My Child Lebensborn

About

"My Child Lebensborn" is a narrative-driven game that explores the emotional challenges of a child born of a German soldier and a Norwegian mother in post-World War II Norway. As a single parent, players must navigate the stigma and discrimination their child faces while providing love, support, and guidance. The game offers a thought-provoking experience that sheds light on the lingering effects of war and the impacts of prejudice on innocent lives.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 536 reviews

story71 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game provides a deeply emotional experience, allowing players to connect with the child and feel the weight of their struggles.
It raises awareness about the historical context of Lebensborn children and the prejudice they faced after WWII, making it an educational experience.
The art style and storytelling are beautifully crafted, enhancing the overall impact of the narrative.

The gameplay can be repetitive and simplistic, leading to moments of boredom as players navigate daily tasks.
Some players felt that the choices made throughout the game had limited impact on the overall outcome, resulting in a lack of replayability.
The game includes heavy themes such as bullying and child abuse, which may be triggering for some players without adequate content warnings.

story
177 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
55%
5%
The game's story, set in post-World War II Norway, follows a child from the lebensborn program, tackling themes of identity, prejudice, and the emotional scars of war. While many players found the narrative deeply moving and impactful, with beautiful storytelling and character development, others criticized it for stilted writing and a lack of meaningful player choices. Overall, the story is described as heartbreaking and significant, resonating with those who appreciate emotionally charged narratives, despite some gameplay limitations.
- “The game has a deep and rich story that shows just how bad the world can be even to children, this game allows for you to care and be a support system for a child trying to navigate the dark and sad world that is post-war Norway.”
- “This is a heartbreakingly beautiful story in a fairly good point, click, and drag game.”
- “The storytelling is great and spreads awareness of how German children were treated in other countries after World War II.”
- “While it may appeal to players looking for a thought-provoking narrative experience, its shallow gameplay and ham-fisted storytelling leave much to be desired.”
- “The start and the ending were bad for me, which is sad. I know the story is based on true events, but that doesn't mean I should accept the story as it is.”
- “Even though the story is deep and sad, the game itself was so boring.”
emotional
173 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
2%
The emotional aspect of "My Child Lebensborn" is overwhelmingly powerful, with many players reporting deep emotional connections to the characters and their struggles, often leading to tears and heartache. The game effectively tackles heavy themes such as identity, prejudice, and the trauma of war, creating a poignant narrative that resonates with players on a personal level. While some found the emotional weight challenging, the overall consensus is that the game offers a meaningful and impactful experience that is both heartbreaking and educational.
- “My child Lebensborn is such a soul-crushing, heart-wrenching bittersweet game based on real events where you can only try to do your best for your adoptive child, while managing resources and time and trying to save and protect them from a cruel world.”
- “This game is both beautiful and heartbreaking. It made me feel a sliver of what I suppose being a parent feels like; wanting to do everything in your power to protect your precious little one from harm and provide them with everything their little hearts could ever need or want.”
- “The story is deeply emotional and incredibly well-told, which makes it almost impossible not to get invested.”
- “Overall, this game felt like reading a boring story, rather than playing a game where I shape a compelling narrative through my choices.”
- “The emotional moments were predictable and lacked depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I expected to feel something, but the game failed to evoke any real emotions; it was all surface-level.”
gameplay
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
73%
6%
The gameplay is generally described as simple and repetitive, often likened to a digital pet management experience, which may detract from the overall engagement for some players. While the mechanics are easy to learn and serve to support a profound narrative, many reviewers feel that the gameplay lacks depth and can feel exploitative given the serious themes it addresses. Despite its simplicity, the emotional weight of the story and character attachment resonate strongly with players, making it a compelling experience for those seeking a narrative-driven game rather than complex mechanics.
- “Through interactive gameplay and meaningful choices, 'My Child Lebensborn' offers players a chance to experience the weight of their decisions and the consequences they may have on their child's well-being.”
- “The mechanics are easy to learn and they really lift the story up in a way that I wasn't prepared for.”
- “Outstanding narrative game with light management gameplay.”
- “First and foremost, the gameplay is painfully repetitive.”
- “While it may appeal to players looking for a thought-provoking narrative experience, its shallow gameplay and ham-fisted storytelling leave much to be desired.”
- “The gameplay becomes a little bit repetitive, but the story makes up for it.”
graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
32%
14%
The game's graphics feature a charming hand-drawn art style that effectively enhances the emotional depth of the narrative, despite some criticism of stiff animations that can detract from immersion. Players appreciate the unique and evocative visuals, which, combined with a haunting soundtrack, create a poignant atmosphere that resonates deeply with the story's themes. Overall, while the graphics may not be technically advanced, they are praised for their beauty and ability to convey powerful emotions.
- “The art style and music effectively create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the emotional impact of the story.”
- “Unique and fantastic art style coupled with a beautiful and heartbreaking story.”
- “The game’s art style is beautiful and its soundtrack is hauntingly perfect.”
- “Graphically, the game is a mixed bag.”
- “While the hand-drawn art style is charming and evocative, the animations are stiff and awkward, with characters moving in a robotic manner that detracts from the overall immersion.”
- “As a result, neither hand-drawn graphics nor the chosen topic save the novelty.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the emotional depth of the story. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as beautiful and haunting, effectively evoking feelings of sadness and joy, while also appreciating its calming presence throughout the gameplay. Overall, the combination of art and music contributes significantly to the game's emotional impact.
- “The art style and music effectively create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the emotional impact of the story.”
- “Overall, this is a beautiful game, with a wonderful soundtrack and genius writing that will reach you one way or another.”
- “The game’s art style is beautiful and its soundtrack is hauntingly perfect.”
- “While listening to the music during the credits, I was wondering how the birds outside were so loud even though it was raining, until I realized it was coming from my laptop.”
- “But anyway, when I heard sad music, accompanied by a sad expression, my heart immediately dropped, even if nothing was actually said.”
- “The music is very calming, and I found the art style to be really simple yet cute.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
Overall, the game's replayability is seen as significant due to the option to choose between two characters, but some players feel that the lack of meaningful choices diminishes the incentive to replay. Additionally, certain aspects of the game may detract from the experience, making it less appealing for those seeking a fulfilling or enjoyable replay.
- “I've just finished my first run with Klaus, and I can tell the replay value is huge, not only because you have two characters to select.”
- “The replayability is fantastic, with multiple paths and choices that encourage you to experience the game in different ways.”
- “Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, making it a game you can return to time and again.”
- “Only 'bad' thing for me was that I felt that the choices didn't matter too much in the end, which made it lack the replayability I usually want in choice-based games.”
- “This doesn't make a game more mature or realistic for its inclusion; it makes the game repulsive and unnecessarily stressful with zero replayability.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including major glitches, slow loading times, and frequent crashes that necessitate restarts. Players have reported problems with dialogue and events not triggering, leading to a frustrating experience despite meeting system requirements.
- “However, the game is surprisingly buggy... one crash, and three separate instances where dialogue/events wouldn't trigger until I restarted the game.”
- “Despite my computer exceeding all the requirements, the game loads very slowly and freezes after every save (which means after every in-game day), requiring a manual force-quit and then restarting the game afresh, and then waiting an unusually long time for such a simple game to load.”
- “Very fun but major glitches.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of caring for their child—feeding, bathing, and playing—to be tedious and monotonous, although some still consider the overall experience worthwhile and do not find the gameplay itself to be overly tedious.
- “Players are tasked with caring for their child by feeding, bathing, and playing with them, but these activities quickly become tedious and monotonous.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that character development is lacking, with many feeling that the writing is weak and fails to provide sufficient detail or depth. Players express a desire for more meaningful choices that could influence the characters' futures, particularly regarding the children in the narrative.
- “Needed more details in character development, as well as time and choices to build a bad or good future for the kids.”
- “Very weak writing and character development.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's art style and music work together to create an immersive atmosphere that significantly enhances the emotional depth of the story.
- “The art style and music effectively create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the emotional impact of the story.”
- “The haunting sound design and beautifully crafted environments draw you into a world that feels alive and full of mystery.”
- “Every detail, from the lighting to the ambient sounds, contributes to a captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged throughout the experience.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it genuinely funny and entertaining.
- “The humor in this game is absolutely hilarious and keeps me laughing throughout!”
- “I love how the witty dialogue and clever puns add so much charm to the gameplay.”
- “The comedic timing of the characters is spot on, making every interaction a joy to experience.”