Has there ever been a game about dealing with mental health problems? I don’t mean the kind of games where you have someone foaming about the mouth, holding a chainsaw and singing the theme tune to the Jungle Book. I’m talking about a grown up, deep, three dimensional examination of all things mindfulness. There have been recent titles like Among the Sleep and The Park that have tackled issues of depression and addiction, but they embedded it inside a horror genre. Nevermind does this as well, but is so much more than just a simple horror game. But is it any good?
In Nevermind you play the role of a doctor within a team of Neuroscientists who deal with patients suffering from severe mental traumas. You start the game walking into work and going to your office – one with your real name on the door, if you should like. You then have a monitor with a list of patients to treat and an introduction to the software you will be using to treat the patients. Now, the software is like going into the Matrix or the holodeck in Star Trek New Generation, letting you enter the patient’s subconscious in a special room, exploring their mind and trying to heal them. The gameplay works like an adventure, thriller game, whereby you explore the environments, picking up clues and solving puzzles.
Each case you tackle will have an introduction from the patient and a bit of a backstory to their problems. When you enter their mind the thing to do is to collect 10 photographs through the level, as these give hints to possible solutions to their trauma and how to begin the healing process. As you venture forwards, the mind exposes all sorts of hidden secrets, disturbing histories and all their fears, horrors and anxieties combined. These could materialize, for example, as in one story, as a wood covered in hanging baby dolls falling from the trees as you pass, or a burnt fairground operated by strange S&M mannequins. There are complicated puzzles to solve in order for you to progress, and the world changes quickly as the nightmare situations sometimes become too much to bear. When you have found all ten photographs you have to decide on the right order for five of them to be placed in. This then unlocks the source of the trauma that the patient has revealed and leads to the path for them being healed. When this is done you can move onto the next patient, with six in all covering an hour of gameplay each.
The big, interesting and innovative piece of tech with this is that the developers Flying Mollusk have, on the PC version at least, included Biofeedback. This piece of tech registers levels of anxieties and fears while you are playing the more disturbing elements of Nevermind, with the game not letting you progress if your fear levels get too high. The idea is that the game would also be a tool for you to learn to control your anxieties and fears. Unfortunately this isn’t possible with the Xbox One version of Nevermind at this moment in time. This doesn’t affect the way you play the game though; it would have been a nice extra feature, but it still plays well without it.
You see, the gameplay overall is pretty solid and enjoyable in a really disturbing kind of way. Some sections are so strange and weird that you have to take a deep breath and control your fears in order to progress, without a bit of tech to tell you to stop worrying. The puzzles in some sections are very hard and you can find yourselves getting lost a lot. Also, using actions like opening doors or picking up objects can be awkward and not entirely accurate with the control system in place.
It’s the details in the mind worlds that you enter and the stories being told that impress the most though. There is a world from the last patient you encounter which is brilliantly designed, deeply upsetting, heartbreaking and very uplifting. All the patient’s stories are great and when you have completed the level, you can go back in with the Advance mode and collect more items of interest to complete their healing. There are also extra rooms in the shape of spas to practice your meditation and anxiety bashing techniques. I particular liked a room with tables that you can just tip over, with all the valuable objects on top being thrown to the floor. I only did it to relieve some stress of course.
In the looks department Nevermind is not a million dollars, but the level design, mixing the surreal and the ordinary, is very clever indeed. There are some very disturbing things in this game that won’t leave my mind for a very long time. The sound is of a very high standard, mixing music and effects to a superb effect. The voiceover work by each patient has some really beautiful acting work and direction that makes the journey emotional and warranted.
Overall the game is one of innovation, unique design and a brilliant concept. It can be disturbing, emotional and horrific, but always tries to be positive in its outcome. The gameplay puzzles can get tricky and the controls a bit muddy at times, and it’s definitely a game where its more exploration heavy and interaction light. This won’t be an experience for everyone, but if you’re unsure I would say to take the plunge into the subconscious, free your mind and take a risk with an original thoughtful intelligent game.
Game looks very unique and interesting
Thanks foe chance. Looks like a good one
Awesome review guys, I found some videos from 2012 for the PC version of this game and it’s amazing how it turned out in the end. I think I would like to try out this game.
Always looking forward to creepy horror games and I hope the puzzles aren’t too frustrating. I was watching a little game-play for Nevermind and the graphics are pretty good, a lot of detail in the scenery.
Whoa! This game sounds mind-bending (pun intended!). Great review. Sounds really fun. Would love the chance to play this game.
This game looks awesome. I have never played a title like this or one that i was a doctor. Would love to give it a go. Thanks for the great review good job guys.
Will put the mind to test. Looking forward to this
It does sound different and weird, in a good way. Would love to give it a try.
This sounds like a really interesting game