Brain Please Don't
- July 1, 2020
- Critique Gaming
Get on Steam"Brain Please Don't" is a narrative-driven game that explores the inner workings of a teenager's mind. Players must navigate through various encounters, playing cards that represent Cameron's thoughts and impulses, with the goal of choosing paths that lead to better mental states. The game encourages players to construct positive psychological spirals while examining the challenges of managing self-doubt, anxiety, and inadequacy. The game's endings and outcomes are dependent on the player's choices and interpretations.
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Reviews
- The game offers a unique combination of deck-building mechanics within an interactive visual novel framework, providing an interesting concept for players.
- It effectively explores themes related to mental health and the challenges faced by teenagers, allowing players to customize their character's issues and coping strategies.
- Despite its short length, the game can evoke nostalgia and reflection on teenage experiences, making it a worthwhile experience for those who enjoy visual novels.
- The gameplay lacks depth and strategy, as players can simply click cards to progress without meaningful choices affecting the story.
- There is minimal replay value due to the linear nature of the narrative, with no branching paths or significant changes based on player decisions.
- The game is very short, leading to a feeling of incompleteness, and lacks essential features like a main menu or save options, which detracts from the overall experience.
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay combines deckbuilding with an interactive visual novel format, offering a unique experience, though some players find that many dialogue options lack meaningful impact, leading to a sense of mechanical redundancy. While the game is not particularly challenging if players grasp its mechanics, it does provide an interesting intersection with themes of mental health. Overall, it presents a novel concept but may fall short in delivering engaging gameplay.
“I also think the combination of deckbuilding in an interactive visual novel framework is relatively new and unique, so it's worth playing if you're interested in seeing a proof of concept of those mechanics combined.”
“The thing that really won me over here is the way that the mechanics intersect with achieving a degree of mental health.”
“The game is not difficult if you understand this mechanic.”
“And even worse is that often the dialog options don't actually matter, so there's a breakdown in the core gameplay.”
“Most of the time several options give no rewards, so they are mechanically indistinguishable.”
“End of my gameplay experience.”
- story6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story is centered around a single narrative that lacks significant branching paths, leading to limited replay value despite initial character customization options. Players express disappointment that their choices do not influence the storyline, which detracts from the overall engagement and potential for a more dynamic experience.
“The concept is there, and the game interacts with you based on choice, making it an engaging text-based simulation with visuals that enhance the story.”
“Unfortunately, there is only one story, which limits replay value, especially considering the character customization options available at the beginning.”
“On my second playthrough, I discovered that the choices my character made did not actually change the story.”
“Unfortunately, there is only one story, so there's really not much replay value, which is a disappointment given that you can customize your character at the beginning.”
“On my second playthrough, I discovered that nothing your character did actually changes the story.”
“As I said before, they don't affect the story at all.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game lacks significant replayability due to its singular storyline and absence of strategic depth, despite offering some enjoyment and character customization options. Players express disappointment over the limited opportunities for varied gameplay experiences.
“There really isn't any strategy to it or replay value, but I did get a dollar's worth of enjoyment out of it.”
“Unfortunately, there is only one story, so there's really not much replay value, which is a disappointment given that you can do character customization at the beginning.”
- graphics1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are described as basic, primarily serving to enhance the text-based simulation experience rather than standing out on their own. While they aid in engaging the player with the story, they are not a focal point of the gameplay.
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game particularly engaging, noting that the internal monologue of their character adds a comedic layer to the gameplay, especially during moments of chance like drawing cards.
“It was so funny watching the thoughts running through my character's head as I played card after card trying to get that random +1.”
“The witty dialogue and hilarious situations kept me laughing throughout the entire game.”
“I couldn't stop chuckling at the absurd scenarios that unfolded; the humor is perfectly timed and adds so much to the experience.”
