Depression Quest Released for Free on Steam

Explaining depression (or any mental illness) is never an easy task, but developer The Quinnspiracy has taken it on for their inaugural project Depression Quest.

The game's Monday release coincided tragically with the death of comedian and actor Robin Williams, who was struggling with depression and committed suicide. In Depression Quest, players navigate through day-to-day life as someone suffering from depression and must attempt to manage their jobs and relationships as well as their symptoms. Quinnspiracy refers to the game as an "interactive (non)fiction about living with depression" and while the details are fictitious, the game is designed to hit home.

The aim of the game is twofold: to show those suffering from depression that they are not alone in their experiences, and to illustrate to others what the illness does to people. Depression Quest is over 40,000 word-long text-based adventure with 150 possible events depending on player choices. While the developers don't give a time estimate for the game, they describe it as "short enough to be done in one day, but long enough for the game to have gotten it's point across."

Depression Quest is available now for free on Steam. Alternatively you can pay what you want and the proceeds will go to charity.