If you’ve ever had times when you wallowed in your sorrow and couldn’t get back on your feet, then chances are you’ll be able to relate to Plodding Recovery. Developed by Japanese indie dev Rinda, the game is an insightful look into what one does when they feel the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Plodding Recovery follows Koishi, a young man who recently went through a physical and mental breakdown. Over the course of 60 days, you complete everyday tasks like writing in a diary, conversing with people, watching TV, and sleeping. As he goes through the rhythms of daily life, Koishi slowly begins to recover and acknowledge the parts of his life he has been neglecting.
Four parameters drive Koishi in his daily life: Oh Well, Know Yourself, Don’t Overdo It, and Frivolous. Oh Well is an outlook that is more accepting and passive about things, and is centered on the thought that “this is fine,” even when things aren’t perfect. Know Yourself is about introspection, with Koishi becoming more aware of his feelings and habits. Don’t Overdo It is about learning your limits and taking a break when things get too hard. Lastly, Frivolous involves intentionally breaking the rules to suit your needs and protect yourself. By making dialogue choices and choosing which daily activities to take part in, Koishi gradually leans more toward specific outlooks.
The conversation and diary activities are some of the most interesting parts of the game, as they involve reaction and introspection, respectively.
Talking to others starts a unique minigame where you advance the conversation through dialogue choices. The goal is to raise the other person’s satisfaction level by choosing the appropriate responses, with each one costing Heart (a currency used to perform daily actions).
Writing in a diary puts Koishi into a zen-like state where he delves deep into his heart and puts his feelings into words. Based on your choices, Koishi will reflect on things differently, and his outlook on the world will change.
Aside from Heart, which governs your daily actions and prevents you from going out if it gets too low, you should also keep an eye on Today’s Mood and Words Worth Keeping. Today’s Mood shows Koishi’s daily condition, which affects the Heart meter and how well he sleeps. Words Worth Keeping are collected from activities, conversations, and reflective moments. These can be reflected on when you write in Koishi’s diary.
Though Plodding Recovery delves into some pretty heavy subject matter, it does not contain sensitive content such as medication, self-harm, suicide, violence, nor sexual content. The developer notes that their objective with this title was to make a game about mental health, but to avoid delving into “misery.”
Plodding Recovery is available on Windows and macOS (Steam). A launch sale discounting the game by 15% is currently ongoing until August 26.
