- August 11, 2014
- Isaac Schankler
Depression Quest
Platforms
About
"Depression Quest" is a text-based game that simulates living with depression, presenting players with everyday challenges to manage while dealing with the illness. The game offers multiple endings and features over 150 unique encounters, with available choices and generated content based on the player's depression levels. The audio and visuals also adjust to reflect the player's emotional state, enhancing the immersive experience.





- The game provides a cathartic experience and helps players understand the complexities of living with depression.
- Many players found the game to be well-written and relatable, capturing their personal experiences with depression accurately.
- It offers valuable insights into mental health, encouraging players to seek therapy and support, which some found to be life-changing.
- The game is criticized for being overly simplistic and not fully exploring the multifaceted nature of depression.
- Some players felt that the gameplay was unengaging, describing it as a mere question and answer session rather than a true game.
- The protagonist's portrayal was seen as stereotypical and overly needy, leading to frustration among some players.
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral NegativeThe story of "Depression Quest" is praised for its emotional depth and accurate reflection of personal experiences with depression, resonating strongly with players. However, some reviewers feel that the narrative could benefit from multiple perspectives to better illustrate the complexity of the illness. Overall, while not designed to be entertaining, the game offers a meaningful exploration of its themes.
“I picked up this game after watching a longform discussion of it by Noah Caldwell-Gervais, in which he shared that Depression Quest accurately reflected his own experiences with depression.”
“It would be better if there was more than one story to come at depression from more than one angle and to illustrate how deep and varied the illness is.”
“It would be better if there was more than one story to approach depression from multiple angles and to illustrate how deep and varied the illness is.”
“I picked up this game after watching a long-form discussion of it by Noah Caldwell-Gervais, in which he shared that Depression Quest accurately reflected his own experiences with depression.”
“However, Depression Quest connected deeply with me on an emotional level, and was well worth my time.”