Wednesdays

I love when I accidentally stumble upon profound media. It’s short, it’s concise, and it is a game I will be thinking about for a long time. Side note, the art style is just fantastic.

A very well made and emotionally tough game raising awareness about child sexual abuse that doesn't overstay its welcome while doing exactly what it set out to do in a brilliant way. I can't directly relate as I, thankfully, have not suffered anything like this, but that does not stop you from appreciating the work and it does a good job [i]teaching[/i] the player about the subject from the perspective of what it's like as an adult years later, and helps you be able to relate and have understanding in a much bigger way than on just a surface level, default "I'm sorry to hear that, hope you're okay" type way. It helps you understand things a bit deeper than that. It does a good job pointing out that trauma isn't a black and white thing. It doesn't mean you didn't suffer any deep-rooted emotional consequences or didn't get traumatised just because you haven't gone off the deep end, or your life hasn't been completely ruined. I'd have no idea if it's actually a realistic portrayal of this specific subject, but it at least felt quite realistic and genuine to me. For anyone willing to subject themselves to quite a few uncomfortable scenes and be in a constant reminder that this, and…

polecam

Important topic presented in an easily digested fashion. Please talk to people!

For a long time I didn't bother to acknowledge owning this game. It was a freebie, who cares? After not being able to find anything to play the day I was writing this, I checked it out. It's a really important, eye opening game for someone who has not experienced the stories told in it. It clearly comes from a place of sincerity and is so perfectly done that I think word of it should be spread and recognized more in serious gaming communities. Wednesdays is a short visual novel about reliving the trauma of child sexual abuse and living alongside it. The story obviously has a heavy meaning, but I'm glad that it also has lighter points throughout it. Reading it put me through a new perspective on life, maybe not a life changing one, but it made me more appreciative of my own life and more considerate of people who have been victims. It really does touch the heart in only about 1.5-2 hours. That's about what I am willing to say about the story of Tim. It really should be experienced without prior knowledge and read into more deeply, not just as an "awareness program." The game is so unique. Playing a game inside of the game to tell the story is an amazing concept, which is executed …

"The hardest part is not to speak up. It’s being heard." Wednesdays tackles the difficult and important subject of child sexual abuse through a mix of visual novel and arcade-style gameplay. It’s a brave subject for a game to explore, and the developers clearly aim to tell a hopeful story despite its heavy themes. The game has two main layers. First, there’s an arcade-style park that you gradually develop, with each attraction leading into the second layer: the narrative. Unfortunately, the narrative is where Wednesdays struggles the most. For much of the game, the story feels slow, disjointed, and difficult to become invested in. The dialogue itself is generally well written, but there’s often a lack of direction or a clear sense of how the individual events fit together. As a result, many of the conversations and scenes lose their impact. I’m not someone who shies away from difficult subjects, and I appreciate games that are willing to tackle them. But because Wednesdays is structured more like a visual novel than a traditional game, the story needs to carry much of the experience. Unfortunately, for most of the game, it simply isn’t engaging enough to do that. Things impro…