Gender Dysphoria

"Gender Dysphoria" is a 20-minute narrative game that explores negative experiences after coming out as transgender. The game aims to provide insight into the transgender experience for cisgender people and offer comfort to those who are transgender themselves. It features adjustable dyslexic font and descriptive audio, with intense themes that may require emotional preparation.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 58 reviews

story7 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game provides a deeply personal and relatable experience for those dealing with gender dysphoria, effectively capturing the emotional struggles faced by transgender individuals.
The voice acting and sound design are praised for enhancing the immersive experience, making the narrative feel authentic and impactful.
It serves as a valuable educational tool for both transgender individuals and those seeking to understand their experiences, highlighting the microaggressions and challenges they face in everyday life.

The gameplay is criticized for being overly simplistic, with choices that do not significantly affect the outcome, leading to a feeling of linearity despite claims of non-linearity.
Many players found the audio design, particularly the constant ringing and static, to be grating and distracting, detracting from the overall experience.
The game is very short, leaving some players wanting more depth and resolution in the story, with an unsatisfying ending that feels abrupt.

story
29 mentions
24 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The story is a poignant, albeit brief, exploration of the experiences of a transgender woman, capturing the emotional turmoil and societal challenges she faces through a series of non-linear vignettes. While the narrative resonates deeply with those familiar with such struggles, it suffers from a lack of depth and coherence, leaving some players feeling unsatisfied with its abrupt ending and jarring transitions. Overall, it serves as a valuable tool for empathy and understanding, despite its shortcomings in execution.
- “I could almost feel an ounce of the pain put into the story, and I very much resonated with this.”
- “It's very clear to me the author had a story they wanted to speak from their heart and share their personal experiences, and I appreciate the effort that she has gone through to do so.”
- “In summary, I think this game is excellent for what it is: a chilling story for cheap that can be beaten in a short time frame with a narrative that either hits home for most people, or can be used as a tool to teach people how most transgender people are treated/how they feel when they're treated that way.”
- “The story contradicts its own message frequently; the main character berates his mother for assuming some people she saw were transgender yet assumes other people's genders frequently.”
- “I finished this game in 14 minutes, and the ending was unsatisfying. It felt as if when I was continuing the dialogue option there was going to be more - but the game just ended.”
- “The story was presented in a very weird way with little sections thrown at you randomly, not in order.”
emotional
6 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is described as deeply impactful, eliciting a range of feelings such as heartbreak, disappointment, and exhaustion, which vary based on personal life experiences. Reviewers emphasize the game's ability to provoke significant emotional responses, highlighting its artistic merit and the importance of being in a good emotional state before playing.
- “And it's heartbreaking and disappointing and enraging and exhausting all at the same time--and more.”
- “There are some choices in the stories that are extremely personal, and I can almost guarantee the emotional impact of each choice will be highly dependent on your personal life experiences.”
- “If art is work that can provide personal development and elicit emotional response on the audience, then I feel this game clearly falls under the category of art.”
gameplay
5 mentions
40 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as simplistic and linear, primarily involving button presses to advance through a fast-paced narrative, which some find lacking in depth. However, it is complemented by excellent sound design and outstanding voice acting, leading to mixed opinions on its overall effectiveness.
- “The gameplay is simple yet effective, and its sound design is excellent, along with phenomenal voice acting.”
- “The gameplay is well done.”
- “It's a 20-minute, not-really-branching text game that costs money and doesn't offer anything in terms of gameplay.”
- “The gameplay consists of pressing a button to progress to the next phase of the conversation while jumping between scenarios at a jarring pace.”
- “Gameplay sucks in real life.”
music
3 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The music in the game is perceived as lacking depth and fails to enhance the atmosphere effectively, with some players feeling it could benefit from more ambient sounds to heighten tension. While the soundtrack is not considered terrible, there is a desire for more dynamic musical elements to better reflect the emotional states of the characters. Overall, the music is seen as a missed opportunity to deepen the player's experience.
- “About $5 (for the game and OST bundle) to feel this kind of deep connection to, and in some small way support, another trans sister?”
- “Even then, I think that it is just... not as crazy bad as the game tries to portray with its music.”
- “All this considered, I do feel as if there could have been more ambient noise to truly make the player feel a sense of dread during some of these more lively situations, like the music stopping suddenly or even picking up rapidly to convey the anxiety the character is feeling in that situation.”
graphics
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The graphics are minimal to the point of being almost non-existent, which some players found effective in creating a psychological horror atmosphere, while others felt it contributed to a disorienting narrative experience due to the lack of visual support for the story's abrupt location shifts and non-linear progression.
- “In this particular situation, less is more - and with little to no graphics, if it had been any more gut-wrenching, I would have thought I was playing a psychological horror game.”
- “The story frequently shifts locations with little warning, which was jarring; it had no visuals to support this, and the story was not chronological in the slightest.”
atmosphere
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-500 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as oppressive and heavy, creating a genuinely scary experience despite its short length and limited gameplay. Reviewers appreciate its artistic qualities, suggesting it stands out in the gaming landscape and warrants a sequel.
- “I came into this as a joke, but despite its short length and lack of gameplay, the atmosphere it builds throughout the game is genuinely scary. It felt oppressive and heavy, creating a sense of realism that I haven't experienced in other games. I truly think it's a piece of art in gaming. 8/10, make a sequel.”
- “The atmosphere in this game is hauntingly immersive, drawing you into its world and making every moment feel intense and meaningful.”
- “From the moment I started playing, the atmosphere enveloped me. The sound design and visuals work together to create a chilling experience that lingers long after you've put the game down.”
- “I came into this as a joke, but for how short it was and lacking in gameplay, the atmosphere it builds throughout the game was scary. The game felt oppressive and heavy; it felt real. In my short time on Steam and watching other YouTubers, I haven't really seen anything like it, so I truly think it's a piece of art. 8/10, make a sequel.”
- “The atmosphere was incredibly dull and uninspired, making it hard to stay engaged. It felt like a missed opportunity to create something immersive.”
- “Despite the potential for a rich environment, the atmosphere fell flat and failed to evoke any real emotion or tension.”