This Child Of Mine

About

This Child Of Mine is a single player action game with horror and mystery themes. It was developed by BeetleFish Studios and was released on March 12, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

This is a short 2.5D adventure platformer. Travel along with a woman and her child surviving during an alien invasion. Inspired by classic sci-fi, this quiet, melancholy journey will show the depths a mother will go to protect her child, if she can survive...

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 63 reviews

story10 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

The game has an interesting story and unique atmosphere, immersing players in the role of a parent helping a traumatized child.
The visuals and audio create a melancholic ambiance that enhances the emotional experience.
It's a free game that offers a short but engaging experience, making it worth a try for those interested in indie titles.

The character movement is painfully slow, and the controls are often unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay.
The game is riddled with bugs, particularly during critical moments like boss battles, which can prevent progress.
As a demo, it feels incomplete and lacks depth, leaving players wanting more in terms of story and gameplay mechanics.

story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it intriguing and well-crafted, particularly praising its unique premise and engaging dialogue. However, some critiques highlight a lack of depth and originality, with comparisons to other well-known narratives, and concerns about the overall execution and mechanics. Overall, while the story shows potential and offers an interesting atmosphere, it may require further development to fully realize its promise.
- “The story is unique and intriguing.”
- “There is a great deal of potential here, not only in terms of gameplay but also regarding the story of the mother and child.”
- “At first, I found the game endearing; it had decent voice acting that left a story premise that I felt would be long-lasting in my mind.”
- “In fact, the concept is merely a copy of another well-known story available for free elsewhere.”
- “The game concept is good, but the game is a bit shallow right now on story and lore.”
- “I'm not sure what direction you intend to take this game, but I do hope to see both a lengthier game and a more detailed story as changes and/or additions are made.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the pleasing visuals and atmosphere, while others criticize them as sub-par and plagued by bugs. Although there are moments of excellent design, particularly in certain puzzles, the overall execution is inconsistent, leading to a lack of immersion due to mechanical issues.
- “The little connect the dot puzzles are a nice change of pace from side-scrolling and the visuals are excellent.”
- “The animations and graphics are nice.”
- “+ pleasing graphics and atmosphere”
- “A bit short, graphically not that amazing.”
- “Mechanics are awful, there's no story, graphics and animations are very sub-par to non-existent and this thing is littered with bugs.”
- “But I do point out a few graphics things that I feel need improved or fixed.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay is generally criticized for its lack of challenge and poorly executed mechanics, such as ineffective jumping and movement limitations, leading to a short playtime of around 15 minutes. While some users appreciate the simplicity and potential of certain mechanics, overall feedback highlights issues with bugs, subpar graphics, and a lack of engaging content.
- “There is a great deal of potential here, not only in terms of gameplay but also regarding the story of the mother and child.”
- “It is a wonderful game, I like the gameplay; it is easy to handle and I enjoy the minigame where you have to connect the light points.”
- “+ simple and understandable gameplay”
- “The game runs for about 15 minutes at best as there's not really much of a challenge other than the movement that makes progression harder; there is no running and the jumping mechanics are not well done.”
- “Certain mechanics were shown but never reused.”
- “Mechanics are awful; there's no story, graphics and animations are very sub-par to non-existent, and this thing is littered with bugs.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been widely criticized for its instability, with multiple users reporting significant bugs, particularly towards the end of playthroughs. Issues include freezing character models and malfunctioning mechanics, such as a non-functional grapple hook during critical moments, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game's stability is considered poor, detracting from the enjoyment of the gameplay.
- “The game is extremely buggy.”
- “Worst piece of buggy trash I've seen on Steam yet.”
- “Did enjoy the game until the buggy end boss where my grapple hook stopped working.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is highlighted by the witty banter of an alien parasite, which adds a comedic layer to the otherwise tense scenario of avoiding abduction. While some users find the humor to be a standout feature, others feel it is limited, contributing to a mixed overall impression.
- “She's alone with her child and avoiding abduction by aliens while carrying an alien parasite with a snarky sense of humor.”
- “It's very humorous to listen to, and it's by far my favorite part of this game so far.”
- “Atmosphere was great, story is somewhat interesting and funny.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's optimization has been criticized for its lack of smooth performance, with sluggish movement affecting gameplay. Reviewers express a desire for further development to enhance polish and overall optimization, indicating that additional support may be needed to improve these aspects.
- “I would back it on Kickstarter (if they do another one) to help get the game finished, polished, optimized, and have more content added.”
- “Would I back it on Kickstarter (if they do another one) to help get the game finished, polished, optimized, and more content added?”
- “There are little things that need to be optimized and polished.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its amazing quality and pleasing graphics. Many find it engaging and recommend experiencing it, noting that it enhances the overall enjoyment of the story, which is described as interesting and humorous.
- “The atmosphere is amazing, and I'd highly recommend picking it up. If not, check out my short, helpful playthrough! :D”
- “Pleasing graphics and atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere was great; the story is somewhat interesting and funny.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The music in the game is largely absent, with a notable lack of a soundtrack during gameplay, which contributes to a slower experience. While some players appreciated the music during the credits, the overall feedback indicates that the sparse audio design detracts from the game's atmosphere.
- “The characters and environment are quite nice, but the soundtrack really only exists during the credits, leaving the rest of the game feeling even slower with no music or ambient noise.”
- “Nice little game, I was enjoying my time with it. Overall, its graphics are nice, the music is good, and the storyline is the normal thing.”
- “There is no soundtrack for the setting.”
- “The music is completely forgettable and doesn't enhance the experience.”
- “The game lacks a cohesive musical theme, making it feel empty.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the game's short length limits character development and player connection, suggesting that a more extensive narrative could enhance these aspects in future iterations.
- “Because it is only short, there isn't much character development or connection to the character, but that can happen when you make more for this game.”