

Brain Please Don't
Critique Gaming · 2020 · Indie, Casual, Simulation, Adventure, Realistic
PC
Mixed67% · 12
Compare prices in Official Stores
About Brain Please Don't
Brain Please Don’t lets you try Cameron’s week with various different versions of the teenager, and each choice made along the way changes Cameron’s inner universe, and the deck that represents it.
In each encounter, play the cards that represent Cameron’s inner workings, thoughts and impulses. Like in any teenager’s life, avoiding self-doubt, anxiety and inadequacy will be a constant challenge. Those challenges can only be meaningfully overcome if the psyche changes to manage them, if you build the deck into a better version of itself through the choices made.
Having better mental states give you access to more answers, and good answers can sometimes create better general states of mind. The game is all about trying to construct positive psychological spirals, while also looking at what happens when that can’t be the case.
Not all endings are always happy, not all darkness is always pitch black, and only your take of each playthrough can explore the various paths and destinations of this short game.
In each encounter, play the cards that represent Cameron’s inner workings, thoughts and impulses. Like in any teenager’s life, avoiding self-doubt, anxiety and inadequacy will be a constant challenge. Those challenges can only be meaningfully overcome if the psyche changes to manage them, if you build the deck into a better version of itself through the choices made.
Having better mental states give you access to more answers, and good answers can sometimes create better general states of mind. The game is all about trying to construct positive psychological spirals, while also looking at what happens when that can’t be the case.
Not all endings are always happy, not all darkness is always pitch black, and only your take of each playthrough can explore the various paths and destinations of this short game.
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
✦ AI summary
Players appreciate the game's interesting concept of combining deckbuilding with interactive narrative and its low price point, but criticize the lack of meaningful choice and strategy since card draws largely dictate outcomes rather than player decisions. The game is acknowledged as very short but useful as a proof-of-concept or educational tool, though some feel it's too simplistic to have real replay value or depth as a standalone game experience.
Interesting concept, quite poor execution. Critique Gaming is better than this4 found this helpful
nice game couldve been better. shame that you have to gamble numbers to unlock a choise. wish you couldve choose and let the story play out.1 found this helpful
I don't know if I could really give this much of a review... the concept is there and the game interacts with you based on choice an okay text based simulation with some visuals to help the user engage in the story. The big problem I have with this game is that the cards dictate whether you are going to be doing a positive or negative action and you can just keep clicking them. This really doesn't really feel like there's much to it besides social construction and picking cards till you win. I wouldn't really call this a game more something someone may sit down with their kid and explain what stigmas surround that situation. But as a learning tool on it's own? Not worth your time.
tl;dr: It's a short visual novel, but worth the price. There really isn't any strategy to it or replay value, but I did get a dollar's worth of enjoyment out of it. I'd recommend it if you generally like visual novels. I also think the combo of deckbuidling in an interactive visual novel framework is relatively new and unique, so worth playing if you're interested in seeing a proof of concept of those mechanics combined. ---- Like the other reviews say, this is a VERY short game. BUT I don't that's a bad thing. I would love to see some of the developers that made this make a longer sequel with a rouge-lite/rouge legacy feel to it given such a short game loop. And like come on, this game cost less than a dollar. You should expect games that cost less than a dollar to be short. It's the price of a candy bar. I definitely got a candy bar's worth of enjoyment for none of the calories. It's a meditation on the small traumas of one's teenage years and the coping mechanisms that develop from those moments. You customize a character at the beginning of the game with a few issues and a few coping strategies. It's a really basic way to populate your deck with specialized cards. You then …
I only have enough money for chicken nugget 😥
[i] My Experience [/i] Brain Please Don't is excellent. Although developer Critique Gaming clearly states that they are not mental health professionals, they still touch on many important themes related to mental health and wellness. You begin with a deck that is composed of cards determined by both the difficulties your teen is facing and the coping skills he/she uses to manage their emotions. Certain cards raise stats, certain cards lower them, and some do both. The game then takes you through a set of scenarios, each of which can be responded to in multiple ways. However, certain responses are only available to you if you possess certain stats (for instance, a high degree of openness or confidence). You have a hand of three cards, and a new card is drawn after each play. However, due to how many cards are strictly negative, playing a ton of cards during each scenario may not be advisable. As a general rule, I liked the scenarios and writing. At the same time, some of the scenarios felt a little "off." For instance, the game seems to encourage you to jaywalk at one point, and I would be surprised if certain responses to the school bully in the game wouldn't also earn you a p…
Community reviews
—
0 reviews
Sign in to write a review.
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this game.











