Pregnancy
- March 2, 2015
- Locomotivah
"Pregnancy" is a single-player Role Playing game that tells the story of Lilla Sandor, a 14-year-old Hungarian girl who becomes pregnant after being abused by a criminal. As the player, you guide Lilla's decisions about her pregnancy by acting as her voice of conscience. The game tracks your choices and compares them to other players, taking inspiration from games like Telltale's The Walking Dead and Atlus' Catherine.
Reviews
- The game tackles a sensitive and important topic, providing an emotional experience that can provoke thought and discussion.
- The unique mechanic of being a voice in the protagonist's head offers an original narrative perspective.
- Despite its brevity, the game manages to engage players and encourage reflection on complex issues surrounding pregnancy and choice.
- The game is extremely short, lasting only about 20-30 minutes, which may leave players feeling unsatisfied.
- Choices made by the player often feel meaningless, as the protagonist's final decision is always the opposite of what the player suggests.
- The writing quality is inconsistent, with numerous grammatical errors and a lack of depth in character development.
- story81 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its brevity and lack of depth, often describing it as a minimalistic slideshow rather than a fully developed narrative. While some found the story engaging and thought-provoking, particularly in its portrayal of sensitive themes, others criticized it for being linear, with choices that do not significantly impact the outcome. Overall, the narrative is seen as compelling yet underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more in terms of plot and character development.
“I really felt like I was truly having a conversation with this young girl, and I found it interesting how not everything you discuss with her is of importance to the story, and just makes you feel like you're talking to a 14-year-old girl.”
“This game does tell a story that I will remember for a long time.”
“Lilla’s story is approached with respect and sensitivity, and while it certainly isn’t going to change any preconceived ideas you may have about abortion, it might prompt you to explore why you feel the way that you do.”
“Despite all the good premises and intentions, it's still a 30-minute experience that doesn't treat the subject in depth and doesn't offer much in terms of plot and 'choice and consequences.'”
“The story seems rushed through, and the developers have done a poor job of setting themselves in Lilla's shoes to make the story vivid.”
“Your choices feel skin deep at best, and don't appear to have any real clear effect on the events of the story.”
- music25 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and fitting for the minimalist presentation, while others criticize it as dull and mismatched with the game's serious themes. The soundtrack includes both upbeat and classical pieces, but issues like glitches and repetitive tracks detract from the overall experience. Overall, the music is seen as a significant yet polarizing element, contributing to the game's emotional impact for some, while feeling out of place for others.
“You also get a very interesting soundtrack.”
“Just words and music with static images, yet it manages to be engrossing-- worth playing just for that, as an interesting look at how minimalist a game can be and still be convincing, but also worth playing for its story and ending.”
“The game has pretty good music; you'll need to read yourself (there is no voice acting in the game), and the ending is based on the choices you make and what you say to the girl.”
“You watch a slideshow with no drawings, no animation, no voice acting, nothing, just text written on a fixed lazy background with an equally lazy soundtrack.”
“Even with its best intentions, the game doesn't go far off from being a lame PowerPoint presentation with some piano music in the background.”
“Two dollars gets you a 15-minute long interactive PowerPoint presentation with colorized stock photos, dull music, and terrible writing.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique mechanic where players act as a voice in the protagonist's head, influencing her choices rather than directly controlling her actions. However, many reviews criticize the overall lack of traditional gameplay elements, such as puzzles or character development, leading to a perception of minimal engagement and a short experience. While the concept is seen as original, the execution leaves much to be desired, with complaints about poor writing and a lack of depth.
“What surprised me the most though, was actually the game mechanic: instead of putting ourselves directly in Lilla's shoes and making her choices for her, we will play the part of a 'voice' in her head that expresses its own opinion about the choices that Lilla will have to make.”
“I found this mechanic original and interesting, and I honestly think that other developers could take note for other adventures.”
“Fortunately, the game mechanics are the game's saving grace.”
“No gameplay, done in 20 minutes.”
“There is no gameplay to speak of; the main character is very simply written and difficult to identify with. There are numerous typos, and it is very clear the creator did not spend much time polishing this 'game'.”
“No gameplay, no graphics, no story, no relatable characters, bad dialogue.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics in this game are largely criticized for being minimal, with many users noting that it primarily consists of text over static images, lacking any significant visual engagement. While some reviews mention impressive graphics in certain contexts, the overall consensus is that the visuals are simplistic and do not enhance the storytelling experience, making it feel more like an interactive novel than a traditional game.
“Graphics, sounds and general gameplay was designed amazingly.”
“The action is amazing, graphics stunning.”
“I actually thought I was a pregnant 14-year-old Hungarian girl, very immersive, with impressive graphics to boot.”
“Only text over some pictures; I'd expect some graphics.”
“Has no visuals - is only text on a screen.”
“There is no animated graphics, just repeated photos of the people talking in the story.”
- emotional15 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is described as deeply impactful, aiming to sensitize players to complex and heartbreaking themes, particularly surrounding pregnancy and trauma. While some players found the experience touching and reflective of real struggles, others criticized it for lacking depth and authenticity, feeling that it fell into clichés and failed to fully convey the emotional weight of the subject matter. Overall, the game elicits strong feelings, but opinions vary on its effectiveness in delivering a genuine emotional experience.
“You can feel her desperation, and it is simply heartbreaking.”
“It is even more heartbreaking when you sit down and realize, wow, this is something millions of women have experienced, or will.”
“A really touching and personal game.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is entertaining and incorporates pop culture references, particularly in its idolization of American pop music and celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence. However, it contrasts this lightheartedness with serious themes, such as the moral dilemmas surrounding teenage pregnancy, indicating that while the humor is present, the overall tone is more serious and thought-provoking.
“It has entertaining humor, while being educational in the sense that you really get to see inside the mind of a victim.”
“Funny pop culture references.”
“Along with the humor of idolizing pop music from America and loving Jennifer Lawrence for her acting and not the 'fappening', there's a serious tone on whether or not a 14-year-old girl should keep a baby or abort it.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while some users find it lacking and not worth revisiting, others appreciate its high replay value despite its short length. Overall, opinions vary significantly, with some considering it a good value for its price.
“Has a lot of replayability.”
“This game, while very short compared to a Telltale game, makes up for it in replayability.”
“Really no replay value at all, but at only 2 bucks, not a big deal.”
“All in all, this game is worth the 2 bucks it costs; however, it has no replay value.”
“This game is very short compared to a Telltale game and makes up for it in replayability.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report stability issues, including copyediting errors and glitches in music playback, such as overlapping tracks or complete stoppages of audio.
“There are copyediting issues as well as glitches with the music playback; for some people, it played two tracks at the same time, while for me, one track just stopped playing.”
“The game frequently crashes, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
“I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience, including freezing and unexpected errors.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for its pervasive and insidious advertising, which frequently references pop culture, movie franchises, and Apple products, detracting from the overall experience.
“However, throughout the whole story, it feels like there's insidious advertising with its constant referencing of pop culture, movie series, and Apple products.”
“The monetization strategy is overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend money.”
“I feel like the game is designed to push players towards microtransactions at every turn, which ruins the overall experience.”