CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience

About

"CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience" is a emotionally charged survival game set in a randomly generated city, where you must explore, earn perks, find items, and experience acts of kindness to turn your life around. With rogue-like elements, each playthrough offers a unique experience. The developers donate 20% of profits to charities focused on homelessness, inspired by their own experiences. This game encourages players to reflect on the growing indifference towards the vulnerable in society.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

CHANGE: A Homeless Survival Experience screenshot

+16

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,421 reviews

gameplay64 positive mentions

grinding32 negative mentions

The game provides a unique and thought-provoking perspective on homelessness, encouraging empathy and understanding.
Gameplay is engaging with a variety of characters, perks, and random events that keep each run fresh and interesting.
The developers are responsive to community feedback and regularly update the game, showing commitment to improving the experience.

The game can feel repetitive after a few runs, as the core gameplay loop becomes predictable once players learn the mechanics.
There are numerous bugs that can disrupt gameplay, including issues with saving, random events, and character interactions.
Happiness management can be overly punishing, making it difficult to progress without relying on substances, which may not accurately reflect the complexities of real-life homelessness.

gameplay
205 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
60%
9%
The gameplay of "Change: A Homeless Survival Experience" is characterized by its simple mechanics and a choose-your-own-adventure style that engages players in a unique narrative about homelessness. While many players appreciate the emotional depth and immersive storytelling, the gameplay can become repetitive and grindy, with some mechanics feeling underdeveloped or poorly balanced. Despite these criticisms, the game offers a compelling experience that encourages strategic thinking and empathy, making it a thought-provoking title within its genre.
- “Beautiful game with incredible depth, a dramatic and yet relaxing gameplay that feels all too real. An awesome developer who devotes all they have to the game and strives to better all aspects of this already wonderfully crafted game.”
- “The gameplay is fascinating, and you can really fall into the character.”
- “The gameplay, as well as the graphics, is simple, but it definitely gets its point across with the encounters and short stories.”
- “The gameplay loop feels repetitive and uninspired, despite the emotional and deep homeless survival experience it attempts to present.”
- “The initial novelty wears off quickly, leaving a gameplay loop that lacks engagement and depth.”
- “The gameplay is very grindy and boring, and the rogue-like elements are very poorly implemented.”
story
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
73%
5%
The game's story is praised for its emotional depth and unique focus on the homeless experience, providing a powerful narrative that encourages empathy and reflection. However, many players feel that the storytelling can become repetitive after completing a storyline, with some expressing a desire for more depth and variety in character development and plot progression. While the game offers multiple storylines and engaging writing, it struggles to maintain player interest over time due to its limited gameplay mechanics and open-ended conclusions.
- “The storytelling aspect is phenomenal; I appreciate how it humanizes the experience.”
- “This game provides more story and character development than most triple-A games nowadays.”
- “The writing and story are great and immersive.”
- “I do wish the ending felt less open-ended; I spent hours getting my character off the street with his dog, and there wasn't really a conclusion to their story.”
- “While the story itself is pretty grim and not a very realistic representation of how being homeless works, you have to remember it is a game.”
- “The main problem here is... no story... no character building... and no immersion.”
graphics
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
59%
4%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a retro pixel art style that some players find charming and effective in conveying the game's themes, while others criticize it as outdated and simplistic. Despite the minimalistic visuals, many reviewers appreciate how the art complements the game's atmosphere and emotional depth, with some noting that it evokes nostalgia for older console games. Overall, the graphics are seen as a deliberate design choice that enhances the gameplay experience, even if they may not appeal to everyone.
- “This game has a beautiful unique art style and is a new experience every time you restart based on the decisions you make during the game. 10/10.”
- “A beautiful game with graphics that are both simple and elegant; it brings a taste of realism with every step.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, I love games with pixel graphics.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
- “Forget the fact that the graphics are comparable to cheap early 90s games.”
emotional
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game "Change" is widely praised for its emotional depth, offering a poignant exploration of homelessness through a survival narrative that resonates with players. Many reviewers highlight its ability to evoke strong feelings, from heartbreak to empathy, as it presents both the harsh realities and unexpected kindnesses faced by those experiencing homelessness. While some critique its gameplay for repetitiveness, the overall emotional impact and storytelling are deemed powerful and thought-provoking, making it a worthwhile experience for those interested in meaningful narratives.
- “I'm very impressed, and appreciate the dev's efforts to gather real-world accounts and information about homelessness - both on the practical and emotional levels.”
- “It's a heartbreaking experience, but totally worth it.”
- “This game is a very honest and emotional portrayal of homelessness.”
music
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and emotional depth, effectively reflecting the themes of homelessness and struggle. While some players noted that the soundtrack features repetitive lo-fi tunes, they found it soothing and immersive, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, a few reviewers suggested that the music could be overly dramatic at times, recommending alternative soundtracks for a more enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “Great game overall, very good atmosphere and the music is awesome, really depicts what it's like being homeless and all the challenges it takes to get out of it.”
- “The music along with the interactions really make you sympathize with the people who have a much harder time surviving.”
- “The atmosphere, the music, and the painful honesty is what really sets this game apart in some of the few that should truly be remembered and played for such an experience.”
- “The music makes the experience too jarring and melodramatic for me.”
- “It plays only when something bad happens to you or if the weather changes, and yes it is creating the right mood and conveys emotions of despair, but I miss music accompaniment in regular day-to-day gameplay.”
- “First off, I recommend turning off the music at the start and putting on some lofi hip hop beats instead or something.”
replayability
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
48%
6%
The game boasts significant replayability, with players praising its diverse characters, perks, and scenarios that encourage multiple playthroughs. Many reviewers highlight the engaging mechanics and emotional depth, making each run feel unique and challenging. However, some players note that while the game offers replay value, it could benefit from more randomness and variability to enhance the rogue-lite experience.
- “It's a great challenge, with massive replayability due to different characters, perks, and maladies, as well as new city spawns.”
- “There are so many small details that I love about this game - so many different ways to fall, and to pick yourself back up again... especially for such a simple game, the replayability is impressive.”
- “Besides that this game is fantastic and has a great amount of replayability due to the different storylines and how when you finish a story (whether it's from getting a new life, or your happiness reaching zero and you giving up on returning to a normal life) you get experience which unlocks new items to be added to your next playthroughs.”
- “My only true gripe is that the replay value is a bit low due to the fact that the conditions for winning never change.”
- “I like the game, just no replayability.”
- “Replay value is practically zero.”
grinding
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate that the game features significant grinding, often described as tedious and repetitive, particularly in the late game where players must repeatedly engage in similar tasks to progress. While some players appreciate the concept and find enjoyment in the grind, many express frustration with the lack of content and the impact of random events that can derail progress, making the experience feel overly drawn out. Suggestions for improvement include implementing auto-gathering features and reducing the grind through additional content or alternative gameplay modes.
- “The gameplay is very grindy and boring, and the rogue-like elements are very poorly implemented.”
- “The game is tedious and the 'true ending' was not worth the effort needed to get it.”
- “It starts off well but quickly becomes apparent that winning the game requires a bit of repetitive grinding while you're at the mercy of RNG events affecting your stats, which can erase a lot of work you've put into your run.”
stability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely reported to be extremely buggy, with frequent freezes, crashes, and various glitches that significantly disrupt gameplay. While players appreciate the game's concept and the developers' responsiveness to feedback, the stability issues detract from the overall experience, leading many to find it unplayable at times. Overall, the game's current state is considered unacceptable for a full release, though some users remain hopeful for future improvements.
- “I love this game, but unfortunately it's way too buggy.”
- “The only thing about this game is that it is rather buggy, with certain bugs ruining a playthrough for me.”
- “It has gotten to the point where it just freezes as soon as I load the game and it has become unplayable.”
atmosphere
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
17%
13%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its emotional depth and immersive quality, effectively capturing the struggles of homelessness through compelling visuals and music. Reviewers note that the game's sad yet engaging ambiance enhances the gameplay experience, making it both relatable and thought-provoking. Overall, the combination of minimalistic graphics and a poignant soundtrack contributes to a powerful atmosphere that resonates with players.
- “Great game overall, very good atmosphere and the music is awesome, really depicts what it's like being homeless and all the challenges it takes to get out of it.”
- “I love this game, its atmosphere really sells the desperation and difficulty of homelessness.”
- “Side scrolling yet it still gives off a sad and lonely atmosphere.”
- “I love this game; its atmosphere really sells the desperation and difficulty of homelessness.”
- “The atmosphere, the music, and the painful honesty is what really sets this game apart in some of the few that should truly be remembered and played for such an experience.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of absurdity and charm, with players finding amusement in quirky scenarios and dialogue mishaps, such as the mix-up between crisps and fruits. While some reviewers noted that the humor can be silly and far from reality, others appreciated the lightheartedness and fun in trying to beat their own scores. Overall, the humor is seen as a notable aspect, contributing to the game's appeal despite its simplicity.
- “I've seen some kind of funny layouts though, like two laundromats, a bar, and two police stations... I just wish the code for generating the cities was a little refined so it would make starting a new playthrough simpler.”
- “Fun little game, not much to it but it's funny to try to beat your own score and try the different scenarios.”
- “The dialogue for crisps and fruits got mixed up, so I was being given crisps when offered fruit (I found this more funny than frustrating).”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some users experiencing stuttering during movement, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite its small size and low memory usage, players find the optimization to be unexpectedly subpar.
- “Even though the game is very small and doesn't consume much memory, it feels surprisingly optimized.”
- “Although there is some poor stuttering when I move from one place to another, which is slightly annoying.”
- “Even though the game is very small and doesn't consume much memory, it feels oddly optimized.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
Character development in the game is noted to be superior to many AAA titles, offering a more engaging story and character progression. However, some users feel that the depth of character development is lacking, with limited interactive options that reduce the overall experience to merely walking and clicking.
- “This game provides more story and character development than most AAA games nowadays.”
- “Hobo, tough life looks like a much better game, with actual graphics, first person, RPG, and character development.”
- “There's no real depth to the character development, and with the very limited options you can actually do inside buildings, there's not much to do here but walk and click.”
- “Hobo, tough life looks like a much better game, with actual graphics, first person, role-playing, and character development.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect introduces a time restriction through shelter ads, encouraging players to strategize and plan their actions more carefully.