I could go on and on about this game, but just know that games like Sea of Solitude are important. It personifies Kay’s journey with mental health issues and brings to light different types of situations that people suffering from MHI might encounter. It also brings with it perspective that some people absolutely need should they know someone going through MHI and potentially a starting point when it comes to getting help for that individual.
Mental Health issues are not a new thing in society. They’ve been around since the dawn of humankind, and have more recently been brought more to light thanks to a budding society that is far more open and accepting. Generation Z (and some Generation Y), as they are referred, have finished the job that my Gen X started, where society needed to be aware of feelings and what people were going through on a day-to-day basis. It has been a transition, and a welcomed one.
Despite efforts, there are those who still look down on mental health issues as if they are a ‘fad’ or a’ taboo’. Going through grad school, I have read articles about this topic and they’re always sadly fascinating. Problems with children are ignored and bad situations, as those kids grow up, may occur because of mental health issues not addressed. Some of the ignorance comes from personal opinion instilled by previous generations, while other ignorance can simply point to being uninformed. The latter is terrible, yet easily correctable with money/time, and something that doesn’t appear to be a priority for local governments and/or politicians. Regardless of reason, It’s a real shame because the more you can spread awareness, and not make fun of it/shun it/ignore it, the more people can be helped in the process.
Honestly, we’re on this earth to help each other survive our short journey. Why not make it a journey that is pleasant for everyone? Easier said than done, though.
Anyway, I’m telling you this because the very core for Sea of Solitude is wrapped up in a mental health issue awareness layer. Sea of Solitude brings light to depression, anxiety, stress, bullying, and a bevy of other topics that affect children these days that may cause or spurn mental health issues. Using a thick layer of creativity to personify mental health issues and an eery tone in presenting it, the message comes across quite well, if not in your face at times. The content is gorgeous, frightening, and well-timed.
The story of the game revolves around a young girl named Kay, who is traversing an inner-journey to fight her literal demons and fears that she has created. Based in a cityscape that is familiar to Kay, and that is underwater, her journey takes her from place to place, fighting against monster after monster. It’s gorgeously surreal and makes for an uneasy narrative.
To get through her cityscape, she is initially armed with a few items. The one thing you’ll be thankful for is a small boat. The boat helps her move around the city and avoid the ever-lurking monster that is below in the depths of the sea. If Kay hits the water, the monster knows it and will come after her. If she cannot get out of the water in time, the monster eats Kay alive in a violent death scene. That monster is always there, always lurking, and will only exist in Kay’s own journey.
To help cast some literal and figurative light into Kay’s world is a flare gun. The flare gun is not only Kay’s guide in her journey but also the initial weapon to fight off her demons with light. It casts temporary light in an area and can take down demons if the narrative calls for it. There will be plenty of times the narrative will call for it, and you’ll want to use it (see Sunny’s story for details). The flare also helps Kay find spots that need cleansing. The darkness and evil in the game are worm-like creatures that surround globes of light. Kay’s main journey is to find these globes, cleanse the evil (holding R2 down and sucking it into her backpack — literally carrying an evil burden with her) around them, and then release the light. The light can protect those who need it and help wash away mistakes that Kay or others might have made along their life’s journey. All of this is simplistic and doesn’t get in the way of the message of the game, which is what I suspect Jo-Mei Games was shooting for in the long run.
The main crux of the gameplay is the above methods of movement and progression. The journey doesn’t go completely beyond that design, and that’s okay. I’m not sure it fully needs to go beyond it. The focus of this game lies in the narrative. You’re playing this game to take a journey with Kay and see why in the world she wallows in a sea of solitude. How she progresses through the game, if it’s perfect or not (and it’s not), is inconsequential to the gameplay. Sure, you have issues with loosey-goosey controls that overcompensate uncomfortably (slight move to the left means that you’re going to overcompensate the movement, where the controls give you more than you’re asking) and a lack of real variety in how you dispose of enemies can be uninspiring. The game is also set on rails led by the flare and by restrictions on where you can go. All of this is upfront in its gameplay and doesn’t apologize because it isn’t about the way you play the game — it’s about the narrative message. It wants to make sure you’re hearing the message, which is invaluable.
Having dug into other games that tackle mental health issues, such as Indygo and Sparx (not available in the U.S., sadly), people should be aware, relate, and/or experience what it is like for those going through their own mental health issues. Even when it feels like some of it is ridiculously overblown, it’s important to understand how overwhelming it can be for those going through it. Games like Sea of Solitude don’t try to hide what it’s trying to bring to the gamer, rather they just put an evil face on situations and hopefully relate to someone out there. That last part of the sentence is vital to understand when you’re judging a game like this because creating empathy for someone’s situation is one of the purposes for a game that tackles mental health issues, such is the case with Sea of Solitude.
Anyway, I could go on and on about this game, but just know that games like Sea of Solitude are important. It personifies Kay’s journey with mental health issues, and brings to light different types of situations that people suffering from MHI might encounter. It also brings with it perspective that some people absolutely need should they know someone going through MHI and potentially a starting point when it comes to getting help for that individual.
