Wasted

As research and statistics show on a regular basis, the number of people suffering from depression and similar disorders is on the rise. In fact, it would seem like there are more of them now then there have ever been. On the other hand, depression is not completely understood yet, so the treatments vary depending on the case. Because of this - and of course, because such is the nature of the disease -, people refuse to seek help, or don't know they need it.

Wasted is less of a game and more of an interactive presentation that aims to provide you with insight on depression. As the developers themselves put it, this is not the type of game you play to experience any kind of fun or joy. Instead, it is a grim look into the mindset of a person that suffers from depression, with no missions to solve or a happy ending to look forward to.

The story starts with the main character waking up in the morning, and you get to control him from a first-person perspective. There are objects you can interact with, such as light switches, a radio, a TV set and a phone, but it’s not mandatory to do so. However, most of the story is related through the messages on your answering machine, so you might want to check on those.

You advance the story by simply walking between your bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, although one of the doors disappear once you walk through, so you cannot go back the same way. Some days are darker than others, and sometimes there are even people in your house over for a visit. However, you can only hear what they are saying, so you cannot actually see anything. It’s a great way to show how everything fades and dissipates in the eyes of a depressive.

You can also hear your neighbors talking sometimes, or even peak in the hallway using your visor. Your own subconscious tells you dreadful things on a regular basis, and each day you see different notes on the walls or on the bathroom mirror that poke at your loneliness and worthlessness. As mentioned before, it’s not a fun game, but it wasn’t meant to be.

In the end, Wasted’s only downside at the moment is the fact that the voice acting is in French, so you’ll have to use subtitles in order to understand what’s being said. However, everything else is as it should be, so you can maybe learn a thing or two from the experience.