«You pass by a little child, you pass by, spiteful, with ugly words, with wrathful heart; you may not have noticed the child, but he has seen you, and your image, unseemly and ignoble, may remain in his defenseless heart. You don't know it, but you may have sown an evil seed in him and it may grow, and all because you were not careful before the child, because you did not foster in yourself a careful, actively benevolent love»
/Fyodor Dostoyevsky/
Lydia is a story-driven game about substance abuse from a perspective of a small child developed by a Finnish indie development team.
A feeling of pure hopelessness surrounds this poor girl's story, and as she delves deeper into a surreal journey with her pink Teddy bear, players discover the increasing severity of her fractured world. It's a mournful experience, for sure, but it's also emotionally draining and incredibly dark so if you're looking for pure escapism don't play Lydia.
“A beast can never be as cruel as a human being, so artistically, so picturesquely cruel.”
/Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov/
Lydia is not a traditional adventure game that involves in-depth puzzle-solving or inventory management you'll only interact with whatever's available at the moment in every chapter which consists of no more than three side-scrolling screens.
Instead of dialog trees you select Lydia’s emotional state but I think your choice doesn’t affect the story. The gameplay itself consists of clicking environmental objects and through dialogs which need to trigger some specific actions. There’s only one mini game in Lydia (very simple one) so getting stuck or stumped is impossible.
The game skillfully shows different parts of Lydia’s life in several chapters. We see how she’s searching “a monster” from a child to an adult daughter of a manipulative alcoholic. The ending of the game is particularly poignant.
«And the more I drink the more I feel it. That's why I drink too. I try to find sympathy and feeling in drink.... I drink so that I may suffer twice as much!»
/Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment/
While the story remains strong there’re some problems. First, you can see some mistakes throughout the subtitles, ranging from simple grammatical issues to full-blown misspellings. Second, the use of foul language almost seems forced and out of place.
«Love children especially, for they too are sinless like the angels; they live to soften and purify our hearts and, as it were, to guide us. Woe to the man who offends a small child»
/Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov/
Having completed the game in less than two hours I have mixed feelings about Lydia.
It did not feel like an adventure. It is rather a very short interactive story besides not very fun. Even if you would like the game you don’t enjoy it.
I recommend the game only to those people who like a gameplay-lite adventures that deals with real-world problems particularly those of a darker nature like Lidia.
I was impressed by this depressing story about wrecking a family because of alcohol addiction and emotional abuse but it’ so incredibly short so I do suggest you ought to wait a discount.
«Grown-up people do not know that a child can give exceedingly good advice even in the most difficult case»
/Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot/
Love and care for your family.
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«Âû ïðîõîäèòå ìèìî ìàëåíüêîãî ðåáåíêà, âû ïðîõîäèòå ìèìî, çëîáíî, ñ óðîäëèâûìè ñëîâàìè, ñ ãíåâíûì ñåðäöåì; âû, âîçìîæíî, íå çàìåòèëè ðåáåíêà, íî îí âàñ âèäåë, è âàø îáðàç, íåïðèëè÷íûé è íåáëàãîðîäíûé, ìîæåò îñòàâàòüñÿ â åãî áåççàùèòíîì ñåðäöå. Âû ýòîãî íå çíàåòå, íî âû, âîçìîæíî, ïîñåÿëè â íåì çëîáíîå ñåìÿ, è îíî ìîæåò ðàñòè, è âñå ïîòîìó, ÷òî âû íå áûëè îñòîðîæíû ïåðåä ðåáåíêîì, ïîòîìó ÷òî âû íå âîñïèòûâàëè â ñåáå îñòîðîæíóþ, àêòèâíî äîáðîæåëàòåëüíóþ ëþáîâü»
/Ô.Ì. Äîñòîåâñêèé/
×óâñòâî ÷èñòîé áåçíàäåæíîñòè îêðóæàåò èñòîðèþ ýòîé áåäíîé äåâî÷êè, è, êîãäà îíà ïîãðóæàåòñÿ ãëóáæå â ñþððåàëèñòè÷åñêîå ïóòåøåñòâèå ñî ñâîèì ðîçîâûì ïëþøåâûì ìèøêîé, èãðîêè îáíàðóæèâàþò âîçðàñòàþùóþ òÿæåñòü åå ðàçäðîáëåííîãî ìèðà. Êîíå÷íî, ýòî ñêîðáíûé îïûò, à òàêæå ýìîöèîíàëüíî îïóñòîøàþùèé è íåâåðîÿòíî ìðà÷íûé, ïîýòîìó åñëè âû èùåòå ÷èñòîãî ýñêàïèçìà, íå èãðàéòå â Ëèäèþ.
«Çâåðü íèêîãäà íå ìîæåò áûòü òàê æåñòîê, êàê ÷åëîâåê, òàê àðòèñòè÷åñêè, òàê õóäîæåñòâåííî æåñòîê»
/Ô.Ì. Äîñòîåâñêèé «Áðàòüÿ Êàðàìàçîâû»/
Ëèäèÿ - ýòî íå òðàäèöèîííàÿ ïðèêëþ÷åí÷åñêàÿ èãðà, êîòîðàÿ âêëþ÷àåò â ñåáÿ ðåøåíèå ãîëîâîëîìîê èëè óïðàâëåíèå èíâåíòàðåì, âû áóäåòå âçàèìîäåéñòâîâàòü òîëüêî ñ òåì, ÷òî äîñòóïíî íà äàííûé ìîìåíò â êàæäîé ãëàâå, êîòîðàÿ ñîñòîèò èç òðåõ ýêðàíîâ (íå áîëåå).
Âìåñòî äåðåâüåâ äèàëîãà âû âûáèðàåòå ýìîöèîíàëüíîå ñîñòîÿíèå Ëèäèè, íî ÿ äóìàþ, ÷òî âàø âûáîð íå âëèÿåò íà èñòîðèþ. ×òî äî ãåéìïëåÿ, òî âû êëèêàåòå íà îáúåêòû è â äèàëîãàõ, ÷òî äîëæíî âûçûâàòü îïðåäåëåííûå äåéñòâèÿ.  Ëèäèè åñòü òîëüêî îäíà ìèíè-èãðà (î÷åíü ïðîñòàÿ), ïîýòîìó çàñòðÿòü è çàéòè â òóïèê íåâîçìîæíî.
Èãðà óìåëî ïîêàçûâàåò ðàçíûå ÷àñòè æèçíè Ëèäèè â íåñêîëüêèõ ãëàâàõ. Ìû âèäèì, êàê îíà èùåò «÷óäîâèùå» îò ðåáåíêà äî âçðîñëîé äî÷åðè àëêîãîëè÷êè-ìàíèïóëÿòîðøè. Îêîí÷àíèå îñòðîå âïå÷àòëåíèå îñòàâëÿåò êîíåö èãðû.
«È ÷åì áîëåå ïüþ, òåì áîëåå è ÷óâñòâóþ. Äëÿ òîãî è ïüþ, ÷òî â ïèòèè ñåì ñîñòðàäàíèÿ è ÷óâñòâà èùó... Ïüþ, èáî ñóãóáî ñòðàäàòü õî÷ó!»
/Ô.Ì. Äîñòîåâñêèé «Ïðåñòóïëåíèå è íàêàçàíèå»/
Õîòÿ èñòîðèÿ îñòàâëÿåò ñèëüíîå âïå÷àòëåíèå, ñóùåñòâóþò íåñêîëüêî ïðîáëåì. Âî-ïåðâûõ, âû ìîæåòå óâèäåòü íåñêîëüêî îøèáîê â ñóáòèòðàõ, íà÷èíàÿ îò ïðîñòûõ ãðàììàòè÷åñêèõ îïèñîê è çàêàí÷èâàÿ äåéñòâèòåëüíûìè îðôîãðàôè÷åñêèìè îøèáêàìè. Ýòî îòíîñèòñÿ íå òîëüêî ê àíãëîÿçû÷íîé âåðñèè èãðû, íî è ê ðóññêîÿçû÷íîé. Âî-âòîðûõ, èñïîëüçîâàíèå ìàòà êàæåòñÿ ïî÷òè íàäóìàííûì è íåóìåñòíûì.
«Äåòîê ëþáèòå îñîáåííî, èáî îíè òîæå áåçãðåøíû, ÿêî àíãåëû, è æèâóò äëÿ óìèëåíèÿ íàøåãî, äëÿ î÷èùåíèÿ ñåðäåö íàøèõ è êàê íåêîå óêàçàíèå íàì. Ãîðå îñêîðáèâøåìó ìëàäåíöà»
/Ô.Ì. Äîñòîåâñêèé «Áðàòüÿ Êàðàìàçîâû»/
Ïî çàâåðøåíèè èãðû ìåíåå ÷åì çà äâà ÷àñà ó ìåíÿ âîçíèêëè ñìåøàííûå ÷óâñòâà ê Ëèäèè. Ýòî íå ïðèêëþ÷åí÷åñêàÿ èãðà. Ýòî ñêîðåå î÷åíü êîðîòêàÿ èíòåðàêòèâíàÿ èñòîðèÿ, êðîìå òîãî, íå î÷åíü-òî è âåñåëàÿ. Äàæå åñëè âàì ïîíðàâèòñÿ èãðà, âû íå ïîëó÷èòå óäîâîëüñòâèå.
ß ðåêîìåíäóþ ýòó èãðó òîëüêî òåì ëþäÿì, êîòîðûå ëþáÿò íå îòÿãîùåííûå ãåéìïëååì ïðèêëþ÷åíèÿ, êîòîðûå êàñàþòñÿ ðåàëüíûõ ïðîáëåì, îñîáåííî òåõ, ÷òî ÿâëÿþòñÿ ìðà÷íûìè ïî ñâîåé ïðèðîäå.
ß áûë âïå÷àòëåí ýòîé äåïðåññèâíîé èñòîðèåé î ðàçðóøåíèè ñåìüè èç-çà àëêîãîëüíîé çàâèñèìîñòè è ýìîöèîíàëüíîãî íàñèëèÿ, íî îíà íàñòîëüêî íåâåðîÿòíî êîðîòêà, ÷òî ÿ íàñòîÿòåëüíî ïðåäëàãàþ âàì ïîäîæäàòü ñêèäêó.
«Âçðîñëûå íå çíàþò, ÷òî ðåáåíîê äàæå â ñàìîì òðóäíîì äåëå ìîæåò äàòü ÷ðåçâû÷àéíî âàæíûé ñîâåò»
/Ô.Ì. Äîñòîåâñêèé «Èäèîò»/
Ëþáèòå è çàáîòüòåñü î ñâîåé ñåìüå.
