As someone who likes almost every genre of videogames, sometimes I need something to think and relax. When I got Drowning, I wasn’t sure what to expect, since as soon as started the game, I was greeting with a really beautiful low poly environment. It piqued my interest and then I started to move forward and began the journey.
To begin, with Drowing is a walking simulator that tells the story of a young boy and his struggle with depression. I don’t play walking simulators since they are not my cup of tea. I am more of an action-oriented gamer, but there was something about Drowning that kept me moving forward. I was really curious about the game, since the story was presented to me as I continue walking. As I was reading, the chill piano music and the birds chirping gave me a sensation of calm and relaxation.
Now mental health issues isn’t a game (I work as a Interpreter when I’m not playing and reviewing games, and there is a lot of people suffering from it), but it’s refreshing to see developers exploring ways to raise awareness through gaming. Ultimately, these kind of experiences can help someone that is going through any form of mental health to seek help.
Back to the game, I like how the story is told. Itis divided in “ages.” In your earlier years, the boy gives a recollection of how he met a “friend” that never said anything but that in that silence he found comfort, how after a family trip his friend had changed. The story is told in a way that you can’t help but feel intrigued. One thing worth noticing is that you need to press forward on the Left Stick to continue (obviously) reading the story, which is presented in a series of paragraphs. If you don’t move, nothing happens, but it’s nice that you can take your time to enjoy the landscape.
Just because its game play is simple it doesn’t mean that there is just one ending, since depending on the path that you wander through the narrative chances and you can get a different ending. It’s nice to see that there are several sides to the story. However, once you end the game in order to get a different ending, you need start from the starting levels again in order to branch to a different one. I think that at least for clearing the game once there should be an option to allow you to skip right to were you can branch off or a way to increase your walking speed so you can get there faster.
The music plays a good role in the game since it sets the mood properly for the story being told. I like how the lighting shows the mood changes. When everything is going well, it is full of light like a bright sun However, it turns dark as the character descends to depression. It’s a good metaphor of how someone feels going through depression, and this game could shed some hints in what kind of behavior to look for to help someone going through it.
Bottom Line: Drowning is a game that gives you something to think about. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for someone to deal with his/her mental health issues, but like one of the endings, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for someone suffering from it. It certainly has made me think about my perspective on certain things. If you want to be surprised or engaged in a good story, Drowning is one you need to pay attention to.
A Review Code was provided for this review.