Bundle of Joy

I really like games that try to simulate challenges of a person's normal daily life. Unfortunately, most of these games are about sad or negative experiences, but sometimes it's nice to just experience something "believable", not necessarily bad, but the difficulties of an ordinary citizen, and this game is about that. There are several mini-games about the challenges of taking care of your first child, hygiene care, food, shopping and everything else. I think there could be some guidance before starting each challenge, as some can be confusing. An interesting element is the dialogues and interaction with your partner, sharing feelings, thoughts and even writing in a diary. An interesting experience, cute graphics and nice music.

The balance of the hectic minigames and the quiet, reflective moments really is something special. I've never seen parenthood written or portrayed quite like this before, and I think that's an awesome thing. There's a moment in a downtime sequence where [spoiler]the player character reflects that they feel like they're going through the motions, that they felt like they've spent so much time with the baby but really haven't *bonded* with them. I think the gameplay here is so brilliantly constructed to make you *feel* this moment. I spent so, so much time waking up at 4am, my hands on the arrow keys, ready to change a diaper, determined to *get the day right* this time, constantly thinking ahead about how I could make it through the next day, the next minigame without stressing out. And then the downtime just points that out: in all the rush of filling bottles and wiping boogers and putting away toys, don't forget you're a dad and you're doing it for your kid. [/spoiler] I'm not a parent (and don't plan to be!), but I thought this narrative moment was perfectly crafted and feels extremely real and sincere. 100% recommend this game as a weird, charming warioware-like that'll make you think.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1qO1SBUbwk Pretty cute casual mini-game collection all based on being a Dad. How accurate is it compared to being a real dad? Kind've. I mean, you'll do a lot of these things in real life. But the game definitely makes them a bit more difficult. In any case, it's humorous, with some surprisingly deep thoughts that occur during your rest periods and at the end of each day. Total gameplay time is probably just a bit under 45 minutes to complete the game, but you can always go back through and do it again if you'd like. Graphics are cute, kind've humorous and really fit the whole mini-game aspect of the game. Music and sound were catchy, and the writing was quite good. Fun game, basically.

A wonderful use of mini games mechanics to explore an important facet of human experience that has been under-served by videogames. I found the game to be moving and deeply relatable. We need more games like this in the world.

[h3]Nappy Time[/h3] It is so easy to imagine that it is just you and a baby, alone. Nothing else matters, your world becomes quite hyper focused on keeping this vulnerable thing alive. You quickly forget that you came into this world in pretty much the same state, even if times or circumstances did vary! But your trial as parent is only just beginning, no time to dwell on how you were any different things were you were that size. No C19 lockdowns preventing your parents visiting. Oh and your baby will not look as ugly as the one in this game, it's programmed into us apparently to look that cute to [b]only our parents[/b]. The bonding shall begin, first nappies, and all the horrors that go with it. I'll leave you to get on with it, it's not like I am being helpful from way over here am I? You are the DAD now, do your job. [h3]Story[/h3] [list][*]You are the stay at home DAD. Your day starts at 4am! [*]You have to do all the baby stuff, you will be tired out by the non-stop attention needed. [*]A selection of the 15 randomly selected minigames with varying frustration difficulties will baffle you each day. [/list] but... At the end of each day you will get a moment to just calm down again, and reflect, the story part of the game is an insight into how hard it is to be a DAD, and will ring so true for you if you are a DAD. [h3]Gameplay[/h3] Simple graphics that convey the urgency, stress, angst, frustration, tiredness and sheer difficulty in knowing which way is up make the experience very real. There is a banging retro background tune to go with it. Fun for those who have had children and those who have not. The minigames will have you mashing keys and trying to guess what happens next. It is pretty fast moving stuff. If you are almost or already a grandparent, the dexterity required to accomplish all the childcare duties with all the kicking legs and flailing arms and wiggly or floppy body will defeat you! Pretty true to life for a sleep deprived dad. There really do need to be more games that tell stories on these subjects. If you like this game, do check out these similar games https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41773079-EmpathyGames/list/90740/

The game is fun, touching, and slightly PTSD inducing (especially the morning animation sequence). A great encapsulation of the struggles of early parenting and the unique challenges parents faced during the pandemic lockdown. A great work of catharsis.

I spent a lot of time with the demo and am happy the final version is here. Games don't create these kind of thoughtful, well-crafted experiences enough.

This game is a short and fun experience, and if you're a parent (esp if you had a hard time with a newborn) you can likely relate. I love the tonal mismatch of the game and its bright fun WarioWare style mini-games and the overall more dark storyline. It's a really nice juxtaposition.

Bundle of Joy is a true trojan horse of a game, presenting itself as a collection of fun parenting-themed mini-games while containing the sort of deeply poignant moments of raw self-doubt that any new parent will recognize but few new fathers openly discuss, let alone make art out of. This is a hard time that is easily forgotten once a child gets older, often hand-waived in conversations, but there is so much truth here not only in the emotions but also in how any new tasks becomes normalized through repetition and ritualized through love. The last few years have seen a wealth of games that use thoughtful design, narrative, and mechanics to try and capture a very specific corner of an experience, and not only does Bundle of Joy squarely belong in that company but it should played by any current or prospective father who needs space to remember or reckon with emotions not often raised in any medium.

The minigames are cute, I do wish there would have been more of a variety but the minigames are really a backdrop to the story of being a new parent. If you like stories about parenting and or games like Wario Ware you might enjoy this.