Depression Quest

 PC
User Score
1.5

Overwhelming dislike- based on 298 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 298
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 298
  3. Negative: 252 out of 298

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  1. CasildaK
    Sep 4, 2014
    10
    Fantastic game--as someone who has dealt with depression, I greatly appreciate the role this game serves in helping sufferers cope and raising public awareness.
  2. g_squidman
    Sep 27, 2014
    8
    First, I have no bias based on the "Gamergate" event.... I was confused about what that was all about but thought I'd check out the game, I am a gamer after all. I also have not yet completed the game, I intend to continue it though.

    The biggest thing in question about this game is, "is it really a game?" I would like to remind everyone that, if you go to the home page, Depression Quest    First, I have no bias based on the "Gamergate" event.... I was confused about what that was all about but thought I'd check out the game, I am a gamer after all. I also have not yet completed the game, I intend to continue it though.

    The biggest thing in question about this game is, "is it really a game?" I would like to remind everyone that, if you go to the home page, Depression Quest very clearly advertises itself as an "interactive (non)fiction." A non-fictional interactive fiction. As a "game" it is lacking, of course. But for the purposes of this review I will be rating it as what it is meant to be, interactive reading material.

    I'm not a sound guy, there could be no sound at all, makes no difference to me.

    I've found, going through the route I took, that there aren't a whole lot of options available at each cross-roads. When you have to make a decision it lists several possible actions to take and then often crosses out all but one or two. I like this, this makes sense to me. It portrays the sense that depression is taking over my life and making these options impossible. I assume, had I taken a less depressing, more open route where I talk about my feelings with friends and meet with a doctor, that more of these options would have been available. This is an over all plus for me.

    The exact feeling Depression Quest gives me was actually kind of overwhelming, I realized how much I feel similar to the character in the game and that I myself might be dealing with some form of depression. It truly has opened my eyes a bit to this possibility and made me think, which was the desired intention.

    Finally, the reason Depression Quest is not a ten: simple grammar and spelling errors. This counts a lot for me though. It didn't feel professional or serious because of this. Felt unfinished. Great work was put into releasing Depression Quest and just a little more effort could make it much more complete.    … Expand
  3. thegoatgod_pan
    Nov 2, 2014
    10
    Perfectly good game, but gamergate trolls mobvoted the score down. Because of something, something; women are evil; something, something; ethical journalism! Try it out, you won't regret it (not like it costs you)
  4. bluegreen
    Jan 25, 2015
    8
    A really touching game that raises awareness for a huge societal issue. It doesn't entirely match up with my own experiences of depression, but then, depression affects everyone differently.
  5. psibreaker
    Jan 12, 2015
    8
    A pretty accurate depiction of depression. And short too; you'll finish it within 15-30 minutes. That's probably long enough to immerse yourself in this character.

    I picked this up for free off Steam, mostly off the back of all the negative press, and have to say that even though my own experiences differ slightly, it helped conjure up a lot of the low periods of depression. Intended to    A pretty accurate depiction of depression. And short too; you'll finish it within 15-30 minutes. That's probably long enough to immerse yourself in this character.

    I picked this up for free off Steam, mostly off the back of all the negative press, and have to say that even though my own experiences differ slightly, it helped conjure up a lot of the low periods of depression. Intended to be interactive fiction, not a 'game', it pretty much explores the sort of lifestyle a 'typical' depressed person might feel, bearing in mind that labels like 'typical' doesn't really apply here.

    Not a ten out of ten, much as I appreciated a lot of the points that felt familiar (as well as those I'd not really considered but can recognise in hindsight). Similarly not a zero out of ten either, as you'd have to have real issues or, say, some sort of agenda to not credit this game with anything. I didn't feel there was any problem that I was being patronised, or that this was the work of a massive ego any more than I'd consider any other first person account, including anyone's review on the subject, to be the work of a person's ego. I've only played it through once so far - I'd be tempted to play it again.    … Expand
  6. josefigueira
    Aug 23, 2014
    8
    This game came to my attention after hearing of the controversy about the main developer, and her ethics, not only at work, but in general. But one thing that I had to immediately do, was separate the developers personal life, and the game: a game shouldn't suffer because the developer is, or not, an awful person.

    With a fresh mind, and ignoring all the controversy, I started the game.    This game came to my attention after hearing of the controversy about the main developer, and her ethics, not only at work, but in general. But one thing that I had to immediately do, was separate the developers personal life, and the game: a game shouldn't suffer because the developer is, or not, an awful person.

    With a fresh mind, and ignoring all the controversy, I started the game. It's, at its core, an educational game. But it's an educational game that will actually help a person with depression (or, sometimes more importantly, someone close to a person with depression) to deal with it. Although some things seem particular to that situation, we also have to realize that it's about telling a specific story to other people. So, even though it's an education game, it's not there to fit to OUR situation. It's there to give us an "example", in simplistic terms, of a case, to help us relate to it.

    One thing that, first struck me as amateur-ish, but then sort of made sense, was the aesthetics of the play-for-free website. It's a very simple, black and white aesthetic, already a staple of text-based 21st century games. But it's a good choice, bringing a sense of calmness, and no other distractions, in order to put ourselves in (I unconsciously named **** Paul) shoes. That means, trying options that might not seem the best one, but that we feel like someone close to us with depression might be available to take.

    The gameplay is obviously simple - and just because it's a text-based game, it doesn't mean they should have been so lazy about it (remembering specifically a zombie text-based game with AI close to resident evil terms, with a active clock, and where I ended up being caught running in some stairs after waiting to long to make a decision). Sometimes, I really do wish there were more options, or maybe an internal clock system, because let's face it, a person reacts different in you tell them something right away, or you hesitate. But, and even though I still mentally took some points out for it, it is an educational game. There's no winning in this game. It's here to immerse us in the story.

    The subject seemed fairly well, and sensibly, approached (read: it's not either a romanticised tumblr **** or a diecisscum tumblr **** for example). It was a great, and seemingly not for profit (free-to-play, anyone?) idea by the developers (maybe Zoe Quinn isn't such an awful person) to release it after Robin Williams death, and to acknowledge that men are the group most harmed by depression seems a little unbiased from a game being attacked by Red-pillers, feminazis and general edgy teens, and praised by both the feminist, men's rights and LGBQT movements (me being a supporter of the latter three groups). BUT, the mix of actually depressed people praising, and in a considerably minority, bashing, this game refrains me from doing any more substantial comment on this part of the review.

    I ended up really caring about the character, simple as they were. Not wanting to spoil anything, let's just say that, your sibling will usually be there for you in the hard times, when most people don't understand what your problems, even though they might act differently when you don't have problems.

    I end up giving an 8 for this game. It's good, yes, but it could have been much better.    … Expand
  7. samvines
    Nov 3, 2014
    10
    A wonderful free game in the style of the classic MUDs, that also manages to bring awareness to a serious mental health issue that affects many people.
  8. jakejohnson
    Nov 15, 2014
    9
    Graphics: 10/10
    In an era of bright, flashy, in your face animations, Zoe Quinn has created a refreshing change of pace, with her subtle, understated style. The game actually flows quite well, and the brilliantly-optimized graphics allows even my Windows 98 machine to handle the game with ease. A soft palette of color provides just the right contrast to the daring choice of black text    Graphics: 10/10
    In an era of bright, flashy, in your face animations, Zoe Quinn has created a refreshing change of pace, with her subtle, understated style. The game actually flows quite well, and the brilliantly-optimized graphics allows even my Windows 98 machine to handle the game with ease. A soft palette of color provides just the right contrast to the daring choice of black text lettering. Like the original Star Wars trilogy, these graphics are built to withstand the test of time, and future generations of gamers are sure to appreciate them for years to come.

    Gameplay: 10/10
    This is where the game really shines, with a smart, intuitive interface that almost feel like second nature even for the novice gamer. Quinn's ability to so deftly incorporate a point-and-click style of play into a genre of this magnitude is truly astounding. I found myself getting lost in the gameworld, not even thinking about the UI, able to completely be immersed by the story.

    Music: 10/10
    Although occasionally plodding, Schankler's artfully crafted score more often then not hits the nail on the head, setting the mood and transporting the player into an alternate world. Among his finest works, Schankler really shows his growth as a composer here, with subtle motifs and sweeping crescendos that both intrigue and exhilarate.

    Story: 10/10
    Quinn weaves a delicate and riveting tale about the fascinating irrelevancy of everyday life. While some have questioned Quinn's marketing techniques, there is no debate that her writing is top-notch, and beyond reproach. As one not easily taken in by (non)fiction, I must confess that I was swept off my feet from the first sentence, cascading down a whirlwind path of twists and turns that left me gasping for air. The ending sent chills through me like I have never experienced in my gaming career. A tremendous effort from a legendary writer.

    CONCLUSION:
    A masterpiece. A game that will stand next to pillars of the industry for decades to come. We are often left asking, "What is the defining game of our generation? What is our PONG? What is our PACMAN?" Zoe Quinn just gave us the answer to that question.    … Expand
  9. Hazyshade
    Mar 14, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I've lived with depression for many years and with severe depression (crying episodes, in and out of hospital, taking powerful antipsychotics) for nearly a year. On my first playthrough I was going "Yep." "Yeah." *nod* "Wow, that's a really good description of how that feels."

    Some games don't max out your graphic and sound cards. Some games set out to induce sadness, frustration and yes, even boredom, as part of the emotional ride that they take you on. Papers, Please did all of the above and was a huge hit. Don't judge a fish by how well it can fly; you should have learnt that in school.

    I could pick holes in the story, perhaps. The only route into therapy that I've found is to have your friend notice that your hands are shaking. There seems an awful lot riding on that one throwaway dialogue choice. Then again... there is a realism in that too. Sometimes the people we rely on to fix everything, don't. Sometimes it takes a random occurrence to change things, because sometimes the people we love the most aren't even magical enough to notice something's wrong.

    This game would be a 9 for me, but it seems some negative reviewers are cross with some positive reviewers because blah blah blah ethics and therefore the game itself must be rated 0. No, I don't follow that logic either, so it gets a 10 to bump its average up.    … Expand
  10. aasmith
    Dec 3, 2014
    10
    This game really shows what it's like to have depression. I've struggled heavily with depression my entire adult life. The text-based choices show the struggle; sometimes options are grayed out because when you're depressed, those positive choices don't feel like options. Depression lies to you. This is a great game.
  11. NintendoNerd256
    Nov 23, 2015
    10
    I absolutely love this game. It is amazing, and Zoe Quinn is the best game developer ever. Words cannot describe this masterpiece. Feminists unite! Let us wash this earth of that scum we call "man".
  12. p3ace
    Apr 1, 2016
    10
    As someone who has grown up with depression, I think this game was genuine and creative. No, it's not a typical game, because it was obviously made to allow the user to begin to understand what depression may feel like for many people. I think this game can be eye opening for those willing to actually be open minded about trying it instead of just shutting it down right away for unrelatedAs someone who has grown up with depression, I think this game was genuine and creative. No, it's not a typical game, because it was obviously made to allow the user to begin to understand what depression may feel like for many people. I think this game can be eye opening for those willing to actually be open minded about trying it instead of just shutting it down right away for unrelated reasons to the actual game.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 1 Critic Review

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. ActionTrip
    Sep 2, 2014
    50
    While it does an okay job presenting what it is really like to have depression, it sets the player down the exactly same depression path, no matter what is chosen.
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