Unwording – Review
Cognitive distortions are illogical ways of thinking that can cause emotional distress. People can learn to identify these distortions, reframe things in a more realistic light, and adjust their actions accordingly through cognitive behavioural therapy. Frostwood Interactive’s (Rainswept, Forgotten Fields) third game, Unwording, is a three-day trip through the mind of a guy who is now mired in a downward spiral of negative thoughts. Playing word games with him to help him reframe his negative thinking is much more fun than sitting on the sidelines of a therapy session. While it has a cute premise and some enjoyable minigames, this extremely brief adventure falls flat due to a lack of substance and polish.
Tom spends the first part of the first day hesitantly tackling the first word puzzle in bed. The word “Wake Up” is written across four flat blocks, with one to three letters in each. Tom has a severe case of cognitive dissonance and definitely does not want to do this, therefore you must rearrange the blocks to create a statement that describes his state of mind. If you press the space bar, a word cloud displaying Tom’s train of thought will appear, with suggestions like “Go back to sleep” and “Quit” to assist you find the solution. The next step is to invert the blocks and use the opposite-side letters to deduce the solution phrase. In this example, the word “Up” doesn’t need to be altered in any way; rather, by rotating the blocks that make up the word “Wake,” you will be able to form the phrase “Give Up,” which will solve the riddle and move the plot along.
When Tom does get out of bed, he’s clearly not in the mood for it, so you have to keep dragging him through the same daily routine, solving the same riddles that only serve to cement his pessimistic outlook. To get him through the day, you will avoid your neighbours, your coworkers, and anything that could possibly bring him happiness.
On day two, with the help of a canary from the neighbourhood who pooped all over his phone, Tom starts to reevaluate his position in the world and his view of people. The scenery and the word games transition smoothly from 2D to 2.5D. Like therapy, solving these new puzzles takes some extra effort and persistence. Instead of just turning the blocks over, you’ll have to rotate them into position to make the required phrase fit. Tom will be able to reframe his negative beliefs and gain some happiness as a result.
The last day sees a shift to a 3D environment and increasingly challenging challenges. There will be text boxes where you, as Tom, must enter the appropriate word in order to proceed with the plot. Going through a door is an example when the solution is readily apparent. Some problems call for creative solutions. Although I’ve always enjoyed typing in my answers to text adventures, I had some frustrating guess-the-verb problems during this playthrough.
Although this is a simplistic view of mental health recovery, it serves as a good introduction to the subject and provides an entertaining pretext for some word games. Each letter block is confirmed as it is correctly placed in the easy mode, and if you need a hand, you can use the hint feature to have the blocks moved into the right positions for you. The normal mode appears to only effect the first part. While I did find the text parser puzzles to be a bit more challenging than the block puzzles, I don’t think hints are necessary.
Players shouldn’t have any trouble with the keyboard and mouse controls in Unwording. It’s simple to move Tom around, and it’s easy to identify what he can do and who he can talk to because you probably go to the same places (the office, the stores outside your apartment) at around the same times every day. While the overall cartoony style of the characters and settings isn’t offensive, it’s also not particularly engaging. Tom walks around and makes a few gestures with his hands here and there, but that’s about it as far as animation goes. The effect of most activities, such as opening a refrigerator door or starting work, is shown after a fade to black. There are some visual issues with the game, as Tom’s limbs frequently pass through walls and other objects. You won’t get stuck, so it’s not a big deal in terms of gameplay, but it does provide a sloppy vibe.
The only way for the characters to connect with one another is through non-verbal cues, as there is no spoken language in the game. To make up for this, Tom’s outlook on life gradually improves over the course of the three days, resulting in more smiles, improved posture, and more vibrant colours. The soft rhythms and sweet tones of the background music complement the minimal sound effects that occur in response to actions like opening a door or starting the washing machine.
Although the game promotes itself as an inspiring and powerful story, it falls far short in terms of plot and character development. Tom is unremarkable (as is everyone else), and his sudden improvement in his mental health doesn’t make for a compelling story. The entirety of Unwording may be seen in around 90 minutes. That’s about right, considering the story’s lack of complexity and the limited range of challenges. Those curious about the subject who also enjoy word puzzles will likely find this to be a quick and entertaining distraction. If you’re looking for a serious adventure game, you won’t find much else that compares.
