Stilstand

Stilstand was reviewed on a PS4

When most AAA games are about violence, mayhem, wars and living out power fantasies, the indie games of Nakana.io, Stilstand’s publisher, are the complete opposite. They’re games that treat humans on a deeper level. They explore human psyche, emotions, life and death.

That’s why whenever a new game is announced by them; I know that it’ll be a good game. Not in the traditional sense that it will be replayable or “fun” but that it’ll be a thought provoking experience. Stilstand, and other games like it, are games that tell a meaningful story, an emotionally charged narrative that puts human emotions under a microscope, all while taking advantage of gaming as a medium.

If you ever felt too depressed to do anything but sit around watching TV, or if you ever felt like shutting off from everyone else, Stilstand is a game for you. It explores how we often feel like staying at home just so we could get alone with our thoughts, but then try to distract ourselves with bad habits just so we can turn them off for a while. This juxtaposition’s at the heart of the story told by Stilstand.

But enough about that, let’s talk about the game as a videogame.

What is Stilstand?

Stilstand is an interactive Black and white, pencil drawn visual novel that tells the story of a young lady suffering from a crippling depression during a scorching hot summer in Copenhagen, Denmark. The main gameplay loop consists of interacting with her or with the environment.

At one point, you’re swiping left and right on a dating app, reading her text messages and choosing her next words. There are a few minigames scattered around the game’s short playtime, and they provide a decent amount of interactivity to the game.

The pacing of the narrative and the dark humor set an oppressive mood that accurately depicts the feelings of a person who truly feels empty. The scratchy visual style and the caricature-like characters work towards further cementing both the absurdity and the seriousness of the situations presented in the game. The game is filled to the brim with dark humor and subtle jokes that work for the most part, and keeps the game from becoming too monotone with its focus on depression.

Helping her to cope with her mental illness is a black figure called the things who’s always bothering her and pushing her to try to be more social. It’s a shadow figure that’s simply helping her get out of a rut. He warns her when she’s about to make a bad decision, and tries to make her do better ones. He’s often presented as the comic relief.

A playthrough of Stilstand will clock in at around 90 minutes tops, but the time you’ll spend with the protagonist is definitely unique. The music and the sound effects do an outstanding job of accompanying and complementing each new scene. The scene goes quiet during quieter moments, and goes loud during scenes set outside of the girl’s tiny room.

Overall,

Stilstand isn’t the most gameplay-heavy game, and if you’re looking for a game like that, then Stilstand isn’t for you. If you’re looking for an experience that will stick with you long after you’re done with it, then Stilstand won’t disappoint you.

Both its visual and audio presentation are stellar and do a great job of portraying the protagonist’s struggle with coping with everyday life. If you ever felt that life was too difficult or too overwhelming, then you’ll find her story to be engaging, thoughtful and relatable. Priced only at 2.99$ on the PS Store, it’s more than worth your money (You get a Platinum Trophy just for finishing the game).

I don’t usually spoil the endings of the games I review but this time; I’ll leave you with the game’s last words, the words that stuck with me the most during my playthrough:

One Day It’ll Get Better

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Special thanks go to Nakana.io for providing us with a review code.

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You should play Stilstand if you

• Enjoy thoughtful experiences
• Love dark humor
• Ever struggled with mental issues
• Love the unique pencil drawn art style
• Don’t mind the short length

Stilstand’s Score

9/10