Helpless

About

Helpless is a single player action game. It was developed by Bonne Journée Studio and was released on March 10, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

In the heat of deserted lands, a child and their mother weakened by sickness try to survive a harsh world. Through a kid’s perspective, take action and explore the remains of a lost past. Protect yourself from the sun’s immense intensity and help your family get back on the road.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 124 reviews

story30 positive mentions

stability1 negative mentions

The game features a heartfelt story about a mother and son navigating a post-apocalyptic world, which resonates emotionally with players.
The graphics and atmosphere are beautifully crafted, creating an engaging and immersive experience despite the game's short length.
It's a free game that offers a unique gameplay mechanic of avoiding the sun while exploring, making it a fun and relaxing experience.

The camera angles and controls are often frustrating, making navigation difficult and detracting from the overall experience.
The story is vague and lacks depth, leaving players wanting more context and character development.
Gameplay can feel repetitive and linear, with some players finding it too short and lacking in substantial challenges.

story
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The game's story is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its emotional depth and themes of family and survival in a post-apocalyptic setting. While some find the narrative engaging and atmospheric, others criticize it for being vague or shallow, expressing a desire for more character development and detail. Overall, it is described as a short, cozy experience that effectively conveys its story despite its simplicity.
- “The story doesn't spell things out for you, and I love that about it.”
- “Alright then, the story is really good. I love the coming-of-age tale in a post-apocalyptic world as you see this boy trying to prove to his mom that he’s not helpless. There's also some good visual storytelling as you wander through this destroyed city, seeing the remnants of abandoned survivor camps, especially seeing what might have happened to them in chapter 3 with graffiti depicting some sort of attack by a monster.”
- “A fun short game with an interesting world and a heartfelt story.”
- “The story is incredibly vague, so much so that it becomes bland and boring.”
- “I'm also just not a fan of the storyline in general; it's kind of like a coming-of-age story where a mother learns to lean on her son for support, instead of only protecting him, but it's all just delivered so badly.”
- “I wish there was more to the story, and I would love to play a fully fleshed out, several hours-long version.”
gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
45%
14%
The gameplay is characterized as a minimalist walking simulator with a unique mechanic of avoiding the sun, which adds an interesting challenge. While some players found the gameplay enjoyable and peaceful, others criticized it for being sluggish, clunky, and too short, with a lack of narrative depth and vague story elements. Overall, the game offers a cute aesthetic and engaging concept, but many feel it has untapped potential for more complexity and length.
- “The character designs are minimalist, but the style and animations give them character, and I was fully invested in them within the first few minutes of gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is good; it's pretty simple, basically a walking simulator, but the only difference is that the sun is extremely dangerous and you have to hide in the shadows. It's an interesting concept.”
- “The main challenge, unless you're in easy mode, is the sun; it's hot enough to fry you dead in seconds if you fail to stick to the shadows, which is where the majority of gameplay challenge comes from.”
- “Gameplay is sluggish and boring.”
- “Less than 1.5 hours of gameplay, things are not explained; I would like to know what happened to the dad, mom, where they are going, etc.”
- “The first time I played this game, I couldn't finish it: the fixed camera is weird and makes it hard to see where you can move to next, the cutscenes drag on forever, the story is too vague, the gameplay can feel clunky, and having to play through this game twice for two achievements sucks.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
25%
19%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant colors, unique art style, and atmospheric detail, particularly in a post-apocalyptic setting. However, some users note performance issues, such as high GPU usage and choppy visuals reminiscent of older games. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered appealing, they may not meet everyone's expectations in terms of technical performance.
- “The graphics are very nice with plenty of bright colors and nice detail despite taking place in a deserty environment; sometimes you just want to stop and stare at some of it.”
- “The art style is really beautiful.”
- “Clean, beautiful graphics.”
- “The clunky gameplay, graphics, and feel are like something straight out of the late 90s, reminiscent of the crappiest third-person games.”
- “I found the game consuming so much of my GPU that I had to turn the graphics down, and even then, it still used a minimum of 70%, which makes no sense for a game of this size.”
- “It's an okay game, but I'm not sure why it stressed my GPU so much; the graphics are nothing special.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
29%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the somber and atmospheric experience, featuring a gentle soundtrack that complements the gameplay beautifully. Reviewers appreciate the laid-back vibe and the fitting background music, which is both enjoyable and non-intrusive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout element, with many expressing a desire for an official soundtrack release.
- “The music was quite good; it has some nice tracks and helps to sell the somber moody atmosphere of the game.”
- “A pretty laid-back chill game, and the composers did well in matching the vibe of the music to that of the gameplay.”
- “The game art style is really nice and the soundtrack is pretty good as well, and fits like a glove on the game's melancholic atmosphere.”
- “The melancholic music accompanying drives that feeling forward.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its emotional depth, offering a heartwarming and peaceful experience that balances themes of fear and nostalgia. Players appreciate its touching storyline, which evokes strong feelings and even tears, while the atmospheric gameplay and music enhance the overall cozy vibe. With a short playtime, it serves as a delightful escape that leaves a lasting positive impact.
- “The game was heartwarming and somehow peaceful while embracing the fear of the unknown.”
- “Very touching story and chill gameplay recommended (you can get all achievements in 1-2 hours max).”
- “The story line made me cry!”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
22%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its somber and spooky qualities, effectively enhanced by a strong soundtrack and appealing art style. Players appreciate the post-apocalyptic setting and the emotional depth it brings, making it a compelling experience for fans of atmospheric and narrative-driven games. Overall, the game's ambiance is a standout feature, contributing significantly to its appeal.
- “The atmosphere is very good, nice and somber and a little bit spooky when you’re first playing it, like in the store level with the mannequins.”
- “The game art style is really nice and the soundtrack is pretty good as well, and fits like a glove on the game's melancholic atmosphere.”
- “The music was quite good; it has some nice tracks and helps to sell the somber, moody atmosphere of the game.”
- “The game art style is really nice and the soundtrack is pretty good as well, fitting perfectly with the game's melancholic atmosphere.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Character development in the game is marked by minimalist designs that are enhanced by engaging animations, quickly drawing players into the characters' stories. While the storyline is charming, some players desire a more expansive narrative and additional interaction options to deepen their connection with the characters, particularly the dog.
- “The character designs are minimalist, but the style and animations give them character, and I was fully invested in them within the first few minutes of gameplay.”
- “I enjoyed the minimalist style for the character design, and the storyline was cute, albeit a little short for my liking.”
- “I would love to see a full version of this game, especially with the storyline and character development expanded upon, as well as more interaction options with the dog.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have reported a significant stability issue early in the game, specifically a glitch that occurs near ladders, causing the character to become unresponsive and unable to move.
- “There's a bug very early on in the game where if I get close to a ladder by the side of a building, the game glitches and I can't move the character anymore.”