one time since it leaves such a large impact on a player.
In terms of genre, “That Dragon, Cancer” would nicely fall under the category of an adventure game. This is because, within the game, the player delves deep into the lives of Ryan Green, and his family, and takes on different perspectives within the storyline. To add on, even though “That Dragon, Cancer” doesn’t have many complex actions or moves that a player can do, the player can still interact with certain objects or pieces within the story and partake in several strategy puzzles, making the story, overall, interactive. This adventure game nicely includes logic, deduction, and a story format for an interesting gameplay.
As for aesthetics, “That Dragon, Cancer” is quite unique compared to other games. The game includes a consistent geometric type of art style with characters that have blank faces, meaning human characters do not possess any facial features besides eyebrows. This type of visual representation, coupled with the music and sound effects included, gives off a slight eerie and anxious feeling to the game, sending chills down your spine. To add on, “That Dragon, Cancer” has a specific outline that the player must follow in order to complete the game. In my opinion, this variety of gaming might be symbolic as relating to the way Ryan Green and his family felt when dealing with Joel, their son, having cancer. Representing how the Green family might have felt as though they had no choice in what to do in their life, similar to the player not really having an option and forced to follow the outline of the game in order to progress.
“That Dragon, Cancer” consists of an engaging narrative that changes perspectives frequently during gameplay. By guiding the player every step of the way, one can see that the game is revolved around the Green family and what they went through with their young son who had cancer. The structure of “That Dragon, Cancer” would have to be a braided plot since the player’s point of view is changed multiple times throughout the game, despite the game itself being in chronological order. Because the player is put through many different perspectives of the story, this helps the adventure unfold further and gives more insight to the audience, enabling them to form a deeper emotional connection to the game. In addition, as for intended audience, the “That Dragon, Cancer” is designed for anyone and everyone to play. However, people who have any relation to cancer, or who wants to learn more/is interested in the topic might be more compelled to play this game.
To get into the roots of “That Dragon, Cancer”, this game was inspired by Ryan Green and his wife, Amy Green. Together, this couple, with the help of some others, worked to create a simulation-like video game based on their life with their son, Joel, and his battle with cancer. Joel’s death in March of 2014 is what really got the ball rolling on the production of this game. Developed by Numinous Games, “That Dragon, Cancer” was released on January 12, 2016 with other release dates for different platforms. In my opinion, “That Dragon, Cancer” helped the flourishment of independent game development due to the game being created by an indie developer under a personal projects company.
To finish off, the culture within “That Dragon, Cancer” consists mainly of dealing with cancer or having any form of cancer/health sickness present within your life. Because of this, a risk for playing this game could be that it might be triggering for some audiences, bringing up some emotions that might not want to be brought to light. However, the impact for “That Dragon, Cancer” is quite positive. Since this game is based around a pretty serious topic, I feel like it holds a lot of information and insight on the effects of cancer for the general public to learn about; possibly from a different perspective than one would normally see through. Overall, I would say that the game “That Dragon, Cancer” has the ability to move players in ways that other games might not be able too. This game brings waves of emotions to players. I would strongly recommend giving it a try… Expand
