Trauma
- August 8, 2011
- Krystian Majewski
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Trauma" is a single-player arcade game with high-quality graphics, lasting approximately 2 hours. It tells the story of a car accident survivor exploring her dreams through point-and-click adventure-style gameplay, featuring a gesture-based interface, dynamic levels, and photographic visuals, aiming for a deep, mature experience rather than a challenging puzzle game.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Trauma offers a unique and artistic experience, blending photography and interactive storytelling that evokes deep emotions.
- The voice acting and atmospheric music contribute significantly to the game's immersive quality, enhancing the overall experience.
- Many players appreciate the game's introspective themes and the exploration of trauma, finding it relatable and thought-provoking.
- The game is very short, often completed in under an hour, leaving some players feeling unsatisfied and wanting more content.
- The gameplay mechanics can be confusing and lack depth, leading to frustration for those expecting traditional puzzle-solving elements.
- The story is vague and abstract, which may alienate players looking for a clear narrative or engaging gameplay.
- story132 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story of the game is polarizing, with some players appreciating its abstract and symbolic elements, while others find it vague, disjointed, and lacking in emotional depth. Many reviews highlight the narrative's focus on a woman's traumatic experience and her dreams, but criticize the execution as superficial or pretentious, leading to a lack of engagement. Overall, it is seen more as an interactive story than a traditional game, with mixed opinions on its effectiveness and coherence.
“This is honestly one of my favorite 'games' or interactive stories ever.”
“The game itself and the story are intriguing and the visuals are pretty cool.”
“Trauma tells the story of life, interrupted.”
“The vague and obtuse story does little to carry this mash-up of a hog and a PowerPoint presentation.”
“There's no deep gameplay or clear story to be found here, just a lot of clicking and speculation.”
“The story is also so abstracted, disjointed, and boring that by the end you don't care what is going on or why, thus you have no incentive to continue completing the experience.”
- gameplay74 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Trauma" is characterized by its simplicity and ease of use, featuring point-and-click mechanics and a unique drawing system for navigation and interaction. While some players appreciate its experimental nature and artistic design, many criticize the lack of depth, puzzles, and a cohesive story, leading to a mixed reception that may appeal more to fans of indie games than traditional gamers. Overall, it offers a surreal experience that prioritizes atmosphere over conventional gameplay elements.
“It introduces several original gameplay elements that make it stand out from the crowd.”
“Imho, a great, quite successful experiment, with a surprising game mechanic I had never seen before and a dreamy, surrealistic atmosphere.”
“Gameplay is essentially point and click for navigation, and you learn to create these 'symbols' (performed with mouse-based gestures) that have generic purposes (e.g., directional controls) and in some cases can be used in less-than-obvious (but usually clever) applications.”
“There's no deep gameplay or clear story to be found here, just a lot of clicking and speculation.”
“Only try it if you're looking for a textbook example of the kind of pretentious gameplay-lacking indie game that everyone makes fun of.”
“Trauma is one of those games where you can't really call it a 'game' since there's no actual gameplay.”
- graphics47 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique photographic art style that some players find beautiful and atmospheric, despite being low resolution and occasionally blurry by modern standards. While the visuals are praised for their intriguing and surreal qualities, they are often described as outdated, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience. Players recommend the game for its artistic visuals, but suggest it is best enjoyed at a discount due to its short length and confusing narrative.
“I loved it; I love how with just pictures and sound recordings they created a very strong atmosphere and aesthetic.”
“Some might say that Dear Esther could be given the same criticism; however, it is a much richer experience, immersive in its beautifully executed graphics and sound design, which (with a little help from headphones and a dark room) can transport the player into the setting, giving them a large sense of immersion.”
“The aesthetics of it really stuck with me for years, and it holds a nice little place in my heart.”
“The graphics are also rather low resolution by modern standards, so the imagery often looks blurry and pixelated.”
“The controls are point & click, the graphics are outdated.”
“Strange experience with boring story and poor graphics.”
- atmosphere32 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its strong, eerie, and dreamlike qualities, effectively enhanced by its visuals, sound design, and music. Many players appreciate the melancholic and surreal ambiance, which evokes feelings of trauma and confinement, while some find it uninviting or flat. Overall, the combination of thoughtful pacing, ambient soundscapes, and compelling aesthetics creates a memorable and immersive experience.
“Played late at night with the lights off, the game manages to create an eerie, sometimes creepy atmosphere.”
“The ambience and voice acting are spot on, and the slow, thoughtful pace works well with the dreamlike atmosphere.”
“Also the soundtrack is fantastic; whoever made it should be given a lot of credit for really creating an intense atmosphere while playing the game. The intro song is really good, and the slower melodies really strike a chord in me. I don't know why, but the soundtrack is ideal for the overall theme and tone the game wanted you to feel.”
“Controls were unwieldy, and the atmosphere was very eerie and creepy, just generally uninviting.”
“I personally don't like the setting, the atmosphere is really sad and flat, voice acting is very poor.”
“The atmosphere and mood she sets with her contained, pensive descriptions of her surroundings creates a melancholy feeling reminiscent of many dreams; this unmutable sense of unlimited confinement and powerlessness.”
- music28 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack for its ability to create an intense and atmospheric experience, particularly highlighting the intro song and slower melodies. However, some players find the music unremarkable or distracting, with a few opting to play with the sound off due to repetitive sound effects. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the game's mood, opinions vary on its effectiveness and impact on gameplay.
“Also the soundtrack is fantastic; whoever made it should be given a lot of credit for really creating an intense atmosphere while playing the game. The intro song is really good, and the slower melodies really strike a chord in me. I don't know why, but the soundtrack is ideal for the overall theme and tone the game wanted you to feel.”
“Brilliant music direction and composition - it lends so much to the atmosphere.”
“The music and voice acting is unremarkable; I actually play with the sounds off since I got tired of the 'doesn't work' sound when I use a wrong gesture.”
“The puzzles don't feel thought through, and what music there is detracts from the game.”
“The audio does a lot to prop up this feeling, with understated sound effects and a low minimalist soundtrack that's just the right amount of menacing.”
- emotional12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is described as a mixed experience; while some players find it beautifully engaging and capable of evoking lasting feelings related to trauma, others criticize its storytelling and execution as uninspired and lacking depth. Overall, it seems to resonate strongly with some, while leaving others feeling disconnected.
“Nonetheless, it is enjoyable and emotional despite the stark photography and simplistic voiceover, with an interesting concept and execution.”
“It's beautiful, does some unusual things, and ends up touching upon certain themes that most games fail to.”
“I don't know what it is about trauma that's so engaging, but its emotional residue has lingered long after I finished the game.”
“Put these memories in one pot with some uninspired and boring storytelling, and you got the experience I had.”
“Strange experience with a boring story and poor graphics.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through multiple endings and collectible photos, though its overall length may limit the incentive to replay. While some players find the replay value lacking, others appreciate the experience and the variety of solutions available in each chapter.
“This game is quite short but it fits a lot in; as well as the main endings, there are alternate ones to find and also photos to collect, so it has replay value.”
“This game is quite short but it fits a lot in; as well as the main endings, there are alternate ones to find and also photos to collect, so it has replay value.”
“A modicum of replayability is achieved via multiple solutions/endings to each chapter, and by finding all of the 'polaroids' throughout.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and uninteresting, with the point-and-click interface contributing to a sense of dullness. Overall, the repetitive nature of the gameplay detracts from the overall experience.
“But this 'point and click' mystery game just felt dull and tediously uninteresting.”
“The point-and-click interface is tedious.”
