Game Review: Acceptance (Xbox Series X)

If developer Rasul Mono’s Acceptance was being reviewed on tone and visuals alone, it would command a very high score. Alas, it’s a game and that means gameplay must be taken into account, and it’s here that Acceptance is found lacking.

It’s such a pity because the game tackles one of the toughest subjects going, but does so in a heavy-handed way. We’re talking about suicide and the widespread effect such a horrendous thing can have. Especially to those closest to someone who is at risk.

Adam’s life is one dominated by monotony, working in a soulless corporate office, and going home to an unhappy home, where he never knows what to expect from his wife, Emily’s moods. He appears to be ignorant of her issues, even if it doesn’t necessarily come from a bad place.

Sadly, while at work and browsing a website, Adam is stunned to come across a breaking news article that suggests his wife has taken her own life. Confused, worried, and scared, Adam has a psychotic breakdown and what follows is a trip through his mind as he attempts to process the stages of grief. Something the player will have to lead him through, stage by stage.

As far as story settings go, Acceptance is strong, and credit must be given to the development team for trying to tackle such a troubling event. It’s not just based around Adam’s feelings either, as it attempts to explore what drove Emily to commit suicide. However, it’s not always handled in the most respectable of ways as the tone shares more in common with a horror game than anything else.

That’s not to say this can’t work, a game like Distraint showed it can, but Acceptance goes for a more garish route and it lessens the impact of its message.

Where the game really falls apart though, is with gameplay. Where all you do is walk in one direction for absolutely ages. Sometimes you find an item, then you walk some more and use it. Then eventually you get a weapon and have to take part in the worst aspect of the game, combat.

What is, at first, welcome because it breaks up the monotony of just walking, until you realise combat is even duller. Block, attack, rinse and repeat until the enemy falls down. Move on and do the same with another, then another, then another, and so on.

It can feel never-ending, made all the worse by hit detection that is off. If that wasn’t bad enough, Acceptance also has really lengthy and complex QTE sections.

Putting it simply, the gameplay of Acceptance is so bad, it ruins any enjoyment that can come from the story, twisted visuals, and eerie soundtrack. What should have been immensely memorable for its attempt to tackle a difficult subject, ends up being memorable for how awful gameplay is.