A Game About

About

A Game About is a single player action game with a comedy theme. It was developed by byolivierb and was released on November 6, 2018. It received positive reviews from players.

A Game About is a free, short, lo-fi point & click adventure that tasks the player with living with their daily routine. Through day to day choices, life changes in imperceptibles and unexpected ways.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 639 reviews

story17 positive mentions

gameplay4 negative mentions

Powerful and relatable exploration of depression and anxiety, capturing the emotional reality with sincerity and honesty.
Unique hand-drawn, minimalist art style that complements the theme and adds charm despite its simplicity.
Short, accessible, and free experience with meaningful storytelling and multiple branching choices for replayability.

Moving and flickering text and animations cause eye strain and motion sickness for some players, with insufficient options to disable all effects.
Very short gameplay duration with limited interactivity; some find the repetitive play-through needed for achievements tedious and unengaging.
The artwork and visual presentation, while stylistic, may be perceived as unpleasant or unpolished and detract from immersion.

story
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
74%
4%
The story is a concise and impactful exploration of mental health, particularly depression and anxiety, told through a simple, hand-drawn art style that enhances its emotional weight. While some find its brevity and linearity limiting, many appreciate its honest, relatable portrayal of daily struggles and its ability to evoke empathy without complex gameplay or graphics. Overall, it resonates deeply with players familiar with such experiences, though those seeking a more detailed or character-driven narrative may find it lacking.
- “Beautiful game, even with the simplistic and "messy" art style it has a wonderful story about mental health and shockingly replayable.”
- “In a short story, the developer beautifully captures what it is like to go about daily life in the days before and after the feelings of burnout and emptiness begin to seep in.”
- “Highly recommend experiencing the story for the message as it will leave quite an impression.”
- “Story not interesting, sorry.”
- “What’s not so well delivered is the story, which is a nonsensical and uninteresting mess.”
- “The story is utterly mediocre.”
graphics
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
74%
4%
The game's simplistic, hand-drawn art style is a deliberate choice that effectively complements its mental health themes, adding a personal, raw charm that many find unique and fitting. While some find the shaky, sketchy visuals unsettling or distracting, others appreciate how this minimalist aesthetic enhances the storytelling and emotional impact. Overall, the graphics prioritize conveying mood and message over polish, creating a distinctive and memorable experience.
- “The sketchy, not very detailed figures show the unstable mind of one mentally ill and the simple style also helps get a grasp of the story more than when the graphics are the most overwhelming part of the game.”
- “Several people have complained about the hand-drawn black and white graphics, but I feel it adds to the message about emptiness and enhances it.”
- “Its hand-drawn, lo-fi visuals add a personal charm, while the branching narrative cleverly reflects the weight of daily choices.”
- “Considering that the visuals are the first thing that catch your attention when deciding to play and not just the fact that it's also free, I won't recommend to those who suffer from epilepsy and/or those who can't stand constantly blinking and shifting images on a large scale.”
- “Firstly, the art style is a strain on the eyes, and I highly recommend (if you ignore my recommendation that recommended not recommending the game) to turn off the effect that moves the images and words around because, it's bad.”
- “The shaking effect in addition with the horrible art style gave me an insane headache.”
emotional
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a powerful emotional experience in a brief, heartfelt way, often resonating deeply with players facing depression or emotional struggles. While some find its approach sincere and impactful—evoking tears and introspection—others feel the narrative or character depth is shallow or the ending unsatisfying. Overall, it is praised for its honest, subtle portrayal of mental health that mixes melancholy with moments of warmth and humor.
- “Despite its brief runtime, the game packs an emotional punch—mixing subtle humor with moments of unexpected introspection.”
- “As someone with a lot of 'problems', this game made me feel connected to something bigger than myself—and also to the little stick man you play as.”
- “I genuinely enjoyed this game, and though it made me feel depressed knowing that my life would follow a path that is predetermined, it made me happy that accepting this fact is just one part of life, and how life doesn't have meaning not because there is no meaning but because we make our own meaning.”
gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
67%
19%
The gameplay is generally simple and minimalistic, often described as more of a point-and-click experience with limited player agency and few interactive mechanics. While some appreciate the storytelling and art style, many find the gameplay monotonous, slow-paced, and lacking depth or challenge, leading to mixed feelings about its engagement and replay value.
- “Nice storytelling through very simple gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is simple: point and click through the story to see various actions where your choices somewhat matter.”
- “It took a series best-known for grueling difficulty and linearity and replaced it with exploration-based, RPG-driven gameplay.”
- “And honestly, I did not expect anything from this in terms of gameplay, yet it still managed to disappoint me.”
- “Mechanically, screens hang for far too long, while story progression has a 'mystery meat' style that obfuscates player agency.”
- “The gameplay, well, isn't really gameplay and more or less just click an option so the character does whatever on that day, and then it displays a long cutscene; if you don't play with a guide, you may be lost and not know what actions lead to what.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is subtle, relatable, and often light-hearted, blending funny moments with emotional depth. Many players find it genuinely charming and amusing, with witty dialogues and amusing choices that enhance the overall experience. While some felt the humor less impactful on repeated plays, it generally evokes smiles and laughter, making it a memorable, enjoyable short game.
- “Despite its brief runtime, the game packs an emotional punch—mixing subtle humor with moments of unexpected introspection.”
- “But, that's the point - it made me smile, and the dialogues were funny and made me laugh out loud at times.”
- “Good writing, lots of decisions you can make, genuinely funny and charming style.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect to be tedious and repetitive, likening it to monotonous daily routines that lack clear direction. This repetitive nature detracts from the gaming experience, leading some to disengage and view it more as a social commentary than enjoyable gameplay.
- “It is less of a game and more of a strong commentary on our daily life grinding away day to day in futility, without true direction and doing what society expects of individuals and its detrimental effects.”
- “Tedious, just took my headphones off and watched the thing.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's unique graphics and spot-on sound effects combine effectively to create a deep, authentic atmosphere that enhances the story despite simple gameplay mechanics.
- “The sound effects were spot on, and while the graphics were different from any other game I've seen, they ended up working pretty well with the story and atmosphere as well.”
- “The simple game mechanism belies the deep and authentic atmosphere created.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users praise the game's optimization, highlighting smooth performance and efficient resource management that enhance the overall experience.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users appreciate the monetization for enhancing the game experience but feel it can be overwhelming or excessive at times.
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from frequent freezing issues, significantly impacting its overall stability and user experience.
- “It constantly freezes.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game contributes to its unique charm, complementing the handwritten style and enhancing the overall distinctive, unpolished feel.