The Housewife
- August 25, 2016
- Colossal Wreck
Get on Steam"The Housewife" is a narrative-driven simulation game where you play as a 1960s housewife, managing household chores, raising a family, and navigating societal expectations. The game features a distinctive art style and offers a unique perspective on the role of women in mid-century America. Balance your daily tasks and personal goals while dealing with the challenges and rewards of domestic life.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a beautiful soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- It attempts to tackle a serious subject matter, raising awareness about domestic abuse.
- Some players found the game to be thought-provoking and appreciated its unique perspective on the psyche of abuse victims.
- The gameplay is tedious and repetitive, often feeling more like a cleaning simulator than a meaningful narrative experience.
- Many players criticized the game's execution, stating it fails to deliver its intended message effectively and lacks depth in storytelling.
- The graphics and controls are poorly designed, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the serious themes the game aims to address.
- story15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for its lack of depth and context, with many reviewers noting that it fails to provide a meaningful narrative or character development. While the intention to raise awareness about domestic violence is acknowledged, the execution is seen as unrealistic and superficial, leaving players with an empty simulation rather than a relatable or engaging storyline. Overall, the consensus is that the game would benefit from a more substantial and coherent story to enhance its impact.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“I actually liked them better than the original 'story' part of the game.”
“I do salute the developer for the idea, yet I sincerely suggest for him to adorn his game with some more context and an actual story next time, alongside a bit more relatable gameplay dynamic.”
“Non-existing gameplay with no explanation nor story; you're supposed to just clean your house and get beaten.”
“No backstory, no dialogue, no character depth, nothing.”
“The game is just doing chores, with the story just skin deep.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily centered around cleaning mechanics, which some players find tedious and lacking depth, with comparisons made to other cleaning simulators like "Viscera Cleanup Detail." While the concept is appreciated, many reviewers suggest that the gameplay could benefit from improved mechanics, better context, and a more engaging narrative. Overall, the experience is seen as basic and sometimes frustrating, particularly due to issues with aiming and distance perception.
“I do salute the developer for the idea, yet I sincerely suggest for him to adorn his game with some more context and an actual story next time, alongside a bit more relatable gameplay dynamic.”
“The graphics aren't too good, the gameplay is alright, but it's good to see a developer going into an area not many people will touch. I actually enjoyed it.”
“Gameplay is nothing new, but that's not the point of this game; the implications are.”
“Some of the mechanics, like drying cloths, could have been mastered a little better though.”
“Again, their gameplay is similarly tedious, this time without the time limit.”
“With gameplay, the reticle brings up problems; it must be dead on to pick up or aim, and distance is hard to interpret when doing the garbage chore.”
- humor8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as unintentional and often derived from poor animations and technical flaws, which some players find amusing despite the serious themes of domestic abuse. While certain moments, like the exaggerated portrayal of a character's actions, elicit laughter, many reviewers feel that this undermines the gravity of the subject matter, leading to a mixed reception regarding the game's comedic elements. Overall, the humor appears to stem more from the game's shortcomings than from intentional comedic design.
“Omfg, I'm laughing so hard.”
“Now, the animation used for all these is so bad that it becomes funny rather than disturbing.”
“The only real reason to play this game is to watch the hilarious sequence in which the husband comes home thinking he's Roman Reigns and hits his wife with a Superman punch.”
“Yeah, it's not funny.”
“I'm not sure if the creators of this game thought that it was funny, but it is really not funny.”
“Not only does it teach the horror of domestic abuse, but it also teaches the player how to optimize the time you are given to perform a task and the unfunny feeling you get when someone watches you as you perform your duties.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its relaxing and beautiful qualities, featuring a lengthy soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Players find it enjoyable enough to listen to outside of gameplay, likening it to a real-life soundtrack that complements daily activities.
“But it has a nice soundtrack.”
“Beautiful music, very long soundtrack.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, with repetitive tasks that lack excitement. The gameplay is described as boring, particularly due to the lack of a time limit, which further emphasizes the drudgery of completing the required tasks across the four chapters.
“The game consists of 4 chapters, and in each chapter, we are given a list of tedious tasks to complete before our husband comes back home.”
“Again, their gameplay is similarly tedious, though this time without the time limit.”
“This game is so tedious and boring.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively captures the profound impact of emotional abuse, illustrating how it can dominate a victim's life and choices, as seen through the open door symbolizing both freedom and fear of consequences. The end screens reinforce this emotional turmoil, highlighting that regardless of success or failure, players are left grappling with feelings of fear, anxiety, and pain.
“To further show that emotional abuse has already taken its toll on you, the game shows that the front door of the house is wide open, and that you can technically leave at any time, but as soon as you reach the road you remind yourself that your controlling husband does not want you to leave the house and you fear the consequence of displeasing him.”
“The other part that most conveys something about being an abuse victim are the end screens to each level--it doesn't matter if you pass or fail, you're still experiencing fear, anxiety, and emotional pain.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The graphics have received negative feedback, with many users describing them as poor and unfinished, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite some appreciation for the developer's ambition, the visual quality and buggy controls have left players disappointed.
“Bad graphics.”
“Bad graphics, buggy controls, and the map seems to have an unfinished feel.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for poor graphics, buggy controls, and an overall unfinished map design, leading to a frustrating user experience.
“The graphics are poor, the controls are buggy, and the map feels unfinished.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I encountered numerous glitches that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
