Refind Self: The Personality Test Game was more moving and accurate than I expected
How someone plays a game has the potential to reveal a lot about their personality. Do you speed through areas or pause to examine your surroundings? Do you help characters in need or hoard money and items for your own gain?
Created by indie developer Lizardry, Refind Self: The Personality Test Game delves into this concept. You play as an android who must rebuild their personality. Starting at the grave of the doctor who created you, you are encouraged to explore the world at your own pace to uncover the story. On the surface a simple exploration game, aspects of Refind Self’s world, characters and story are revealed to the player as they peel away its layers.
As you explore the environment, talk to other robots and play mini-games, the heart in the top left of the screen gradually fills up. When it gets to 100%, the game ends and categorizes your personality based on 23 archetypes. These are somewhat inspired by the classes found in old-school RPGs. The game will choose a total of 5 archetypes to describe you based on your actions.
After my first playthrough, I unlocked 3 aspects of my personality – Clergy (for helping NPCs in need), Researcher (examining the world thoroughly) and Leader (for honoring in-game responsibilities). I grew up playing point-and-click adventure games and RPGs, so I tend to check everything and pick up anything that is not nailed down. I also have a habit of spending ages sidequesting to help NPCs, so I thought these results were quite accurate.
Refind Self’s retro RPG style and the mixture of quirky and poignant interactions would make it appeal to fans of Undertale. Although the game’s initial runtime can be quite short (around 1 hour), it is impossible to see and do everything in a single playthrough. The game encourages you to replay it multiple times in order to reveal the whole story and unlock all five aspects of your personality. It also features a variety of well-implemented mini-games, from helping someone to color in a sheep to serving satisfying cups of coffee (add some chili or medicine if you dare).
Upon completion, Refind Self gives you an ID code, which enables you to share your results and compare them with others’. The developer seems to want to encourage players to share their experiences and has even released a Fankit of in-game assets. Overall, Refind Self is a moving, relaxing retro-style adventure game that rewards the player for exploring all its aspects.
Refind Self: The Personality Test Game is now available on Steam (PC) and mobile platforms (iOS/Android)
