STAY ALIVE MY SON (VR): A True Story About A Father's Relentless Search For His Son

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STAY ALIVE MY SON (VR): A True Story About A Father's Relentless Search For His Son is a single player role playing game. It was developed by UME STUDIOS and was released on May 1, 2024. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"Stay Alive My Son" is a VR game spanning 45 years, based on the true story of Yathay Pin, a survivor of the Cambodian genocide. Players witness Pin's harrowing journey of family separation, survival, and resilience, navigating decisions that unfold his poignant narrative. This immersive experience, honored with awards, bridges the past, explores human endurance, and celebrates the power of love, forgiveness, and healing.

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Single-Player

STAY ALIVE MY SON (VR): A True Story About A Father's Relentless Search For His Son screenshot

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100%

Audience ScoreBased on 60 reviews

story20 positive mentions

gameplay2 negative mentions

Stay Alive My Son offers a deeply emotional and immersive experience, effectively conveying the harrowing story of a father's struggle during the Cambodian genocide.
The graphics and sound design are stunning, creating a hyper-realistic environment that enhances the storytelling and emotional impact.
This VR experience is highly recommended for its educational value and ability to evoke empathy, making it a powerful tool for understanding complex historical events.

The game is reported to be highly unpolished, with performance issues requiring high-end hardware for optimal experience.
Some users experienced blurriness on certain VR headsets, which detracted from the overall visual quality.
The game may be too intense for sensitive players, as it deals with heavy themes of loss and trauma that can be emotionally overwhelming.

story
90 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
75%
3%
The story of "Stay Alive My Son" is a deeply emotional and immersive experience, centered on the true account of Pin Yathay's struggle to find his son during the Cambodian genocide. Reviewers praise its powerful narrative, which explores themes of loss, family, and resilience, enhanced by lifelike graphics and thoughtful gameplay mechanics that keep players engaged without detracting from the emotional weight of the story. Overall, it is highly recommended for those seeking a meaningful and impactful storytelling experience in VR.
- “For those who are sensitive: this story is a rollercoaster ride of deep emotions that keeps you wanting more despite wanting to stop many times.”
- “The game tells a heart-wrenching story about a father's fight to find his son during the Cambodian genocide.”
- “The story is the heart of this game, dealing with themes of loss, family, guilt, and acceptance, all told through an adaptation of an autobiography about the Cambodian genocide.”
- “I warn other viewers that this is a heavy story, albeit the hope and optimism that it leaves the viewer.”
- “This was an incredibly moving experience, following a tragic story of loss based on real-life events.”
- “The story is the heart of this game, dealing with themes of loss, family, guilt, and acceptance all told through an adaptation of an autobiography about the Cambodian genocide.”
emotional
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a profoundly emotional experience, centered around a father's harrowing quest to find his son during the Cambodian genocide. Players report being deeply moved by the touching narrative and the heart-wrenching choices that evoke strong feelings, leaving a lasting impact long after the experience ends. Despite some technical shortcomings, the emotional depth and beautifully crafted storytelling make it a highly recommended journey for those seeking a powerful narrative.
- “And when the inevitable happens, when you are forced to make impossible choices with heartbreaking consequences, it's like a punch to the gut.”
- “Stay alive my son is an incredibly touching experience that really pulls at the heartstrings.”
- “The game tells a heart-wrenching story about a father's fight to find his son during the Cambodian genocide.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
25%
15%
The graphics in this VR experience are widely praised as stunning and highly realistic, creating an immersive environment that enhances the emotional storytelling. Reviewers highlight the detailed visuals as some of the best in VR, with mind-blowing scenes that draw players into the narrative and evoke strong emotional responses. Overall, the combination of exceptional graphics and compelling storytelling makes this experience stand out in the VR landscape.
- “This VR experience is next-level, with stunning graphics making every moment real and multi-layered sound design that pulls you right into this man’s world, thoughts, and emotions.”
- “The narrative is gripping and beautifully told, making you feel every bit of the protagonist's pain and hope, and the visuals are some of the best of the best in VR, with some scenes that are genuinely mind-blowing.”
- “The graphics are so real, and you really feel like you're right there with the father and son as they struggle to survive.”
- “Honestly, one of the best story-driven experiences in VR out there. The graphics, atmosphere, sound design, and writing make it an amazing VR experience, and I hope to see more like this in the future.”
- “The storytelling of these real memories mixed with real-time graphics while walking in these worlds is kind of mind-blowing.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The game's optimization is criticized for being highly unpolished, requiring powerful hardware like the RTX 5090 for satisfactory performance and high super-sampling levels. Users report rough performance even on high-end GPUs like the RTX 4090, although the app does support native Oculus drivers for improved performance. Despite these issues, the game's touching story remains a highlight for many players.
- “This app supports native Oculus drivers for optimal performance.”
- “Also, performance was rough even on my 4090, but I lived with it.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The gameplay is characterized by intuitive light mechanics that seamlessly enhance the narrative, allowing players to remain emotionally engaged without feeling disconnected from the story. Reviewers appreciate how these mechanics facilitate a smooth transition into the game, creating a cohesive experience akin to that of a movie.
- “The light gameplay mechanics are intuitive and enhance the narrative without being inauthentic to the story, so I was never taken out of the emotion.”
- “I was impressed by the mechanics, and the initial part of the story helped ease into the experience of being in a game/movie.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
The music in the game is widely praised for its breathtaking quality and exceptional sound design, evoking powerful emotions reminiscent of Hans Zimmer's compositions, particularly in relation to the themes of loss and hope during the Cambodian genocide. Reviewers highlight the beautiful integration of music with the game's art, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
- “Truly breathtaking experience, amazing music and sound design.”
- “Beautiful art and music.”
- “The music in the background gave me a Hans Zimmer/LOTR (Battle of Helm's Deep where all hope is lost but regained) feel that allowed one to feel the hurt of Pin Yathay and the truly impossible decisions he faced during an impossible time, the Cambodia genocide.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its emotional depth and exceptional art direction, leaving a lasting impression on players. Many reviewers highlight the combination of a moving narrative and immersive visuals as key elements that enhance the overall experience.
- “Incredibly moving story, phenomenal atmosphere and art direction; I'll be thinking about this for a long time.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

STAY ALIVE MY SON (VR): A True Story About A Father's Relentless Search For His Son is a role playing game.

STAY ALIVE MY SON (VR): A True Story About A Father's Relentless Search For His Son is available on PC and Windows.

STAY ALIVE MY SON (VR): A True Story About A Father's Relentless Search For His Son was released on May 1, 2024.

STAY ALIVE MY SON (VR): A True Story About A Father's Relentless Search For His Son was developed by UME STUDIOS.

STAY ALIVE MY SON (VR): A True Story About A Father's Relentless Search For His Son has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

STAY ALIVE MY SON (VR): A True Story About A Father's Relentless Search For His Son is a single player game.

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