Helpless

Helpless ist ein kleines kostenloses Adventurespiel über einen Jungen und seine Mutter in einer postapokalyptischen Welt, die Ersatzteile für ihr defektes Fahrzeug finden müssen. Mit rund 45 bis 60 Minuten Spielzeit ist es ein gutes, kurzes Adventure, das einiges an Potenzial hätte, leider aber auch viel davon liegen lässt. Das Hauptproblem ist dabei die Story. Die Grundidee ist richtig interessant und an und für sich gut. Leider gehen die Entwickler nur die halbe Strecke. Zwar erzählt das Spiel einen schönen Bogen innerhalb der spannenden Spielewelt, enthüllt aber viel zu wenig über diese Welt selbst. Was genau ist geschehen? Woher kommen die beiden? Wohin sind sie unterwegs? Was ist das eigentliche Problem der Mutter? Viel zu viel bleibt offen und das macht das Ganze trotz allem etwas unbefriedigend. Dazu kommt ein Gameplay, das insgesamt okay ist. Es ist nicht wirklich superinteressant, aber durchaus unterhaltsam. Die Steuerung ist soweit in Ordnung, dafür aber ist die fixe Kamera teilweise echt nervig und sorgt immer wieder für gewisse Frustrationen. Aber all das bleibt noch im akzeptablen Rahmen. Die Grafik ist eine sehr simpel gehaltene Low-Polygon-Optik, die aber trotzdem ansehnlich und passend ist. Auch der Soundtrack passt gut dazu und rundet das Spielerlebnis stimmig ab. Fazit: Helpless erzählt eine okay Geschichte in einem interessanten Setting, das aber viel zu wenig erklärt wird. Dadurch verliert es einen grossen Teil seines eigentlichen Reizes. Es ist definitiv kein Spiel, das man unbedingt gespielt haben muss, aber es bietet trotzdem nette Unterhaltung, die nicht komplette Zeitvergeudung ist. Darum von mir eine vorsichtige Empfehlung.

Must play!

✦✦✦✦✧ 4/5 ・ Os personagens e cenários são lindos ・ A trilha sonora é muito boa e bem relaxante ・ Francamente eu fiquei um pouco assustada com a forma de levar dano, mas estamos em um mundo apocalíptico então é normal ・Bugs ? Ele tem pequenos bugs, teve uma hora que o cachorro sumiu, porem ele apareceu na cutscene seguinte então não foi um problema, nada que atrapalhe o jogo. A câmera é um pouco difícil de controlar, mas não atrapalha a play ・ + ou - 1 hora para completar o modo historia ・ NÃO TEM TRADUÇÃO PT/BR

I had no idea what to expect when going into this game, but oh my god... for such a short experience, it was fantastic. It's concise, simple, and beautiful. The vibe is very much a mix of Undying, the Last of Us, and Maze Runner (specifically the Scorch), but it is its own beautiful world that honestly feels kind of realistic to a certain degree. The character designs are minimalist but the style and animations give them character, and I was fully invested in them within the first few minutes of gameplay. The story doesn't spell things out for you and I love that about it. It is well-paced, clear but nuanced, and doesn't give you an explicit "ending" for the characters. A lot is implied as to how things will likely turn out (namely that the child will eventually have to take care of himself), but it doesn't push any certainties because anything could happen between the moment and the finish line. I went through the game really feeling like there was every possibility that even if the characters could get the car working, they may not reach their destination and are trudging forward regardless. There's an air of melancholy and (of course) helplessness that makes you think about how you would view the world if you weren't old enough to have remembered society before it fell apart, but there's also comfort and a child-like curiosity as you explore the map and find trinkets of a forgotten era. I'm rambling at this point but I seriously adored this game and am excited to see what other projects the developers have in store! Also, you can pet and play fetch with the dog. 100/10. Any game that lets you play with the animals is automatically a great game in my books, hands down.

The game was heartwarming and somehow peaceful. The only issues I encountered while playing were the animations being a little wobbly here and there.

For a completely free product, [b][i]Helpless[/i][/b] is a fine game, with a surprisingly short runtime and very limited replayability. Its premise is basic: a child and his respirator-reliant mother are stranded in a hostile desert, and have to get back on the road. The child scavenges for parts for their RV, and on the way tries to piece together what happened to the world around them. As implied by the playtime by the majority of players, and indeed by my playtime, the game is extremely short. Even on the difficulty setting that allows for failure by death, a competent player can reach the end credits within an hour. The difficulty is on the easy side, with no real way to change it. While the sun is a deadly lazer and will kill you if you remain exposed for around three seconds, shade is plentiful, and your stamina is generous enough to make it through to the shadows. Actual gameplay barely constitutes as a platformer, and better befits the "Walking Simulator" tag from the store. The levels are overwhelmingly linear; alternate paths either are shallow and meaningless, or merely give you trinkets that unlock dialog and achievements. There's no need to backtrack or platform. Even the canine companion that you get midway through the game, has no real bearing on the story or mechanics, beyond a bit of dialog where the mother asks the child to be careful about it. My biggest real gripe is how unexplored the story is. The mother is secretive to a fault, barely explaining even a bit of their backstory to the son at the end. Nothing ever expands on how the world became a sun-scorched desert wasteland; a whole avenue of worldbuilding remains untapped. Visually, it's pleasing to look at, if rather basic. The lighting effects are nicely done. Sound design is solid, as is the somber music, with no real complaints. For the technical side, this game does not support resolutions above 1080p - a small annoyance on my 1440p screen, but not unbearable. There's simply very little to chew on, which is a bummer. I still think it was time well spent, and especially for a free game, I'm generally content.