Developer: Zoidberg656
Anxiety is a single-person horror game that’s in the same vein as “The Mirror”, in that it’s basically an “experience” rather than a game. (I know, I know, Roblox calls all of their games “experiences”, but I don’t.) There isn’t too much gameplay involved, outside of walking around a dark house in the middle of the night. Think of it as more of an interactive story rather than something that’s made to be “played”.
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| Well, this sets the tone early... |
You start off in the dark bedroom of a modest-sized house. A title card informs “You have no objective.” You can wander around anywhere you like, turning on lights and interacting with a few household items. But soon, things start to go awry. A low rumbling noise starts in on the soundtrack and you know things are about to take a dark turn...
That’s pretty much all I can say about it. This is one of those games that you can’t really talk about without giving specific things away. It was created by Zoidberg656, who suffers from “a severe social anxiety disorder and depression” and wanted to translate the way he feels into game form. At least, as best as he can within the confines of a (mostly) child-based platform.
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| The simple setting provides ample atmosphere. |
Tacking on to thatI have a theory that everyone has a mental health issue of some sort. It might be something as “simple” as a short temper, or something as severe as schizophrenia, or agoraphobia…no one’s mind can be “perfect”. They’re not all debilitating: many people can function just fine, and some never even notice they have a “defect”. Or, people just learn to hide it well. As Zoidberg is quick to point out in the game’s synopsis, “not everyone experiences the same symptoms of anxiety”, so this isn’t meant as a blanket statement for everyone; just his own experiences with it.
There are no jumpscares or monsters, or any other cheap scare tactics that Roblox games usually rely on. There are no creepy characters or hallucinations…just one man alone in a house, trying to fight the demons of his own mind. Thanks to some effective sound design, Zoidberg manages to do a pretty good job of ratcheting up tension that technically isn’t even there. And that’s what anxiety is: Getting “worked up” (for lack of a better term) over mundane things that generally seem “normal” to others.
My wife, for example, has what I would consider to be an irrational fear of storms. Any time there’s lightning in the forecast, I hear about it; if she’s with her family, they hear all about it, too. I’ll admit that, at first, I found it baffling and maybe even a little childish. Who could be so scared of something that frequently happens in daily life? In her case, her fear of storms was exacerbated by a traumatic event from her childhood.
As the saying goes: “The mind is a terrible thing to waste.” And yet there’s very little understood about a vast majority of mental health issues. That means millions of people are wasting their minds every year, held back by deficiencies that they don’t even fully understand themselves. It took me well over a decade to realize I had ADHD, which explained my constant lack of focus on boring tasks (among other, more serious things). That’s a decade I certainly wish I could have back; I know I'm far from the only one.
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| Oh look, your house has a toilet! |
Once again, in Zoidberg’s own words, this is meant to be “an eye opener” for people who don’t understand it. Either because they don’t suffer from it, or because they have for so long that they just think it’s “normal”. It's a sobering reminder that no one is alone in their afflictions; no matter what you suffer from, so are millions of others.
It's hard to fault a game like this. It has a clear vision, and was made with plenty of heart and emotion. It's also effective in driving its point home. At the same time, it's a very one-note experience. There are no secrets to find, or multiple endings; there's nothing to "miss" the first time. It's a very linear story told in the most straightforward way possible. In other words, once you finish it, there's no reason to ever play it again.
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| Things are spiraling out of control... |
Nevertheless, as a work of art, it's more than a passable time-waster. The simplicity that hinders it is also one of its positives: It doesn't try to be ambitious. It has no aim to be "popular" or to be featured on Roblox's front page. It doesn't try to be preachy, nor is it seeking pity. It merely exists to exist; an experience that simultaneously feels too genuine and personal for Roblox, and yet a perfect fit.
It's far too short to make any sort of long-lasting impression. But it grabs you from the first moment and doesn't let go. It forces you to listen to what it has to say. It's probably not going to change your life, but it's an effective little game that uses horror tropes to tell a story that deserves to be heard. And one, it hopes, that might make you more aware of the monsters that potentially dwell inside the heads of others.
Or your own.
Overall: 7/10
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| Awww, you're welcome. |
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