Don’t Give Up: A Cynical Tale

Genre: Graphic Adventure / Action-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Don’t Give Up, released on PC in 2019 and ported to Nintendo Switch in 2021, is one of those odd games that defies categorization. It’s mostly a Graphic Adventure, though unlike most games in that genre there aren’t many puzzles to solve. In addition, the game does occasionally have combat that plays out a bit like an Action-RPG, but you won’t be gaining levels or equipping items to improve your stats. Suffice it to say, this game seems to loosely fit in both genres, but in many ways it is its own thing.

Don’t Give Up tells the story of Tris, a game programmer who is still hurting from a failed relationship, is barely making ends meet, and who struggles with social interactions. Alternately, we sometimes play the game from the perspective of Subris, who lives in a surreal world where they’re recognized as a hero who saved the land three years prior, and who now finds themselves faced with a new and mysterious threat.

Before going on, I should make clear that right from the start, Don’t Give Up deals with topic matter that many may find triggering – alcoholism, insecurity, depression, anxiety, suicide, isolation, loneliness, abandonment issues. This game addresses these issues in a thoughtful and well-written manner, but nevertheless players who are sensitive to such issues may want to stay clear.

On that note, I have to compliment this game on the character of Tris. Normally I find jerkwad antisocial types to be insufferable protagonists (lookin’ at you, Cloud and Squall), but Tris manages to have a depth and a vulnerability to his unlikeable exterior – it is clear that he knows he’s repelling those around him and ultimately just making himself more miserable, spiraling in his loneliness and despair, but he’s also clearly struggling with his own lack of self-worth and inability to interact with others.

All of this story is told through fairly primitive 2D pixel art visuals with somewhat better-looking character portraits, backed by an eclectic synthesized soundtrack. Despite the game’s lo-fi nature, this presentation has a lot of personality, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of games like Earthbound and Undertale.

Speaking of Undertale, the combat system here similarly aims to subvert expectations for RPG combat. When the game’s story leads to a battle, you’ll be using the directional pad to dodge around on four square panels representing up, down, left, and right, while aiming attacks using A and B and countering incoming attacks by pressing Y, with occasional breaks in the dodging to pummel enemies via button-mashing. In addition, you start each battle with a Monkey Island-style exchange of insults that can ideally set you up for the battle if you select the right insult.

This battle system is going to be divisive – it’s clunky, and players sometimes need to react extremely quickly to dodge attacks, meaning that players used to more thoughtful combat may feel this game is too frenetic. Alternately, you can just opt to repeatedly counter, just tapping that button rather than putting effort into the battle. While the game does throw in different elements to shake things up, I felt like these battles ran counter to the otherwise thoughtful and contemplative nature of the game.

There are also lulls in the pacing that are irritating, especially when the story is interesting and you’d rather get on with it. In particular, you’re frequently tasked with finding a place or a thing and it’s often unclear exactly where you need to go.

Ultimately, I feel like the gameplay of Don’t Give Up is the weakest part of this game by far, but players who can bear with it and who don’t mind this game’s dark and at times disturbing themes will find this to be a wonderfully well-crafted story well worth checking out.

tl;dr – Don’t Give Up is a game that combines Graphic Adventure and Action-RPG elements to tell a story about an antisocial game designer suffering from depression, and a plucky hero looking to save the day. The story and presentation here is excellent, but the gameplay is really hit or miss. Still, while not everyone will enjoy that gameplay, I feel like this game’s better qualities outweigh the bad.

Grade: B-

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