The Parenting Simulator

I wanted to like this very much. An unsexualised raising sim in our day and age is something to cherish and nourish... but i just can't. The problem is this game just constantly tries to trap you. Mostly by trying to hide from you what your options really mean. Like,only AFTER I have chosen to enroll my daughter into STEM club in the middle school I was told that this means she is abandoning her karate classes that she was into from the early age. Or that putting pizzas for kid’s birthday party “on the table, were we always eat” means I will enforce Victorian table discipline with iron hand during the whole party. Or that enrolling into public elementary means I’ll have to stick to public option up until college, with no option to go private for middle or high... Honestly, this is another problem - not being able to “change mind” in situations it is painfully obvious this would be not only possible but the default option. Like I’m booking beach vacation for a weekend thinking my teenage girl would prefer spending more time on her own. Turns out she is disappointed it will be just one weekend - but obviously there is no option to make it whole week after seeing her reaction. Now, in a more classic, “princess-maker-y” rising sim it would not be a problem - I would just swear, and reload autosave. The basic structure of Choice-like game has no such option, though. I can only restart the whole game. And it only takes so many restarts until all playthroughs start to blur into one incomprehensible mess, you stop to read text and just choose choices you remember to “work”, and soon all the immersion goes to the window and you stop to “experience growing of your child” and start clicking dots to get highest score. I wanted to like this very much... but I just can't.

the closest I will ever get of being a parent - I'm a proud mama this was my first time playing a game by hosted games. I'm not sure what made me wanna try it, but I fell in love with everything in it. the writing and the story itself are captivating! I was surprised that I got attached so quickly to my fictional child and was completely invested in their life.

This game is horribly underrated! I love love love all the different interactions and events that happen. This was so fun to play and I didn't even notice how fast time went while playing this game! Its very dynamic and the points system they implemented just makes you want to play more to collect all the achievements.

Fantastic game. Only use words instead of fancy graphics, but more touching than any other game I have played so far, 9/10 for me

I really enjoyed this story when I first played it, and the second time, and the subsequent time after that (and, as can be seen from the play-time, I've played it quite a bit). The story is charming, it's easy to grow fond of your digital child, and the mechanics allow you to see how your parenting choices impact whether your "child" will still want to even speak to you when they're grown. Alas, my completionist tendencies have been my undoing, and proves this game's flaw. Because, if you want to get all the achievements, you will have to see a lot of the same text again and again (even where it makes little sense, such as text about your child having an assignment due at school when you're homeschooling). I would still say it's worth the money. It's a pleasant slice-of-life text game that that would be great for people who enjoy that genre, or just have unfulfilled parental dreams.

I love this game. As a person with quite a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ childhood, this game was pretty therapeutic to me, it really helped me see childhood and parenting in a different light: much more caring, loving than what I have experienced as a child.

For what it is, this game is cute, fun, and just a better version of the free interactive fiction that you can find online. Worth the couple of dollars for sure, but anyone that buys this should know what they are getting before they buy. This is a choose-your-own-adventure short story. Well written, engaging, and very cute, but you can get almost as good for free online with a simple google search.

I loved this! Really fun experience, even teared up a bit at some points. I've only played through once, but I'm sure I'll give other routes a shot some other time, just not now simply because I was very happy with the ending and I have trouble replaying games for diferent routes when that's the case.

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 382: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (8/10) [i]The Parenting Simulator [/i]is a deceptively simple game that manages to be simultaneously lighthearted, funny, and surprisingly emotional. At first glance, it’s just a parent coming home from the hospital with a newborn, but honestly, it turns out to be a nuanced simulation of choices, consequences, and relationships that make you genuinely care about your child. I can’t remember why I bought it because I don’t even like kids. I respect them as (mostly) autonomous beings, of course, but they quite frankly scare me. They poop, cry, and vomit a lot, all actions I’m afraid of. But somehow, this game made me reflect on (1) how I would raise my own child (2) how my mom was a terrific mom and (3) how I would make a horrible parent. Again, this one is so underrated! It’s a bummer the author hasn’t realized anything else, as far as I can tell. [b][h2]Pros:[/h2][/b] ✅ Warm, emotionally storytelling. I quite admired the tone. The tone is lighthearted and funny in a sort of weary, parent way. There’s a lot of wink wink nudge nudge, sarcasm, and even some dad jokes. It’s not comedic but rather … charming. I thought the narrator was a separate character in itself. Still, the game isn’t afraid to handle real emotion. This isn’t satire. No, there are moments like your kiddo coming home from school upset at being a slow reader, or your kid breaking their arm. Even the small interactions—first steps, bonding nights, school success—made me feel connected to my little peanut. ✅ Choices have real impact. Every decision, from discipline style to extracurriculars, shapes the child’s personality and achievements. As my ancestors before me, I went full “tiger Asian mom” on my first playthrough and watched my child grow into an Ivy League, piano-playing prodigy who even won a Nobel Prize. Suck it, losers. Meanwhile, my “failure” playthrough featured colder, more laissez-faire choices that had my kid become a bum, respectfully, who couldn’t do anything without it. The game makes you consider the long-term effects of each choice, reflecting on how parenting in real life often involves unintended consequences. ✅ Event randomization and detailed milestones. I haven’t encountered this mechanic before! You can choose to randomize events for unpredictability, or manually navigate each life event for a more controlled story. This gives tremendous replayability, letting you explore every branch—years 1 to 18—while still keeping things fresh. ✅ Incorporation of adoption and single-parent storylines. Again, I was surprised at the depth. I was allowed to choose why the player character is raising them alone, including one adoption-related subplots. It was kind of surreal, having my child meet their biological mother, even though I know that happens quite a lot in real life. I wish this was built on more (see below)! ✅ Personalization and immersion. There’s a lot of small details that get brought up, like nicknames, personality quirks, and even favorite toys (my son loved dinosaurs. Real, little dude). ✅ Achievements and multiple endings. Achievements had a cute little description and name, and the ending was surprisingly varied. I perhaps 100% the game on Steam, so I like to think I know what I’m talking about. [b][h2]Cons[/h2][/b] 🟥 Limited scope for later stages. While the game excels at infancy and early childhood, later life events like first crushes, romantic relationships, handling finances, or even drugs or alcohol are underdeveloped or missing entirely. It’s not the worst con in the world, because I just wanted more content tbh. 🟥 Super blank slate protagonist. I totally see the necessary of this—anyone could be a single parent. I’m both impressed by how the author neatly avoids any mention of background or sexuality and both disappointed. Obviously, there’s only so much content an author can write, but I would have loved for a romance side plot—how unique would that be? The kiddo’s biological parent, if on that path, would be pretty neat. Or even just a couple more concrete details. I’m basically asking for a sequel tbh. I wanna adopt another kid or try dating as a single parent! [i]The Parenting Simulator 2: Coparenting[/i] or something. 🟥 Lack of long-term development for characters. While your child is richly realized, other family or adoptive characters are less fleshed out. For example, you have a sibling and a parent whose kid becomes friends with yours. While the relationship stays warm and friendly, there’s not many appearances from these two characters. My parent character actually felt a little lonely, with only the kid as a constant in my life. [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our YouTube channel for more reviews like this one. [/hr]

Really fun game with a lot of choices. Took a little over 2 hours to finish and I honestly enjoyed every second. Really fun little slice of life story that I look forward to seeing the other possible outcomes for with different choices. At the end it kind of seemed like a second one might have been being hinted at? Please? I would honestly love a grandparent simulator like this. Great casual game, I'd recommend checking it out.