Wednesday: A Text-Based Slice-of-Life Role-Playing Game
Wednesday is a free role-playing video game developed by sammy. It is a text-based visual novel and slice-of-life interactive fiction that explores severe emotional stress related to mental health and the struggles of being part of the LGBTQIA community. The game focuses on staying afloat for a week in your character's life and deals with themes of identity and self-discovery.
Appearance-wise, Wednesday is similar to other visual novels like Scout: An Apocalypse Story and CLOSED HANDS, although it does feature some art. The game is entirely driven by narration and dialogue, with players making choices at certain points in the story.
In Wednesday, players assume the role of a nameless transgender character who works at a school's cafeteria and tries to balance their work, home life, and personal hobbies. The character feels overwhelmed by stress and the date keeps changing, but they still believe it's Wednesday, symbolizing their feeling of drowning. Some parts of the game repeat with changed narration, adding to the sense of emotional struggle.
To progress in the game, players simply click on the colored text, which represents actions or thoughts. Some colored text in the narration provides explanations and legitimate links to websites related to health topics. However, the game does not offer the option to save progress.
Wednesday has a short and linear storyline, with approximately 12,000 words to read through to reach the ending. The soundtrack consists of a harsh noise filler that reflects the protagonist's constant emotional turmoil.
Overall, Wednesday is a great LGBTQIA visual novel for fans of mature plotlines. It is easy to follow, with simple controls, and provides helpful links for mental health and LGBTQIA issues.
