Please Knock on My Door
Please Knock on My Door is a story-driven game which gives you control over a person suffering from depression and social anxiety. Help them get through work and reach out to friends while desperately trying to survive. Experience the frailty these themes bring and gain a better understanding of what it’s like to live with some of the most common mental health issues today.
- A compelling and emotional story offering a voice to those who have none.
- A fully voiced narrator who always has your best in mind. Probably.
- A gameplay system which adds to the weight of every story-choice you make.
- No “Game Over” screen, only alternate endings that tie into your choices.
- A soundtrack that has been tailor-made for this experience.
- Relationships that can be developed or broken.
- Game length varies depending on your choices, ranging from 1-3 hours with enough content that you can come back and explore different parts of the narrative in consequent playthroughs.
- As in real life, all of your choices are immediately saved. There is only one save.
Please Knock on My Door has been in development since autumn 2014 and was initially supposed to be a 6 month exploration of my own experiences with depression. A word of caution; this is a game that might be difficult to play for those who have dealt with psychological issues such as depression and anxiety. That said, I truly believe that through entertainment we are able to understand topics that would otherwise be too foreign for us. I hope this game can help you better understand what it can be like to live with these issues, like it has already helped me.
Steam User 80
I don't usually review games, but Please Knock on My Door, to some degree, compels me to.
I will preface this by saying that I did two playthroughs of the game with both playthroughs having very different "stories" and "endings". If you are someone that has suffered anxiety, stress, depression, or a mental illness in general you are going to have a deep connection to this game. As somone who has suffered from depression and anxiety for a very long time I can say that this game hits home...it hit's home in a way that is deep, raw, and unfiltered. It's a summary of what it is like to deal with these issues on a day to day basis. Some of the struggles, the energy that is needed to accomplish tasks, loss, nagging thoughts/emotions, and the frailty of it all. It is a game that is going to make you feel. Cough cough I ugly cried cough cough.
The controls are simple walking around. Left, right, up, and down. Some clicking here and there. There isn't a lot of "gameplay". You are along for the story.
If you have played other story rich indie games like Night in the Woods or The Beginners Guide this is in the same vein.
Would I recommend Please Knock on My Door? I've played through it twice and plan to keep playing for quite a bit more. I would absolutely recommend it
Edit: I think the best way to play this game the first time is "The experience", after that probably "The Story", and then "The Game". Really "The Experience" feels more like a sim where as the others just give you a bit too much information via "stats"
Steam User 59
It's the first time I stopped playing a game because it kept pushing all the right buttons. Maybe one day I will be strong enough for it.
Steam User 33
Please Knock on My Door is an interesting game that follows a recent trend of catharsis via sorting through issues in a video game. This one is about various aspects of depression and how to either cope with it, learn to deal with it, or even completely give up depending on the decisions you make within.
Story
You play as the developer, earlier in life, facing a lot of his fears and general issues as you sort through what was going through his mind at the time. This is a turning point story and the choices you make within will determine exactly what that looks like.
The writing is very effective in conveying a sense of absolute and utter boredom, disdain, regret, fear, and so on, but also equally successful in conveying the ultimate message of hope.
Very interesting and approachable writing. While I personally don't feel a connection to the issue of depression, I feel more educated on the topic after having played this.
9.5 out of 10
Gameplay
Please Knock on My Door is fairly simple gameplay-wise. You spend all your time either in your apartment or at work. While in your apartment, you can walk around and points of interest are marked via diamonds on the ground in front of them. These are interaction points that usually have multiple options. All of these impact your general state of mind and the story arcs. While at work, you also have choices to make, and these likewise impact the story.
Simple but effective
8 out of 10
Graphics
The graphics in Please Knock on My Door are minimalist. Most things are in subdued tones, although hopeful things carry splashes of color whereas when you go in the extreme other direction, angry red guides your path. You are a shadowy block figure person. Overall, the graphics are actually very well done and very effective in conveying mood.
8 out of 10
Audio
The audio was mostly in the form of narration, which was done incredibly well. The music was more ominous in nature and designed to be part of the background. I think the audio tracks were effective in setting mood.
8 out of 10
Verdict
Please Knock on My Door is a relevant game that can be appreciated whether you suffer from depression or not. For those that do, I think you will find catharsis in playing this. For those that don't (such as me), you will be able to relate a bit more with people who do. Either way, I think you will find this game to be sensitive and informative.
The score technically comes out to 8.375 out of 10. Quite good and probably should be considered a bit of a must play if you have a taste for more serious topic matter.
If you found this review helpful and would be interested in supporting my Curator group, it would be appreciated. Cheers.
Steam User 24
I played through this game twice. The first time was with the numbers hidden while they still affect your choices; the second time was with the numbers on but still affecting your choices.
At the end of my first playthrough, I felt absolutely broken as if I'd never be happy again. As someone who can relate to the overall theme of the game, I thought I'd do a better job of taking care of the MC. Oops. In comparison to my my second playthrough, my fortitude levels were absolutely abysmal my first time through. I did too much and overextended the MC, and things I thought would affect me negatively actually affected me positively and vice versa.
If you go through the game blind, read through all the text and the various scenes, you'll probably get a solid 2+ hours out of the game. I highly recommend playing The Experience mode, where you can't see how your actions affect the MC until it's time to make a decision.
I really enjoyed this game, although considering how I felt at the end of my first playthrough perhaps "enjoyed" isn't the right word. The narrative makes it incredibly easy to empathize (or sympathize) with the MC. It can be frustrating (in a good way!) to see things unfold from an outsider's perspective, where you have an idea of how Will, Amy and Jenny really feel but the MC may not always see the reality of their feelings because of the situation the MC is in.
Really, it was such a gem. I absolutely loved the narrator, and somehow the second act took me by surprise.
The only negative thing I have to say is about the small handful of grammatical errors here and there. Their presence sometimes pulled me out of the game for a moment or two, but it wasn't anything absolutely terrible. One more readthrough of the game's script by the dev probably wouldn't hurt, though.
tl;dr I went in expecting to play a game with a depressed MC knowing how it would probably end, tried to make good choices, ended up making bad choices but loved every minute of the game anyway!
Steam User 17
It's very hard to write a decent review for this game without spoiling the readers experience.
I've played a few narrative games that have depression as a theme and this is the first one I can actually relate to. I like that there is quite a lot of interaction and you have a lot of different choices that affect your character. It's not really that much of a game, more like an interactive experience. That being said, I highly recommend to choose "Experience" for your first playthrough, as it doesn't give you any hints what the "right choices" are. I also like that there is a narrator and not only text to read. Some of the things the narrator says were surprisingly well expressed and could actually be used as quotes to describe depression and the mental state of the people suffering from it.
It seems like a high price for the amount of time it takes to complete the game, but it has a high replayability and I'm looking forward to play it again.
EDIT:
After my second playthrough I have to add a few words. I would have never expected such a different outcome in my second playthrough. I won't spoiler anything, but be sure to play it a second and maybe even a third time. It's not that the narrator just uses a few other sentences depending on how you make your decisions, it's another experience with a very authentic feel of depression to it.
And to the creator Michael Levall:
Thank you for this very rare experience. This game kept me thinking about it and thinking about myself for a long time after I finished a playthrough.
Steam User 23
This game hurts. I wish I could afford to buy it for everyone I know.
Steam User 9
This game is so ♥♥♥♥ing great and valuable. Please Knock on My Door, my favorite, and I feel myself in this. This was the first game I immediately play again (twice) when I finished it. 10/10!
As the author mentioned, "A summary of every emotion you would rather lock away and forget". Anxiety, depression, exhaustion, hopelessness, pain, etc. - all those feelings came back to me in this game.
No matter what happens in your life that can be resolved and become better or worse than ever, it all depends on your choice.