Succor

It's a game about depression. You wake up hungry in your dirty, cluttered mess of an apartment, and have the option to try to fix things, or not. Menus and environmental details provide flashbacks that tell you about the protagonist's life and how they got to this point. You also encounter metaphorical demons representing your emotional struggles.

The art is minimal and evocative, while the classical piano music set me on edge. I associate classical piano music with misery for various reasons and don't like it much. I suppose it's ultimately fitting for this game. The music was quiet enough to not distract from the text, either.

Though fictional, it's a personal kind of story. I imagine the player's response will vary depending on their own experiences and how much they can relate.

A lot of people go through situations like this, I guess, where you're not sure how to pull together the motivation to continue on. In the end, you either do or you don't. The protagonist seems to have no friends or family to talk to about their struggles, so they're left to deal with it on their own and the outside world doesn't really care whether they succeed or fail. It's a harsh fact that when you're alone and at your lowest point it doesn't even seem to matter whether you do the "right" thing or not, and whether you suffer a "victory" or "defeat" in the game people call "managing your mental health", one day will still become another, and you'll still have to keep addressing your own needs, trying to stay above water.

The TV channels evoked this the most for me. The cynical channel descriptions get at the soullessness of modern media that worships profit and lauds the perfect life you'll never have:

Shots of bright beaches, breathtaking vistas and luxurious resorts comprise the majority of a snazzy travel show. The host benevolently devotes 45 seconds of the hour-long program to visiting an orphanage in the impoverished exotic destination before a change of location to dig into a seven-course meal.

An ad filled with high-pitched singing, nauseatingly bright colors and boggle-eyed creatures entices you to buy toys branded off a popular children's show.

A news segment features footage from a nearby homeless encampment, while a scrolling ticker along the bottom of the screen screams about the stock market's record highs.

You find a cooking show featuring a celebrity chef using ingredients most folks would need to mortgage their home to afford. The host oohs in awe.

An elderly couple stare at each other in gentle adoration while a man breathlessly rattles off a list of medicinal side effects.

An ad for a charity comes on, filled with images of starving children and soft, tearjerking piano music.

You find a documentary about space tourism and watch for a few moments as the world's wealthiest leave the planet. You change the channel before they can return.

Note: This review was written during Spring Thing 2025, and originally posted in the intfiction forum on 18 April 2025.

Now trying this collaborative piece where you’re haunted by the past, and uncovering old demons, as you explore your apartment, and try to find something to eat.

I liked the graphics, though turned off the sound, which distracted me too much from reading. Thanks to the authors for the ability to turn off text delays, and also for the comprehensive content warnings at the start of the game.

As you play through you uncover old takeaway food menus from the past, just as you are getting hungrier and hungrier ironically. I think the idea is to explore the various dishes on there, and revisit past memories as a result. I’m afraid that I didn’t really want to explore all the menu options. They were often too painful, and I just wanted to search the apartment for food (I can be extremely straight-line thinking at times!).

In the end although I found some rice and cleaned the kitchen and put some spiced water cooking on the hob, and something vanilla in the microwave oven (I also cleaned elsewhere) I still couldn’t find food to eat. So didn’t reach a totally satisfactory ending. Though my character was able to work through a lot of their demons.

This is a game with many endings. I achieved one, but didn't get any of the 7 achievements.

This game uses extensive music, styling, and art to provide a dark and (literally) demonic atmosphere. You play as someone in a messy and cluttered apartment. Looking around, you find reminders of your life as well as huge messes.

Any attempts to get things done result in demons appearing that attack you. You can confront them in negative or positive ways (I laughed when one potential response to a demon attacking you was to doom scroll, but it makes sense since that's often a real-life response to stress).

You have a strong connection to food; there are a ton of take-out menus and each item gives you a flashback or an emotional connection.

This worked for me as a 'depression simulator', and I found it relatable and having an overall uplifting message.