Like most people, I don’t like sad video games. Or rather, I don’t like ones that fill me with that emotion. But while Depression Quest may end up doing just that, its goal is something else entirely: to help those suffering from said illness and enlighten everyone else about how it can affect the human psyche.
I’m sure there’s some entertainment too, throughout the more than 40,000 words that make up this IF (Interactive Fiction). It seems that its creator’s intent is to first and foremost make the player understand exactly what it feels like to suffer from depression, however (not to be confused with being depressed). Chances are the experience will be much too emotional for some, but personally, I can’t wait to embark on that kind of journey.
You are given a series of everyday life events and have to attempt to manage your illness, relationships, job, and possible treatment.
As with most (but not all) IF creations, the choices you make throughout Depression Quest shape the outcome, with your depression level determining available options. Because of this, there’s more to this, than that of your average choose-your-own-adventure, as decisions will have an impact of some sort. That and there are also multiple endings, again, depending on what you did, when and where (or at least, the ‘what’ part).
According to its description, a playthrough likely won’t take long, which should make the prospect of going back to – hopefully – experience an alternative outcome, appealing. In that sense, anyway, although I suspect most (myself included) will be satisfied, or at least content, after the initial journey’s conclusion.
Depression Quest is available from Steam, itch.io and the official website for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
