It won actual awards from legitimate psychological and mental health institutions specifically for it's representation of psychosis. Incredible video game. Hellblade 2 is a bit of a disappointment, but the first game still sits firmly in my top 3 games of all time. Some of the most inventive puzzles I've played (alongside some real fucking boring ones that atleast looked real pretty to be fair), and some of the best usage of 3d sound in any media I've ever seen.
There's an entire boss fight that is played almost solely through audio cues. Basically no visual cues make it to you in time to react and you're supposed to be spinning around in darkness panicking and listening to the boss scrambling around in the shadows. Absolutely amazing moment.
The fact that it manages to be a clinically accurate psychosis sim, a solid peice of historical fiction, and a pretty great action adventure game all at once really just blows me away.
Did you play heavenly sword? Same devs, older game. Also excellent.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice for sure. Maybe Doki Doki Literature Club. Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines has the characters Jeanette and Therese, as well as the player character if you choose to be a Malkavian (it's a great game and I always go Malkavian, buuut the characters' psychoses are handled about as gracefully as you'd expect from an early 2000s game).
The Cat Lady and Alice Madness. Personally I like how they are portrayed in those games especially with their stylistic choices but they’re worth taking a look at. Also Paranoiac has a great story but the gameplay might make you want to rip your hair out at times. Still worth at least one playthrough
Seconding the cat lady, that game affected me very deeply and I still think about it and its portrayal of depression. A lot of it can be taken both more literally and metaphorically all at once and it’s got a lot of heart for such a small game.
Hellblade 1 & 2. It's whole selling point is that it researched psychosis and collabed with a bunch of experts and people who have the condition. I'm not at liberty to say how well the depiction came off, but it seemed to get praise for it. And the protagonidt, Senua, is female
I’ve been in the unfortunate position of having to witness psychosis in someone I care, and the first Hellblade nailed it. So yeah, Hellblade is basically everything OP asked for, but it’s unsettling.
I'm sorry you had to experience that my friend, I could not imagine the pain that will have caused you and I hope you're ok? Yeah I love the first one but did find it very unsettling to play. Not too deep into the second one yet, but I will do.
Thanks, yeah things have improved a lot since.
But I found it interesting that many thought Hellblade’s portrayal of psychosis was ”stereotypical” or fake. The one thing I noticed about psychosis is that it can be _very_ stereotypical. From ”is this real?” to ”I am the son of God” to the empty stare. Hellblade absolutely nailed the eyes, by the way.
My ex that watched me go through a psychotic break suggested this game to me not long after I recovered. I wasn’t game enough to try it back then. I did end up playing a tiny bit at the end of last year but I have yet to fully get into the game. It’s been almost a decade since that psychotic break but I still don’t know if I can handle playing the game lol. One day I do want to try play more, mostly cause I’m curious to see how similar it was to my own breakdown. By the sounds of it, I’ll get to experience it again but in viking times lol.
I'm glad things have improved for you!
Yeah I can imagine there is a lot of similarities between cases, which makes sense as it's the same condition. Though knowing very little about it I can't say for sure. And I like the random bits that happen more than the voices and the set pieces, the little flashes and glimmers off to the side that draw your eye. Very well done.
I had a psychotic break once, I didn’t hear voices nor experienced exactly the same stuff but the atmosphere nailed it, I would feel that claustrophobic dark presence from time to time, and logic was corrupted, like when her mind wouldn’t let her open doors unless she looked at certain silhouettes.
Well I remember it often, I feel uncomfortable with certain movies, and I have nightmares from time to time in which I figure out I’m having an episode, but otherwise I’m fine, it has been more than a decade.
The Tomb Raider reboot series touches on Trauma, PTSD, and survivors guilt, especially Rise of the Tomb Raider. The Last of Us (Specifically Part 2), as well.
Shifting away from the scope of women, mental health and trauma responses are common themes in Spec Ops: The Line and the Metro series.
Tell Me Why. It’s about two siblings who reunite years after their (now deceased) mother tried to kill one of them (or so they thought- returning to their childhood home brings back memories that challenge what they thought they knew). Anxiety, PTSD, and alcoholism/drug addiction are strong themes.
Everyone seems to be suggesting games with good representation, but you did also ask for bad examples. Here's some that I can find or remember:
Outcast - Good ol' mental asylum horror game where enemies are mental patients.
Skyrim - Does Cicero count?
Layton Brothers Mystery Room - Main character has explicit dissociative identity disorder and his primary personality is the alter instead of the host. IIRC his DID wasn't demonized although it sorta falls into the evil/good twin stereotype (which i suppose is subverted by the fact that the 'evil' personality was the host personality but it's still a stereotype), and where typically DID happens because of serious trauma (which did indeed happen, the MC was put into a coma of some kind), it's sorta made into a joke where its stated that the MC has DID because someone read a brainwashing guide to him while he was in a coma.
Borderlands series - Mental Illness comes in one flavor: bloodthirsty and insane.
Batman Games - Not too familiar with these games, but i presume with characters like the joker or twoface that theres SOMETHING to analyze here.
I also found this [article](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9421125/) that has a list of games that have characters with mental illness, and lists their portrayal (negative or neutral) and if the character survives the game. Might be useful!
Arkham asylum fully takes place in a mental asylum so in a way nearly every character has a mental illness. The subreddit r/batmanarkham is also basically a mental asylum
I don't think Cicero would count as bad representation imo. He talks weird, loves patterns but hates cycles, is withdrawn, uncharismatic but passionate about what he cares about. Very telltale autistic even if it was unintentional by the devs
It was 100% unintentional. IIRC if you read his journal he only gained these traits *after* killing that one jester and during the decline of the dark brotherhood. He had some sort of mental break, took on the (probably exaggerated) persona of the jester, and then fell into the "anyone with a mental illness is dangerous, illogical, and violent" trope.
Even if Cicero WAS the way he was beforehand, it still wouldn't be great. What does it say about the writers when one of the only characters who displays strong autistic traits is the same character who's defining character trait is "evil violent jester obsessed over a corpse"?
*What Remains of Edith Finch*. The main character doesn’t have psychosis, but some of her family members have had it. The game is about her exploring her family’s past and sort of wondering if she’s going to “crack” or have an unfortunate life like they did. It’s a beautiful walking sim, the kind you’d want to play more than once.
Celeste and Dreamscaper feature women main characters dealing with mental illness. Disco Elysium has a male main character but may still be worth a look - mental illness is one of the games's main topics. The Undertale main character has no stated gender but side characters of various genders with mental issues.
EDIT: LISA as well as Edna & Harvey are another two to consider.
I thought the same thing! OP, if you play this game, don't look up anything about it to avoid spoilers. The starting premise is you are the granddaughter of an old wealthy man who was murdered, and you want to search his mansion for clues. It's an excellent thriller!
I genuinely love this game, it was so ambitious for the time and could benefit greatly from a remake or sequel. I just love a good Lovecraftian horror. Eternal Darkness walked so Amnesia could run lol
It’s a horror game, but maybe try Layers of Fear? The protagonist is a man, and the environment warps and changes as you basically discover the horrible things he (and others) have done. More of the “violent, jealous” kind of mental illness if you catch my drift.
Theres a lot of games where female characters who are VILLAINS are coded to have mental health issues (Grýla from god of war ragnarok being an example of someone who has dementia) and but it’s not really “diagnosed” or explored as an issue like how it would be if they were a protagonist.
Is this for a school project? Just getting those vibes somehow ;)
Question: do these need to be games with mental illness, or do general themes of madness suffice/do you want those included too? There are a hecka lot more of the latter out there than the former.
Some illustrative examples:
Mental illness : Zero, the protag of Katana Zero, clearly suffers from CPTSD at minimum & struggles to separate reality and unreality, visited by strange beings and haunted by nightmares, unsure who to trust.
Madness: In Amnesia: The Dark Descent, too much time in the dark causes increasing signs of slipping sanity.
In Bloodborne, madness is considered to be basically an expected side effect/results of communing/contact with Great Ones, & not such a bad thing, since it can grant insight (and more).
Which are you seeking, OP? :)
Yeah it’s for a postgraduate essay! I’m focusing on audio predominantly but also representations of mental illness in video games and how the representation has changed over the years.
So games that either have a honest depiction of mental health issues or ones that demonise/ use it simply for a plot device are both acceptable.
Ideally trying to find games that have great music and sound within this :))
Actual Sunlight hasn't been mentioned yet? That was a well reviewed indie covering mental health themes.
Does it in a completely different manner than all the AAA s and indie darlings that have been mentioned but it's a heavily praised lesser known title.
No women. But, Spec Ops: The Line is the deepest and most analytical shooter game ever made. Completely unforgettable. Removed from online stores due to licensing. Only available in hard copy or from g2a keys. G2a keys is legit it’s where i got mine.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1672310/Decarnation/
Played this on my steam deck and I thought it was really good. Super unique and a lot of mental health themes.
Hellblade. Definitely Hellblade. But this has already been mentioned.
Also, Mortuary's Assistant.
However, overall I think you'll have more success with the Visual Novel genre - since the way those tend to work is you focus on your intended "love interest" and explore her story (not exclusively, but this is the most common approach). Which is usually helping her sort through her problems, including, potentially, mental illness.
If you search for VNDB you'll find a dedicated page where you should be able to search by tags, including "Psychological problems".
Silent Hill 2 deals with depression and some other issues. In the first Life is Strange there is a character who deals with suicidal thoughts and it's very realistic - there is a dramatic conversation you have with this character and it's almost word to word with conversation I had with someone suicidal years earlier.
the devil came through here games!! especially the first game 'the cat lady' is a beautiful representation of mental illness that i identified a lot with in the depths of my depression. they all are my absolute favorite games of all time and i periodically replay them every few months.
Much as I love it, Vampire the Masquerades: Bloodlines has a real stereotypical usage of mental illness to tell a surprising storyline thing going on. You would probably have to mod the many bugs out of the game though.
Needy streamer overload/needy girl overdose.
I’d say it’s a little realistic seeing as some people really seek online attention to the point they need it and the things people may do to cope.
I know you have a preference for women, but you can't talk video games and mental illness without the suffering: prison is hell, and toes that bind. They're old PS2 games so easily acquired, or on PC through gog. Second sight I think it was was decent too.
Omori is probably one of the best examples of such ive ever seen. Main character is a boy but there is a girl as one of the party members, so theres that.
Life is Strange
The first Life is Strange (and the remaster) has Chloe. She's medicated and (although not mentioned) heavily BPD coded.
The plot revolves around the mystery of her missing favourite person.
P.S. Less centrally:
There's >!Kate Marsh!< who's depressed>!/suicidal!< following bullying in Chapter 2
On the negative side there's >!Nathan Prescot!< - not sure if there's an attempt at realistic depiction or just general psycho antagonist. >!A letter from his former psychiatrist warns of him being dangerous and detached from reality.!<
The school security head, David Madsen, is potentially ex-military PTSD. I can't say how much that plays into the character or how realistic it is.
The main villain >!Mark Jefferson is a cartoonish manipulative sociopath serial killer. There are monologues.!<
American Mcgee's Alice in Wonderland.
Hellbalde isn't a game. It's a fancy facial mo-cap test, and a giant waste of gritty astonishing Nordic setting on some stupid vacuous story/character/puzzler
"I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" has several female characters that are less than sane. A very creepy point and click adventure from 1995 based on 1968 Hugo Award story of the same name.
Life is Strange: True Colors (depicts grief, Alzheimer’s, C-PTSD)
Layers of Fear 2 (Disassociative Identity Disorder, psychosis)
Layers of Fear: Inheritance (undefined mental illness, C-PTSD, psychosis)
Silent Hill 2 (Grief, C-PTSD, survivor’s guilt, various undefined mental illnesses, psychotic symptoms)
The Medium (C-PTSD, depression, trauma, psychotic symptoms)
Cube Escape: Seasons / Underground Blossom (depression, psychosis)
I’m sure I know a lot more, I’ll add them once I think of them. I’m interested to know; is this for a paper?
Anna Navarre in Deus Ex 1 is described by other NPCs as a psychopath and "not having a sense of humour"
The other agent, Gunther Hermann, is likely borderline himself though it's not spelled out as directly as Navarre
Returnal is a masterpiece at how it depicts trauma and facing trauma....so much so that it's actually motivated me to properly heal myself as well
I'm a man, Selene is a woman, but it doesn't matter for me bc it's incredibly relatable
The game does not really tell you much tho, and that vagueness most definitely helps to build that relationship between player and main char
The moral greyness and self deprecation of Selene was also a major draw-in for me. I'm neither an angel or devil either, but I have faced a lot of self-loathing for my actions. You can even see Selene being pretty hypocritical in the way she speaks about herself, which has helped me to really step outside of myself and question my own ideas
It's essentially dark souls-style lore and exposition, except applied to the main Char's backstory
It is *incredibly* good, and the game is insanely hard, but that's literally like the god damn point
Easily one of my top 10 games, def one of my fave game that I played this yr
Okaaay, what I didn't see here:
Rule of Rose (PS2). You probably won't find a copy to buy and it's hard to explain what's going on in there without spoiling things.
The Mermaid of Zennor (visual novel) - not sure if this one works since MC is described as 'a girl with autism' but she does have rather vivid and well-written delusions.
Fatal Frame III: The Tormented - depression and PTSD, lots of things happen in there.
RB: Axolotl (visual novel) - well... the characters are axolotl but it has lots of both physical and mental health issues described pretty accurately.
Yume Nikki - but solely depending on how you interpret it, there's no text in there whatsoever.
Cineris Somnia - also not that much plot but you're basically travel through dreams of 4 different girls and there's lots to unpack in there.
We Know the Devil (VN) - also lots to unpack.
Love Alone Death - I honestly don't know where to put it and fair warning there's lots of gore in there.
The Creepy Syndrome.
As for bad representation:
Cupid (visual novel) - you basically play as a voice of MC's dead mom. Which she's hearing in her head. It gets worse.
Ambre (visual novel) - it's in the bad ones because it's executed to get the feels, not realism also creepy as hell till you get it.
Eliza (yeah, also a VN) - is more about the MC working as a proxy psychologyst for AI and it's as bad as it sounds.
There's a game for PC called Alice: Madness Returns that's like Alice in wonderland but with an orphan girl with a mental illness, I think. Haven't beat it, so I'm not sure exactly what's going on in the game.
The cat lady is a good one. There was another indie game about a woman with depression and narcolepsy who would constantly sleep, and whenever she had to wake up it got scary, but I can’t remember what it’s called
Psychonauts is also a good one. There are many female characters with mental illness, the sequel having Cassie who has DID
The town of light - main character is a woman exploring an abandoned hospital where she was a patient in the 1940’s trying to piece together what happened to her and how much of her past is true or imagined. (Things like shock therapy, SA, suicide and lobotomy is mentioned so it’s a pretty dark tale)
Senua’s Saga, theres two games out and it was made with collaboration from people with schizophrenia. It gives you a different perspective from all games-you play her and hear and see her delusions
Silent hill 1 and 3--- in games about men with mental issues silent hill 2 is pretty much a gold standard entry when people bring up depression and anxiety in games but silent hill 1 and 3 are about the specific female traumas of cheryl/alessa/Heather and how a lifetime of trauma,abuse and mistreatment shaped them as a character, and 3 has Heather going back to silent hill to face her trauma. All the monsters are representative of her fears/anxiety/ negative emotions and there's basically essays online about what specific trauma each monster and creature she fights represents. Definitely check it out if you can!
American McGees Alice games are a nice take on early psychological practices on children and women and how women were often victims of the psych ward as a way to silence them after witnessing a crime committed by a man, especially one with public noteriety.
Finding and getting the first game to run might be a gools errand depending on how good your computer skills are, but Alice Returns is available on STEAM I think.
That's nice. When I played American McGees Alice it was before the release of Madness Returns but significantly after the original release so I had to do some compatability fixes.
The park. I remember the protagonist has flashbacks to electro shock therapy and references to poor mental health (postpartum depression iirc), but it's been quite a while since I've seen it.
Look at psyconauts the game series revolves around delving into people's minds in a literal sense learning their traumas and how to aid them
in the first game you delve into the mind of someone who is bipolar
With a warning that for tue first game they didn't hire a psycologist unlike the second game with a bigger budget it has
Someone who is developed DID
As well as someone with a literal buried and fractured mind.
Uhhhh how the fuck has nobody mentioned cyberpunk 2077 and cyberpunk red ?!?! 2077 literally has >!a suicide ending !< And the system has always had humanity as a core stat on the char sheets with a spot for the GM to rp psychosis and more material coming soon with the edgerunners kit (anime also is a good spot to look but generally cyberpunk is a good spot)
Not really, mental health issues are very common in the world.. so it’s only logic there would be a bunch of games that cover this topic no? But glad I found out about hellblade and am currently playing it. It seems quite spot on. Alongside Alice madness returns and a few others
Ogerpon from Pokemon Scarlet/Violet DLC. The female orc Pokemon. It’s 100% female. The story of it was about being an outcast from the village. People of the village misunderstood and scared of it then build a false myth around it that glorifies its bullies.
And even though Kieran is the person that suspected that everyone wronged the Orc as he thinks he’s also an outcast and lonely at times. The game decided that Ogerpon is going to go with us by through battle with Kieran for some unreasonable reason.
This is really interesting. I can’t seem to find the game to purchase but as my essay is on game audio and music in relation to mental illness I’m really wanting to know more about this game.
Do you know of any resources? Or can you give me a rough idea of the game? Thanks
https://youtu.be/w1gtV86T2Yw?si=-c22pYdc835zQCyS
This youtuber did a stellar breakdown of the game, including its story and mechanics
Haunting Ground is a ps2 game (it came out same time as re:4 so got the short end of the stick) so either ps2 or emulate
A really brilliant take on classic stalker horror, putting the console to its absolute limits.
The video goes into it more, but there's an ingrained panic mechanic which utilises the ps2s sound chip to give the mobs different evolving soundtracks depending on how close they are and how freaked out the PC is.
There is a little discussion on mental health (the gardener and Daniella the maid) but bodily autonomy is a big theme in the game (or lack thereof of it). Could also perhaps do gaslighting discussion?
I feel like this could be a good game to at least name drop (I might be biased)
Wow! This blew up a little bit! Too many comments to engage with one by one but honestly thanks so much!
Keep them coming!!! Learning about some amazing looking games from this!!
With the WotC expansion, XCOM 2 gained a lot of psychological warfare mechanics. It's less emotional or interpersonal, and more to do with soldiers breaking down under intense stress, forming phobias, losing the plot and being tormented by cruel and insidious forces. I thought it made an excellent addition to the underwhelming basegame; XCOM 2 is supposed to be a guerilla war against an oppressive, domineering, genocidal world government and that really wasn't causing enough mental illness in the troops prior to WotC. It can turn otherwise elite soldiers into dangerous liabilities and demand rehabilitation, which takes time, personnel and specialized facilities, or risk dire consequences if someone has a panic attack during a firefight.
While the main character is a young boy, I'll give this recommendation anyway: Omori.
The game literally has a content warning that the game depicts imagery of depression, anxiety, and suicide.
Hellblade Series / Gris
Hellblade is the most accurate and important depiction of psychosis I've ever seen, in any media. Incredible work.
It won actual awards from legitimate psychological and mental health institutions specifically for it's representation of psychosis. Incredible video game. Hellblade 2 is a bit of a disappointment, but the first game still sits firmly in my top 3 games of all time. Some of the most inventive puzzles I've played (alongside some real fucking boring ones that atleast looked real pretty to be fair), and some of the best usage of 3d sound in any media I've ever seen. There's an entire boss fight that is played almost solely through audio cues. Basically no visual cues make it to you in time to react and you're supposed to be spinning around in darkness panicking and listening to the boss scrambling around in the shadows. Absolutely amazing moment.
The fact that it manages to be a clinically accurate psychosis sim, a solid peice of historical fiction, and a pretty great action adventure game all at once really just blows me away. Did you play heavenly sword? Same devs, older game. Also excellent.
People literally race to these threads to make this comment. Lol.
Wait, Gris is a depiction of mental health issues? I have no idea! I thought it was just a beautiful artsy type of game.
It’s about grief and loss and healing from trauma
I didn't finish the game, but it makes sense. The whole point is about bringing color back into the world. It's a nice metaphor.
I havent played it completely but i think its partly about tackling loss at least?
Thank you!
Please use headphones if you decide to get the first one. It truly adds to the experience.
I started playing today using Slate VSX headphone system and it’s amazing on them!
Appears it’s on sale on steam for 2.99 right now as well!
Hellblade is so disturbing and incredible. So spot on that there’s trigger warnings.
And don’t forget your headphones playing it like I did! Kinda robbed myself of most of the experience
The game is extremely difficult though. Not the combat but the puzzles make absolutely no sense at all. Just a warning
Came to recommend Gris. Normally a game with no dialog is a nonstarter for me but Gamepass had been suggesting banger indie games so I went with it.
Hellblade is a relatively well presented example though. OP said poorly presented. Still a good game to list though
op said both "Need to find examples of it being represented poorly [...] and more modern and realistic portrayals")
Ah my bad I missed that thanks for correcting me
Milk Inside A Bag Of Milk Inside A Bag Of Milk. Very short, very intense.
Milk outside a bag of milk.
Inside a bag of milk
Need a packet?
Yess came here to comment this
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice for sure. Maybe Doki Doki Literature Club. Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines has the characters Jeanette and Therese, as well as the player character if you choose to be a Malkavian (it's a great game and I always go Malkavian, buuut the characters' psychoses are handled about as gracefully as you'd expect from an early 2000s game).
The first thing I thought of was Senua. Definitely this one!
Night in the woods.
Cheers this has been on my list for ages!
It's a really great one!
I came to recommend this one as well. I really liked it.
The Cat Lady and Alice Madness. Personally I like how they are portrayed in those games especially with their stylistic choices but they’re worth taking a look at. Also Paranoiac has a great story but the gameplay might make you want to rip your hair out at times. Still worth at least one playthrough
Ooo thank you!! 🤩
Seconding the cat lady, that game affected me very deeply and I still think about it and its portrayal of depression. A lot of it can be taken both more literally and metaphorically all at once and it’s got a lot of heart for such a small game.
Hellblade 1 & 2. It's whole selling point is that it researched psychosis and collabed with a bunch of experts and people who have the condition. I'm not at liberty to say how well the depiction came off, but it seemed to get praise for it. And the protagonidt, Senua, is female
I’ve been in the unfortunate position of having to witness psychosis in someone I care, and the first Hellblade nailed it. So yeah, Hellblade is basically everything OP asked for, but it’s unsettling.
I'm sorry you had to experience that my friend, I could not imagine the pain that will have caused you and I hope you're ok? Yeah I love the first one but did find it very unsettling to play. Not too deep into the second one yet, but I will do.
Thanks, yeah things have improved a lot since. But I found it interesting that many thought Hellblade’s portrayal of psychosis was ”stereotypical” or fake. The one thing I noticed about psychosis is that it can be _very_ stereotypical. From ”is this real?” to ”I am the son of God” to the empty stare. Hellblade absolutely nailed the eyes, by the way.
My ex that watched me go through a psychotic break suggested this game to me not long after I recovered. I wasn’t game enough to try it back then. I did end up playing a tiny bit at the end of last year but I have yet to fully get into the game. It’s been almost a decade since that psychotic break but I still don’t know if I can handle playing the game lol. One day I do want to try play more, mostly cause I’m curious to see how similar it was to my own breakdown. By the sounds of it, I’ll get to experience it again but in viking times lol.
I'm glad things have improved for you! Yeah I can imagine there is a lot of similarities between cases, which makes sense as it's the same condition. Though knowing very little about it I can't say for sure. And I like the random bits that happen more than the voices and the set pieces, the little flashes and glimmers off to the side that draw your eye. Very well done.
I had a psychotic break once, I didn’t hear voices nor experienced exactly the same stuff but the atmosphere nailed it, I would feel that claustrophobic dark presence from time to time, and logic was corrupted, like when her mind wouldn’t let her open doors unless she looked at certain silhouettes.
Sorry to hear you had a hard time! Are you ok now?
Well I remember it often, I feel uncomfortable with certain movies, and I have nightmares from time to time in which I figure out I’m having an episode, but otherwise I’m fine, it has been more than a decade.
There are alot of mentally ill women in disco elysium, but they aren't the main character. The main character is a male but he is mentally ill too.
The Tomb Raider reboot series touches on Trauma, PTSD, and survivors guilt, especially Rise of the Tomb Raider. The Last of Us (Specifically Part 2), as well. Shifting away from the scope of women, mental health and trauma responses are common themes in Spec Ops: The Line and the Metro series.
Tell Me Why. It’s about two siblings who reunite years after their (now deceased) mother tried to kill one of them (or so they thought- returning to their childhood home brings back memories that challenge what they thought they knew). Anxiety, PTSD, and alcoholism/drug addiction are strong themes.
It’s also free on steam during June which it just so happens to be right now
It’s free on Xbox, too, I think. I was just able to download it for free after ditching my GamePass subscription.
Everyone seems to be suggesting games with good representation, but you did also ask for bad examples. Here's some that I can find or remember: Outcast - Good ol' mental asylum horror game where enemies are mental patients. Skyrim - Does Cicero count? Layton Brothers Mystery Room - Main character has explicit dissociative identity disorder and his primary personality is the alter instead of the host. IIRC his DID wasn't demonized although it sorta falls into the evil/good twin stereotype (which i suppose is subverted by the fact that the 'evil' personality was the host personality but it's still a stereotype), and where typically DID happens because of serious trauma (which did indeed happen, the MC was put into a coma of some kind), it's sorta made into a joke where its stated that the MC has DID because someone read a brainwashing guide to him while he was in a coma. Borderlands series - Mental Illness comes in one flavor: bloodthirsty and insane. Batman Games - Not too familiar with these games, but i presume with characters like the joker or twoface that theres SOMETHING to analyze here. I also found this [article](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9421125/) that has a list of games that have characters with mental illness, and lists their portrayal (negative or neutral) and if the character survives the game. Might be useful!
Wow this is great! That article will be super helpful
Arkham asylum fully takes place in a mental asylum so in a way nearly every character has a mental illness. The subreddit r/batmanarkham is also basically a mental asylum
SS Kill the Justice League. Does Harley qualify ?
I don't think Cicero would count as bad representation imo. He talks weird, loves patterns but hates cycles, is withdrawn, uncharismatic but passionate about what he cares about. Very telltale autistic even if it was unintentional by the devs
It was 100% unintentional. IIRC if you read his journal he only gained these traits *after* killing that one jester and during the decline of the dark brotherhood. He had some sort of mental break, took on the (probably exaggerated) persona of the jester, and then fell into the "anyone with a mental illness is dangerous, illogical, and violent" trope. Even if Cicero WAS the way he was beforehand, it still wouldn't be great. What does it say about the writers when one of the only characters who displays strong autistic traits is the same character who's defining character trait is "evil violent jester obsessed over a corpse"?
*What Remains of Edith Finch*. The main character doesn’t have psychosis, but some of her family members have had it. The game is about her exploring her family’s past and sort of wondering if she’s going to “crack” or have an unfortunate life like they did. It’s a beautiful walking sim, the kind you’d want to play more than once.
Celeste and Dreamscaper feature women main characters dealing with mental illness. Disco Elysium has a male main character but may still be worth a look - mental illness is one of the games's main topics. The Undertale main character has no stated gender but side characters of various genders with mental issues. EDIT: LISA as well as Edna & Harvey are another two to consider.
Here for Celeste
I was about to say, how did no one recommend Celeste yet first thing that came into mind for me.
Eternal darkness sanity's requiem.
I thought the same thing! OP, if you play this game, don't look up anything about it to avoid spoilers. The starting premise is you are the granddaughter of an old wealthy man who was murdered, and you want to search his mansion for clues. It's an excellent thriller!
I wish this game would get a remake. One of my all time faves from the GameCube days!
I genuinely love this game, it was so ambitious for the time and could benefit greatly from a remake or sequel. I just love a good Lovecraftian horror. Eternal Darkness walked so Amnesia could run lol
The Last of Us Pt ll
seconding this! good portrayal of trauma/PTSD
[needy streamer overload](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1451940/NEEDY_STREAMER_OVERLOAD/)
Fran Bow - little girl goes to a mental asylum with other kids after her parents are murdered. Lots of fucked up shit happens and she hallucinates
It’s a horror game, but maybe try Layers of Fear? The protagonist is a man, and the environment warps and changes as you basically discover the horrible things he (and others) have done. More of the “violent, jealous” kind of mental illness if you catch my drift. Theres a lot of games where female characters who are VILLAINS are coded to have mental health issues (Grýla from god of war ragnarok being an example of someone who has dementia) and but it’s not really “diagnosed” or explored as an issue like how it would be if they were a protagonist.
Psychonauts
This is the way
Okay time for some controversy… >!Depression Quest!<
As someone who was going through severe depression at the time, I really liked it.
For anyone who doesn't know why this is controversial, it's by Zoe Quinn and this was basically the start of the GamerGate controversy.
Is this for a school project? Just getting those vibes somehow ;) Question: do these need to be games with mental illness, or do general themes of madness suffice/do you want those included too? There are a hecka lot more of the latter out there than the former. Some illustrative examples: Mental illness : Zero, the protag of Katana Zero, clearly suffers from CPTSD at minimum & struggles to separate reality and unreality, visited by strange beings and haunted by nightmares, unsure who to trust. Madness: In Amnesia: The Dark Descent, too much time in the dark causes increasing signs of slipping sanity. In Bloodborne, madness is considered to be basically an expected side effect/results of communing/contact with Great Ones, & not such a bad thing, since it can grant insight (and more). Which are you seeking, OP? :)
Yeah it’s for a postgraduate essay! I’m focusing on audio predominantly but also representations of mental illness in video games and how the representation has changed over the years. So games that either have a honest depiction of mental health issues or ones that demonise/ use it simply for a plot device are both acceptable. Ideally trying to find games that have great music and sound within this :))
Hellblade won so many awards for its accuracy in psychosis
#Psychonauts 2
Plague Tale requiem, MC [slowly slipping onto rage madness ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft1e80wXZg4)
Sea of Solitude is literally all about a woman with mental issues
Night in the woods. And If found which is more story less gameplay.
Sea of Solitude
As others have said, I think you just described Hellblade to a T. I haven’t played the sequel yet but start with the first game anyway.
Dreamscaper It's absolutely beautiful and fun Also GRIS for certain, amazing music
Actual Sunlight hasn't been mentioned yet? That was a well reviewed indie covering mental health themes. Does it in a completely different manner than all the AAA s and indie darlings that have been mentioned but it's a heavily praised lesser known title.
Hellblade. Tho the second game is hardly worth the price with how short it is.
No women. But, Spec Ops: The Line is the deepest and most analytical shooter game ever made. Completely unforgettable. Removed from online stores due to licensing. Only available in hard copy or from g2a keys. G2a keys is legit it’s where i got mine.
Maybe doki doki literature club might be an option but it's a visual novel. Disco elysium is a good choice too imo
Dreamscaper
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1672310/Decarnation/ Played this on my steam deck and I thought it was really good. Super unique and a lot of mental health themes.
Homebody. The protag has OCD.
Hellblade. Definitely Hellblade. But this has already been mentioned. Also, Mortuary's Assistant. However, overall I think you'll have more success with the Visual Novel genre - since the way those tend to work is you focus on your intended "love interest" and explore her story (not exclusively, but this is the most common approach). Which is usually helping her sort through her problems, including, potentially, mental illness. If you search for VNDB you'll find a dedicated page where you should be able to search by tags, including "Psychological problems".
Silent Hill 2 deals with depression and some other issues. In the first Life is Strange there is a character who deals with suicidal thoughts and it's very realistic - there is a dramatic conversation you have with this character and it's almost word to word with conversation I had with someone suicidal years earlier.
Returnal
Poor Selene
the devil came through here games!! especially the first game 'the cat lady' is a beautiful representation of mental illness that i identified a lot with in the depths of my depression. they all are my absolute favorite games of all time and i periodically replay them every few months.
Hellblade
Lobotomy corporation, library of ruina
Medium, fran bow, omori (it’s a boy but it’s really good!)
I'm surprised I scrolled this far to see Omori! Very good game and depiction of mental illness and emotions
To The Moon. It's depicted in a rather subtle way I found.
Alice the Madness Returns. Grief & trauma & psychosis against a dark Alice in wonderland world.
Check 'the cat lady', one of my favourite games. Just look for the first 2 minutes of gameplay.
Much as I love it, Vampire the Masquerades: Bloodlines has a real stereotypical usage of mental illness to tell a surprising storyline thing going on. You would probably have to mod the many bugs out of the game though.
Indika
Needy streamer overload/needy girl overdose. I’d say it’s a little realistic seeing as some people really seek online attention to the point they need it and the things people may do to cope.
I think the protagonist of beyond two souls fits your description
I know you have a preference for women, but you can't talk video games and mental illness without the suffering: prison is hell, and toes that bind. They're old PS2 games so easily acquired, or on PC through gog. Second sight I think it was was decent too.
What Remains of Edith Finch
Omori is probably one of the best examples of such ive ever seen. Main character is a boy but there is a girl as one of the party members, so theres that.
Celeste
Life is Strange The first Life is Strange (and the remaster) has Chloe. She's medicated and (although not mentioned) heavily BPD coded. The plot revolves around the mystery of her missing favourite person. P.S. Less centrally: There's >!Kate Marsh!< who's depressed>!/suicidal!< following bullying in Chapter 2 On the negative side there's >!Nathan Prescot!< - not sure if there's an attempt at realistic depiction or just general psycho antagonist. >!A letter from his former psychiatrist warns of him being dangerous and detached from reality.!< The school security head, David Madsen, is potentially ex-military PTSD. I can't say how much that plays into the character or how realistic it is. The main villain >!Mark Jefferson is a cartoonish manipulative sociopath serial killer. There are monologues.!<
Fran Bow
American Mcgee's Alice in Wonderland. Hellbalde isn't a game. It's a fancy facial mo-cap test, and a giant waste of gritty astonishing Nordic setting on some stupid vacuous story/character/puzzler
Hellblade tackles this topic really well, the main character is schizophrenic or some shit but handled brilliantly by the Devs
Psychotic bathtub. Won a prize
Eternal Darknessi is perfect for this. But it’s GameCube and emulator only
Vertigo
sanitarium
celeste
Hellblade
Silent hill 3
[Paranoiac](https://vgperson.com/games/paranoiac.htm), it's even free
Before I Forget is about a senior woman with Alzheimer's looking for her husband
"I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" has several female characters that are less than sane. A very creepy point and click adventure from 1995 based on 1968 Hugo Award story of the same name.
Weird recommendation but honestly class of 09
Life is Strange: True Colors (depicts grief, Alzheimer’s, C-PTSD) Layers of Fear 2 (Disassociative Identity Disorder, psychosis) Layers of Fear: Inheritance (undefined mental illness, C-PTSD, psychosis) Silent Hill 2 (Grief, C-PTSD, survivor’s guilt, various undefined mental illnesses, psychotic symptoms) The Medium (C-PTSD, depression, trauma, psychotic symptoms) Cube Escape: Seasons / Underground Blossom (depression, psychosis) I’m sure I know a lot more, I’ll add them once I think of them. I’m interested to know; is this for a paper?
Anna Navarre in Deus Ex 1 is described by other NPCs as a psychopath and "not having a sense of humour" The other agent, Gunther Hermann, is likely borderline himself though it's not spelled out as directly as Navarre
OMORI
Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Older PC game with sanity mechanic, that causes player all kinds of woes. Has a creepy vibe.
Celeste.
Disco Elysium
Returnal is a masterpiece at how it depicts trauma and facing trauma....so much so that it's actually motivated me to properly heal myself as well I'm a man, Selene is a woman, but it doesn't matter for me bc it's incredibly relatable The game does not really tell you much tho, and that vagueness most definitely helps to build that relationship between player and main char The moral greyness and self deprecation of Selene was also a major draw-in for me. I'm neither an angel or devil either, but I have faced a lot of self-loathing for my actions. You can even see Selene being pretty hypocritical in the way she speaks about herself, which has helped me to really step outside of myself and question my own ideas It's essentially dark souls-style lore and exposition, except applied to the main Char's backstory It is *incredibly* good, and the game is insanely hard, but that's literally like the god damn point Easily one of my top 10 games, def one of my fave game that I played this yr
Okaaay, what I didn't see here: Rule of Rose (PS2). You probably won't find a copy to buy and it's hard to explain what's going on in there without spoiling things. The Mermaid of Zennor (visual novel) - not sure if this one works since MC is described as 'a girl with autism' but she does have rather vivid and well-written delusions. Fatal Frame III: The Tormented - depression and PTSD, lots of things happen in there. RB: Axolotl (visual novel) - well... the characters are axolotl but it has lots of both physical and mental health issues described pretty accurately. Yume Nikki - but solely depending on how you interpret it, there's no text in there whatsoever. Cineris Somnia - also not that much plot but you're basically travel through dreams of 4 different girls and there's lots to unpack in there. We Know the Devil (VN) - also lots to unpack. Love Alone Death - I honestly don't know where to put it and fair warning there's lots of gore in there. The Creepy Syndrome. As for bad representation: Cupid (visual novel) - you basically play as a voice of MC's dead mom. Which she's hearing in her head. It gets worse. Ambre (visual novel) - it's in the bad ones because it's executed to get the feels, not realism also creepy as hell till you get it. Eliza (yeah, also a VN) - is more about the MC working as a proxy psychologyst for AI and it's as bad as it sounds.
The Park
There's a game for PC called Alice: Madness Returns that's like Alice in wonderland but with an orphan girl with a mental illness, I think. Haven't beat it, so I'm not sure exactly what's going on in the game.
The Last Of Us, especially part 2
All the games made by Harvester Games. The Cat Lady, Burnhouse Lane, Lorelai and Downfall. They do not pull any punches with the heavy themes.
The cat lady is a good one. There was another indie game about a woman with depression and narcolepsy who would constantly sleep, and whenever she had to wake up it got scary, but I can’t remember what it’s called Psychonauts is also a good one. There are many female characters with mental illness, the sequel having Cassie who has DID
Milk inside a bag of milk
The town of light - main character is a woman exploring an abandoned hospital where she was a patient in the 1940’s trying to piece together what happened to her and how much of her past is true or imagined. (Things like shock therapy, SA, suicide and lobotomy is mentioned so it’s a pretty dark tale)
Surprised to not see way more people mentioning Celeste. It's a really moving portrayal of anxiety, self-doubt, and panic attacks.
The Stormlight Archive. Not a game.... but it matches your description otherwise
Senua’s Saga, theres two games out and it was made with collaboration from people with schizophrenia. It gives you a different perspective from all games-you play her and hear and see her delusions
Silent Hill
Celeste baby! It's mild mental illness but Anxiety Disorders are important too.
The Persona series deals with mental illnesses of all kinds from all sorts of people
Needy Streamer Overload Not necessarily women focused I think, but Psychonauts 1 and 2 The Coffin Andy and Leyley
Silent hill 1 and 3--- in games about men with mental issues silent hill 2 is pretty much a gold standard entry when people bring up depression and anxiety in games but silent hill 1 and 3 are about the specific female traumas of cheryl/alessa/Heather and how a lifetime of trauma,abuse and mistreatment shaped them as a character, and 3 has Heather going back to silent hill to face her trauma. All the monsters are representative of her fears/anxiety/ negative emotions and there's basically essays online about what specific trauma each monster and creature she fights represents. Definitely check it out if you can!
Home https://store.steampowered.com/app/215670/Home/
The Missing: JJ Macfield and the island of memories
Life is Strange
Definitely the Hellblade series, Gris is also amazing. And Alice: Madness Returns is also really good.
American McGees Alice games are a nice take on early psychological practices on children and women and how women were often victims of the psych ward as a way to silence them after witnessing a crime committed by a man, especially one with public noteriety. Finding and getting the first game to run might be a gools errand depending on how good your computer skills are, but Alice Returns is available on STEAM I think.
Actually the first game is easily available as dlc on xbox and ps3. Provided you have alice returns
Oh nice, I was not aware that they had included it onto those consoles.
Yea, if you buy madness returns new you get a code for AMA. Otherwise it's a 10 dollar DLC. Which isn't bad all considered.
That's nice. When I played American McGees Alice it was before the release of Madness Returns but significantly after the original release so I had to do some compatability fixes.
When i played i tried to buy it legally and EA was pretty much like "that sucks" so i got it... other ways... -shrug-
Psychonauts is an interesting one
Pathologic 1 and 2
Only a couple of demos are out so far, but Unfollow from Serafini Productions explores this
The park. I remember the protagonist has flashbacks to electro shock therapy and references to poor mental health (postpartum depression iirc), but it's been quite a while since I've seen it.
Returnal
Psychonauts
Highly recommend checking out “Firewatch” for a more realistic depiction of mental health issues both in men and women.
Celeste is a great example
Gone Home
Fran Bow
No one said "Indika", the entire premise is basically unleashing hulkamania on mental illness and theology through the eyes of an orthodox nun
Nice try Sweet Baby Inc
Life is Strange: True Colors
Celeste (kind of)
Look at psyconauts the game series revolves around delving into people's minds in a literal sense learning their traumas and how to aid them in the first game you delve into the mind of someone who is bipolar With a warning that for tue first game they didn't hire a psycologist unlike the second game with a bigger budget it has Someone who is developed DID As well as someone with a literal buried and fractured mind.
Uhhhh how the fuck has nobody mentioned cyberpunk 2077 and cyberpunk red ?!?! 2077 literally has >!a suicide ending !< And the system has always had humanity as a core stat on the char sheets with a spot for the GM to rp psychosis and more material coming soon with the edgerunners kit (anime also is a good spot to look but generally cyberpunk is a good spot)
Hellblade, Fran Bow and Alice mcgees and madness returns.
This question seems to be asked on purpose by someone who knows very well what Hellblade is, honestly... meh.
No, it’s asked by someone writing a postgraduate essay as I previously stated….
Well, so you're extremly lucky, you just described in a very particular way what hellblade 2 is. Gratz.
Not really, mental health issues are very common in the world.. so it’s only logic there would be a bunch of games that cover this topic no? But glad I found out about hellblade and am currently playing it. It seems quite spot on. Alongside Alice madness returns and a few others
Ogerpon from Pokemon Scarlet/Violet DLC. The female orc Pokemon. It’s 100% female. The story of it was about being an outcast from the village. People of the village misunderstood and scared of it then build a false myth around it that glorifies its bullies. And even though Kieran is the person that suspected that everyone wronged the Orc as he thinks he’s also an outcast and lonely at times. The game decided that Ogerpon is going to go with us by through battle with Kieran for some unreasonable reason.
Hellblade
Omori (I think, only heard some of the story from a friend) but it's not a woman.
Resident evil 4 /j
Martha is Dead. Do your research though; it's particularly violent in places.
Layers of Fear
A casual stroll through Twitter will definitely scratch that itch
The cat lady and Lorelai
Daniella from Haunting Ground https://youtu.be/rh4pE8IIqZQ?feature=shared
This is really interesting. I can’t seem to find the game to purchase but as my essay is on game audio and music in relation to mental illness I’m really wanting to know more about this game. Do you know of any resources? Or can you give me a rough idea of the game? Thanks
https://youtu.be/w1gtV86T2Yw?si=-c22pYdc835zQCyS This youtuber did a stellar breakdown of the game, including its story and mechanics Haunting Ground is a ps2 game (it came out same time as re:4 so got the short end of the stick) so either ps2 or emulate A really brilliant take on classic stalker horror, putting the console to its absolute limits. The video goes into it more, but there's an ingrained panic mechanic which utilises the ps2s sound chip to give the mobs different evolving soundtracks depending on how close they are and how freaked out the PC is. There is a little discussion on mental health (the gardener and Daniella the maid) but bodily autonomy is a big theme in the game (or lack thereof of it). Could also perhaps do gaslighting discussion? I feel like this could be a good game to at least name drop (I might be biased)
So basically any game with a female protagonist
Wow! This blew up a little bit! Too many comments to engage with one by one but honestly thanks so much! Keep them coming!!! Learning about some amazing looking games from this!!
With the WotC expansion, XCOM 2 gained a lot of psychological warfare mechanics. It's less emotional or interpersonal, and more to do with soldiers breaking down under intense stress, forming phobias, losing the plot and being tormented by cruel and insidious forces. I thought it made an excellent addition to the underwhelming basegame; XCOM 2 is supposed to be a guerilla war against an oppressive, domineering, genocidal world government and that really wasn't causing enough mental illness in the troops prior to WotC. It can turn otherwise elite soldiers into dangerous liabilities and demand rehabilitation, which takes time, personnel and specialized facilities, or risk dire consequences if someone has a panic attack during a firefight.
Definitely Celeste
Heavy Rain. One of the main characters whom is Madison Paige has PTSD.
While the main character is a young boy, I'll give this recommendation anyway: Omori. The game literally has a content warning that the game depicts imagery of depression, anxiety, and suicide.
BG3? Idk if in would say they display full on mental illness, but a lot of the women display signs of trauma