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

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. edxtan
    Jan 12, 2023
    3
    By trying to explain depression to people who don't have it, Depression Quest often alienates those who do.
  2. 2Jaki
    Nov 19, 2020
    0
    This Game is brilliant. I had depression and this game makes me gonna kill myself. Wasn't that point
  3. MrHorse
    Feb 3, 2020
    0
    Honestly I just barely heard about this game. A friend had it on his laptop so I tried it. We were talking about depression and the game came up. He said "I don't want to spoil anything, I want you to live through the amazing experience yourself." Only an hour later did I catch the smirk on his face. Jerk. Friends don't let friends play Depression Quest. This was bad no matter how youHonestly I just barely heard about this game. A friend had it on his laptop so I tried it. We were talking about depression and the game came up. He said "I don't want to spoil anything, I want you to live through the amazing experience yourself." Only an hour later did I catch the smirk on his face. Jerk. Friends don't let friends play Depression Quest. This was bad no matter how you classify the game. Give it it's own genre for all I care it's still a piece of garbage from the boring music to the horrid writing to the fact it is nothing like having depression.… Expand
  4. NukeItStartOver
    Jan 20, 2020
    1
    The concept of this being a video game is utterly laughable. The authour is also an utterly repellent human being who harassed a man into suicide simply for more woke victimhood publicity. If being bullied to suicide is how you would like to work on your depression issues, you may find some value in this bland awful product produced by a wretched waste of oxygen who should beThe concept of this being a video game is utterly laughable. The authour is also an utterly repellent human being who harassed a man into suicide simply for more woke victimhood publicity. If being bullied to suicide is how you would like to work on your depression issues, you may find some value in this bland awful product produced by a wretched waste of oxygen who should be imprisoned. You could also just read a far more interesting choose your own adventure book or try and find some hope in your life. This "game" will not help with that.… Expand
  5. Matrix30815
    Jan 2, 2019
    0
    I have had depression on and off a lot. Playing this game wanted me to throw up and stay depressed. The game should be called : Depression is okay and go kill yourself. I wanted to after playing it. I agreed that there should be a way to show depression but this developer felt it laughed at me for having it. Don't play unless you want real depression. I have and had depression all over myI have had depression on and off a lot. Playing this game wanted me to throw up and stay depressed. The game should be called : Depression is okay and go kill yourself. I wanted to after playing it. I agreed that there should be a way to show depression but this developer felt it laughed at me for having it. Don't play unless you want real depression. I have and had depression all over my life and I am now 37. This developer not only laughs at depression but to me doesn't even get what it actually is. Thinking about making a real depression game where I have had and know some tricks to get out. But this Depression Quest is not a quest unless you want to be depressed from reading it. Made a metacritic profile just for this developer (< it). I see no reason why I game shouldn't be about depression and helping people not harassing, laughing, and keeping people that are depressed, depressed. This shouldn't even be on any platform because the game can lead someone with depression to killing themselves because the developer couldn't research depression or anything. I am glad it's free.… Expand
  6. xSPAZZx
    Dec 18, 2018
    0
    This game is SJWism ENTHRONED; Zoe Quinn basically got this game onto steam because of identity politics. They felt bad that gamerg8 began because this unscrupulous woman used her ex boyfriend, a gaming journalist (who she may or may not have been actively cheating on) to write a gushing positive rating and colluding with other gaming journals such as: kotaku, gamerevolution, Eurogamer, etThis game is SJWism ENTHRONED; Zoe Quinn basically got this game onto steam because of identity politics. They felt bad that gamerg8 began because this unscrupulous woman used her ex boyfriend, a gaming journalist (who she may or may not have been actively cheating on) to write a gushing positive rating and colluding with other gaming journals such as: kotaku, gamerevolution, Eurogamer, et al...

    This game has been all said and done before. Basically a depression simulator (from one person's perspective), yet it's failure is the fact that every case of clinical depression is unique. So Ms. Quinn's experience may be vastly different from the player's depression.

    My issue is you are playing through SOMEONE else's depression. Games like this have existed got psychiatrists as simulators. Her idea was not as "ground breaking" as the bought and paid reviewers claimed.

    This is the root of gamer gate.    … Expand
  7. PanzerFranzz
    Aug 27, 2018
    0
    This is not a game. This is someone scanning in a "choose your own adventure" book into a computer with a bunch of IF...THEN statements. Not fun. Not pretty. Not good. Embarrassing that this even got on steam - I can think of much better games that haven't.
  8. Alexis_Gnacab
    Sep 30, 2017
    1
    A game, before it makes a statement, must captivate. Attention of the audience must be caught mostly by the gameplay and less by the game's theme. Though both a needed to create a good impact, this game leaves to much of it's worth on it's exterior. it's musings on depression sound like they come from an angsty teenager and the games just lacks charm in general.

    I rarely condemn game    A game, before it makes a statement, must captivate. Attention of the audience must be caught mostly by the gameplay and less by the game's theme. Though both a needed to create a good impact, this game leaves to much of it's worth on it's exterior. it's musings on depression sound like they come from an angsty teenager and the games just lacks charm in general.

    I rarely condemn game publishers, especially on their first game. But this tough treatment is needed for a publisher to improve. to be fair, i give it a 1 for playability.    … Expand
  9. NoBadGames
    Apr 7, 2016
    0
    What do you get when you center a game around pushing an SJW agenda, and not around good game play, a good story, and having fun in general? You get this.
  10. 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
  11. Ventos234
    Nov 24, 2015
    0
    If this is supposed to be future of gaming, then it sure means gaming is dying. Slowly. Why? There is no "gameplay". And you pay for it.

    It's supposed to be about depression, yet it lacks anything to do with that theme. Avoid at any cost.
  12. 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".
  13. Zhorge
    Oct 7, 2015
    2
    This may be her depression, but it's not mine or anyone that I know who has ever been depressed. It's much more of a self-indulgent sado-masochistic romp through wallowing in victimhood than anything I, or anyone I've known, has experienced.

    Even worse, it plays like was written at the last minute by some HS slacker who stayed up the night before and rushed it out the door.
  14. GodotIsW8ing4U
    Sep 13, 2015
    3
    The writing style is bland, the presentation is completely unengaging, the music is grating, and despite all its attempts to present itself as a game about depression, one gets the sense that while the writers may have read about depression once and maybe even had it at some point, they have no idea how to communicate this fact outside of simple description of symptoms, and have an evenThe writing style is bland, the presentation is completely unengaging, the music is grating, and despite all its attempts to present itself as a game about depression, one gets the sense that while the writers may have read about depression once and maybe even had it at some point, they have no idea how to communicate this fact outside of simple description of symptoms, and have an even weaker understanding of the concept of a "game".

    A far better approach, if you really want to understand what depression is like, is to read Allie Brosh's now-famous account of her own struggles with it, or if you prefer to do so in the form of a video game, try playing Winter Voices. For all bugs and interface problems Winter Voices struggles with, it does a far better and more engaging job of portraying depression and grief, by taking advantage of the fact that it is a video game in order to represent things more abstractly and truly draw in the player, trying to make them actually engage with the subject matter. Another option, of course, would be to play Spec Ops: The Line, but everybody already knows that game is amazing, so I thought I'd open with one of my personal obscure favorites because I'm an obnoxious hipster douche like that.

    Depression Quest is like reading the most boring and linear Choose Your Own Adventure book ever printed, one where all paths lead in roughly the same direction to roughly the same ending and the serious subject matter is treated so blandly that there's just no reason to give a **** unless you are so incredibly new to the concept of video games being art that you've never heard of Planescape: Torment or any of the other countless games since the 90s that have been fighting to prove that THEY are the true Citizen Kane of gaming and everything since then has merely been a pretender to the title.

    3/10: bug-free, playable, and costs $0, therefore it's already got several legs up on Aliens: Colonial Marines, but otherwise just not worth anyone's time, even as a curiosity.    … Expand
  15. Hardtack
    Jun 29, 2015
    0
    Depression Quest gives you an all new appreciation for what life is like when you aren't playing depression quest.

    It's a 0, or a 10...I can't really decide which. I'll err on the side of caution and take the game at face value but on the off chance that this was made so poorly on purpose with the intent to induce a hopeless 'what has become of video games' emotional state within the    Depression Quest gives you an all new appreciation for what life is like when you aren't playing depression quest.

    It's a 0, or a 10...I can't really decide which. I'll err on the side of caution and take the game at face value but on the off chance that this was made so poorly on purpose with the intent to induce a hopeless 'what has become of video games' emotional state within the player then I tip my hat to them.    … Expand
  16. Apparentn00b
    Jun 14, 2015
    0
    one of the worst games of all time **** this game **** this developer ****ing **** ass game dont ****ing buy it dont ****ing even think about it **** this game ****ing hell i mean really this game is ****ing **** and thats all that there is to it
  17. redplague
    May 15, 2015
    5
    It's sad how a lot of the troll '0' reviews are made by people who feel at pains to make personal attacks or slanders on the developer. What a coincidence, it's a woman. If it was a man they wouldn't even address such things.

    This game is a bit heavy and in a way it's not really a game as such. it's good as an educational tool but not much in the way of fun and can get extremely    It's sad how a lot of the troll '0' reviews are made by people who feel at pains to make personal attacks or slanders on the developer. What a coincidence, it's a woman. If it was a man they wouldn't even address such things.

    This game is a bit heavy and in a way it's not really a game as such. it's good as an educational tool but not much in the way of fun and can get extremely boring at times. It's doesn't take that long to go through and is obviously very cheap so give it a go if you fancy something a bit different but this isn't going to appeal to most gamers. Ignore the **** trolls that give it 0 out of 10. Do you honestly think they would have played the game given their hatred of female developers.    … Expand
  18. Allahu
    Apr 19, 2015
    0
    Features little-no actual gameplay and is full of pretentious **** Even ignoring the rumours of press manipulation and considering it's free it's not worth its cost.
  19. SiraitX
    Apr 13, 2015
    0
    Worst game on the planet !!! Boring, horrible, dreadful.

    You know, I used the think the worst thing in life was ending up alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to be Zoe Quinn.
  20. Da_Metz
    Mar 27, 2015
    0
    a creation deemed a video game by its creator but rejected by the gaming community for not being a video game, and frankly I agree with the gaming community Depression Quest is not a video game and it seems like it never will be. Depression Quest seems like it would do better as a type of interactive story for a kindle or similar device but does not belong anywhere near anything attemptinga creation deemed a video game by its creator but rejected by the gaming community for not being a video game, and frankly I agree with the gaming community Depression Quest is not a video game and it seems like it never will be. Depression Quest seems like it would do better as a type of interactive story for a kindle or similar device but does not belong anywhere near anything attempting to proclaim itself a video game.… Expand
  21. Fhqwhgads
    Mar 21, 2015
    1
    Does a horrible job at representing what depression is like. If you are depressed and people claim to know how it feels because they played this please spit in their face.
  22. 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
  23. Tubey
    Mar 3, 2015
    1
    Meh... I put off reviewing this one, as doing so puts me on one side of "the fence" or the other. But controversy aside, let's review this as a game.

    There's absolutely nothing wrong with the idea for Depression Quest. I believe gaming can address social issues and be a power for good. The problem is here... well, it does none of that. In fact, it cheapens depression by treating it as a    Meh... I put off reviewing this one, as doing so puts me on one side of "the fence" or the other. But controversy aside, let's review this as a game.

    There's absolutely nothing wrong with the idea for Depression Quest. I believe gaming can address social issues and be a power for good. The problem is here... well, it does none of that. In fact, it cheapens depression by treating it as a paint-by-numbers condition that you can detail in a "Press X to continue" interactive novel, filled with bad writing and cliches.

    It's actually a torturous experience to play through as it's borderline offensive to me - not in that it challenges my beliefs or anything, but because it treats the subject matter with a selfishness and arrogance that is unforgivable. It's also exceedingly tedious, as it's an interactive novel, not a game.

    Just give it a miss, basically. Disregarding the controversy, the title on its' own merits simpy isn't worth your time.    … Expand
  24. zayne88
    Feb 28, 2015
    0
    It's a choose your own adventure book. I can see how this could help someone that is close to the edge but no different than just reading a book would.
  25. FireWater513
    Feb 27, 2015
    0
    I decided to look up the game that caused Gamergate. The game already being free on Steam, I feel I still overpaid.
    First, let's note that when looking at reviews for the game, I had to scroll a LOOONG way to find the first 'positive' review. Said review turned to be an ironic joke saying it "made it appreciate the other games in my library more".
    Many commenters spoke of how they had    I decided to look up the game that caused Gamergate. The game already being free on Steam, I feel I still overpaid.
    First, let's note that when looking at reviews for the game, I had to scroll a LOOONG way to find the first 'positive' review. Said review turned to be an ironic joke saying it "made it appreciate the other games in my library more".
    Many commenters spoke of how they had depression, and since the game was intended to be insightful and educational, hoped it might offer some additional insight. Instead they found insulting.
    I myself could barely get into the game. It became quite clear the game was basically trash. The fact that 'critics' gave this overall positive reviews proves that there IS in fact something wrong with gaming journalism.
    But the important question still remains... If I ignore all my integrity and change this to a positive review, will Zoe Quinn sleep with me too?    … Expand
  26. CorporalPajamas
    Feb 10, 2015
    0
    Wow, that was so boring it might have actually given me depression. Maybe some quality time with the dev could have changed my mind, yknow what i mean.
  27. ormomack
    Feb 7, 2015
    0
    I'd rather get depression. And I already have depression.I'd rather eat peanuts. And I have an allergy. I might as well get my inhaler now. Just as my review, this is nothing but a pandering attempt at relevance.
  28. Fask1ng
    Feb 3, 2015
    0
    I honestly haven't had a more boring experience in my life. I would hardly say this counts as a game. It seems that little or, more likely, no effort was put into this "game".
  29. ghostlife
    Jan 25, 2015
    0
    This is not even a game, and required no programming whatsoever. I've done 20x more complicated programming on a TI83 calculator. This looks like it was thrown together in 2 days.

    Depression Quest also horribly misrepresents depression and mental illness, in an insulting, dangerous, and possibly criminally negligent manner. Depression Quest only takes half an hour to "beat," and    This is not even a game, and required no programming whatsoever. I've done 20x more complicated programming on a TI83 calculator. This looks like it was thrown together in 2 days.

    Depression Quest also horribly misrepresents depression and mental illness, in an insulting, dangerous, and possibly criminally negligent manner.

    Depression Quest only takes half an hour to "beat," and has 0 re-playability, so it's absolutely not worth spending even a cent on.    … Expand
  30. 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.
prev
Page:

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
tbd

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.
    Read full review