The Way of Life: Definitive Edition

 PC
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. GameCritics
    May 8, 2018
    40
    The Way of Life tries to present a large number of situations where choices matter, but most of them fail to deliver any meaning at all.

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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 2 more ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. q-gin
    Jul 8, 2020
    10
    This game is weird. I am not sure if I like it or not, and that is after playing through all of the free version and now the paid only levels,This game is weird. I am not sure if I like it or not, and that is after playing through all of the free version and now the paid only levels, too.

    In The Way of Life you are given several situations, all of which can be played as the child, the adult man, and the old man. Each situation has a unique vignette for each age and is thematically related to the other two ages, but otherwise unique. There will usually be two, sometimes three, unique endings for each of these vignettes and while you can replay them all to get all endings, only the first one chosen 'sticks'.

    I believe that by playing through each situation you build the life of a person as they are young, adult, and old -- although choice is limited and actions taken as a child do not affect the adult, nor does the adult affect the old man. It's possible I am misinterpreting this though, and they are supposed to be different characters, in which case you are living three lives.

    Typically the child stage is all about playing and fantasy, the adult stage is about dealing with the stress of family and work, and the old stage is dealing with unreliable, shaky controls as you struggle to complete otherwise simple tasks.

    Sometimes though, things go completely off the rails. As an example, in one child stage you start doing your homework and then it suddenly becomes a stealth section in wartime. As an adult, you are suddenly in an absurd grab-the-money race, etc.

    I would recommend trying the free version first and playing through all the situations offered there. If you like it or are intrigued by it as I was, give this paid definitive version a try.

    Pros:
    - Interesting, relatively short gameplay sections
    - Unique art style
    - Good sound and music design
    - Full gamepad support

    Cons:
    - Annoying, slow controls on both keyboard/mouse and gamepad
    - Gets absurd at times in ways that don't seem to fit the rest of the game
    - Unclear goals

    At the current discount price ($/€ 5) I can at least recommend it because it is a rather unique experience.    … Full Review »
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