Acceptance Review

Players will have to come to terms with suicide with the release of Rasul Mono and Ratalaika Games’ Acceptance. Should players traverse this dark path in this story-driven thriller?

Acceptance Review

Adam has feelings of self-doubt, mood swings, and countless other grievances, Adam finds himself going through the motions of his life. His career is a grind, and he’s finding himself running behind on projects and working himself to the point of blackout to catch up. He’s not even interested in being social with his friend group. There’s also his partner Emily, who’s going through some rough times on her end.

Throughout the title, players will come to see the difficulty Adam is attempting to contend with. Let’s be perfectly clear – this is the polar opposite of a feel-good title. However, as players move around and interact in this walking simulator, they’ll get a general picture of Adam’s life in just a short amount of time.

It’s just unfortunate that Acceptance whacks players over the head with its messaging; subtlety is thrown out the window for spectacle. While it does paint a good picture as to the distortions of a disturbed mind, it doesn’t quite have the worldbuilding or length to really drive the point home. It also proves to be a bit heavy-handed; while there are different stages that players go through, it is a bit too direct with the way it displays Adam’s grief.

The way it sets things up is far too direct; while denial and fighting back make sense, the nuance of these emotions is a bit lost in Acceptance. We get that ghostly apparitions and weapons (with attack and block functions) to overcome, it ends up focusing a bit too much on the game angle as opposed to the deeper meaning of it all. As a result, there is a bit of a disconnect when it comes to really knowing the struggles that Adam is going through – especially when you’re spamming the attack button to get through waves of different enemies.

There’s also not too much gameplay to speak of in Acceptance. Players will be able to walk from different points, speak to people, and collect certain items, but most players will have the same experience when all is said and done. If anything, there’s too much walking – there’s a lot of times where players will move in one direction for a set period of time; however, these parts are a bit too dragged out. While there are some missable achievements, there is nothing quite so daunting that it will be a massive undertaking.

Acceptance covers some serious topics, but its combat makes it feel more like a shallow game than something with a deeper message. Everything is a bit heavy handed, and as a result feels a bit more surface level than anything else.

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