Ludum Dare #39compo

burnout. : a runner game about depression and the others

by tuxic

Overall★★★★★★★★★★3.57

Fun★★★★★★★★★★2.71

Innovation★★★★★★★★★★4.29

Theme★★★★★★★★★★4.57

Graphics★★★★★★★★★★3.00

Audio★★★★★★★★★★3.29

Mood★★★★★★★★★★4.29

burnout. is a game about burnout, depression, and the others. When you're depressed, there are things people say that hurt more than they help, no matter the intention.

In this game, you're running through every day hoping to get to the end of it. But your fatigue is limited, and each day it will get worse. If your fatigue reaches 3h, it's game over. If you make it through 30 days, it's a less bitter game over.

To jump from platform to platform, just press the space bar. Warning : the jump is "static", as in it will always be the same. Because when you're depressed, things seem to be the same over and over again. So plan your jumps ahead.

Platforms are text messages you receive during the day. They might be completely neutral (you don't care), good for you (your fatigue doesn't lower), or bad (your fatigue goes down faster).

Once your fatigue runs out, it's the end of the day, and the next one starts. Until you either run out of power or patience.

There is no way to quit a running game until you either lose or lose a little more. Depression doesn't stop like that, what were you thinking?

Made with Unity3D in a very ugly fashion. Music done on LSDJ, SFX on sfxr. "Art" scribbled in Photoshop CC2017.

Links

* Download game (itch.io Windows/macOS/Linux)
* Source code (github)

Tags: #depression, #runner

Genres: platformer

Tools: sfxr

Comments18

Hels31 Jul 2017, 12:27

Cool little concept for a game! Really dig the aesthetic. It became a little easier once I figured out you can continuously jump in air, which I'm assuming is a bug, based on the fact that it's not in the gif at the top of the page. But even then it remained soul crushing and hopeless! Which is a good thing!! because that's like, the idea

Tuxicauthor31 Jul 2017, 13:48

@hels thanks for the review, I guess my mission is accomplished :) the jump is indeed a bug, but I left it here as a cheat for people who didn't want to play with the platform timings! See it as an easy mode!

seurimas31 Jul 2017, 23:43

Solid little game! I appreciate the well-picked texts for your message. Also a very interesting take on the theme I hadn't even considered.

Syv1 Aug 2017, 17:33

I really love how you took the theme. I love this game for it's simplicity and great vibe. Great game.

notApollogising1 Aug 2017, 17:37

A really innovative and great concept, but it suffers from poor execution. Still, great music, great mood and easily one of my favorites of this LD.

DoctorAlpaca1 Aug 2017, 17:53

Really cool interpretation of the theme. However, the gameplay itself and the actual presentation is lacking.

Stepan Shabalin1 Aug 2017, 17:56

Oh, sorry, but I have a Mac.

Knarfux1 Aug 2017, 21:32

Love what you did with the theme. A meaningful game, with a clever way to deliver the message.

prettylucky2 Aug 2017, 05:24

Nice take on the runner genre! I had a friend pitch an idea like this one to me before, but I like your interpretation better. I felt like the phrases were things the character might have actually experienced. I know you left the jump static on purpose, but I'd consider changing it to a standard jump (longer you hold it, higher you go).

Cool concept though, solid execution!

jahndis5 Aug 2017, 04:45

Thought the mechanics delivered the message well. The only thing I might have done differently is have less upbeat music/sfx. Just to emphasize depression a little more. Well done!

blinry12 Aug 2017, 13:55

Interesting interpretation of the theme! Found the jumping bug pretty late, but even with that, I didn't manage to get through the day :( I like the time slider below the platforms, and the messages are well written! Music and sound fits well. The jumping mechanic alone didn't feel very innovative, and the random generation of the platforms felt unfair sometimes. I'd love to see more gameplay elements in this game! Thanks for making it! :*

I enjoyed your descriptions on this page! :)

LisaAlsop8 Jul 2020, 18:53

Ahah, do you seriously think that some kind of game can help cope with depression ?? This is just nonsense, and if I were you, I would not even waste time on it. The only thing that helped me during the depression was Kratom and I am very glad that I learned about this wonderful plant. My classmate told me about it and said that kratom is great for relaxing, but I could not even imagine that the effect would be so strong. After using it several times, I found best place to buy kratom (https://thegoldenmonk.com/buy-kratom/) and started using kratom regularly after school, which helped me cope with depression and forget about stress.

mujdey5 Oct 2020, 08:57

It is a cool concept for the depression people. I know that aromatherapy massage: In this method, your therapist will combine massage with scented oils to help reduce stress or boost your energy. Hot stone massage: During this method, your therapist will place warm flat stones on your body to help relax your muscles. Talk with other specialists about alternative treatments that could benefit you because it depends on your body and mind. I tried kratom strains from https://www.kratomrack.com/category/kratom-strains/ and it helped me a lot with my lower back pain and after using it, I felt more powerful and I had more energy and I could make more things than usually.

apaneka14 Jan 2021, 13:29

At one time

apaneka14 Jan 2021, 13:30

There I immediately chose the right service, which deals with problems with teenagers. And you know, he didn't mind. He knew right away that it would only be good for him.

apaneka14 Jan 2021, 13:31

At one time I was very afraid of psychotherapists, because they are sure to find problems that are very expensive to deal with. But on https://drmental.org/ I found what I had never thought to look for. A list of relatively cheap services to help you with your mental health. Because of the simple design, you can immediately identify and find what will help you. There are many platforms that will offer you many types of therapy, with everything being online. You can just chat with your therapist via video. I am very grateful to learn about Mental))

Jamess11118 Aug 2021, 18:10

Hello! Thank you for this game review. Even though there is a split on the screen between the "depression" and the "burnout" cartoon figures, the fact that they acknowledge each other through the split and seem to care about what the other is going through somehow made me feel so much better. It's like even though we all deal with issues and it looks like we're alone, someone somewhere sees us and cares.
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MilkyF12 Dec 2021, 09:32

Well, this is not the best way to get rid of depression. I still think it's better to resort to other methods. A friend told me that the cbd product helped her a lot when she had an exacerbation. I then decided to also look and order for myself on the website https://mjcbdd.com/pages/top-10-best-cbd-stores-in-san-antonio-texas several means to test. I want to say that I really like it.