Hello Anxiety
Welcome to a dark little pixel RPG full of puzzles and a story that explores mental health struggles. Hello Anxiety is the first of a series developer Aleph Echo plans to make based on various mental health issues and embraces interesting and atmospheric settings. The pixel art and dark vibe are what caught my attention and enticed me to play.
The game begins as most do, introducing the main character and base controls. The dark eerie vibe is immediate and striking. There is no voice audio so you will need to read and sometimes you’ll need to be quick about it because it will go on to the next big of text on a timer versus clicking to continue – which is definitely something I think needs to be updated as people like me, especially when recording or streaming, want to be able to read it aloud and maybe even act or even to converse about what we’re reading.
That gripe aside, the game begins smoothly and you are eased into the story. You end up in a library that has lost power and work your way through the maze of shelves to find different people and locations, all the while learning the games mechanics through increasingly difficult puzzles. There are also strange ‘monsters’ that you encounter and have to defeat in order to progress.
As your anxiety increases, you’ll need to start rapidly right clicking to lower the amount. Being near light also seems to help. I honestly found this mechanic a little annoying since you really do have to click quickly. I’d much rather have something else like maybe a little breathing mini game kind of deal where it was more timing and based on how well you did it would be more removed from the bar than if you do poorly. That would tie much better into the theme of the game as well to me. I will say though that the speed clicking might make others anxious which could be the point but for me it was simply a nuissance.
My play through was only for the demo length, so I’d be interested to revisit this game in full later on. The puzzles were fun and the aesthetic was on point. If the story continues to unfold in interesting ways, I would recommend this game as a different experience that you could sit down and enjoy in a single play through on the weekend. If the premise and art intrigue you, give the demo a go on Steam!
DISCLAIMER: Access to this game was given to me via Keymailer in exchange for the production of content. All opinions expressed are my own and genuine reactions to the product I am reviewing.
0 Comments