It expands the boundaries of what peoples’ idea of video games are; they’re not just sadistic shoot ‘em ups or mind-numbing ridiculousness. Sometimes they’re real life; they’re heartbreaking and devastating. If for no other reason than that, That Dragon, Cancer deserves your attention.
I cannot recommend this to everyone because of the sheer difficulty of the experience, but I nonetheless challenge anyone who has lost a loved one or faced great trouble in their life to take this journey, share in human togetherness with the Greens and their friends, and observe the beauty that blossomed from the life and death of Joel Green.
This is my first review on Metacritic, so I accept if it will not be given much credit. I have watched and played through TDC, and have had the catharsis that comes from a painfully brutal experience.
Rarely do we see a story about cancer told as honestly as TDC portrays it. It is short, perhaps the length of a movie that you'd pay the same amount to see in theaters. If that is not something you're willing to pay for, that's understandable. Some people don't like confronting cancer, and that's understandable. Some people say this isn't a game, and I respect their opinion.
However, if, like me, you long to be moved by art, not just play the latest COD, or puzzle your way through an Undertale, consider That Dragon, Cancer. It is not a game; it is art, and as such, it exists as an expression of the artist's soul, his experiences, and his pain, and unlike other mediums, we are allowed and invited to join him in both his pain and his acceptance, and hopefully find peace as well.
I rate it 10/10, for this is art at its finest.
Emotionally-charged experience, that avoids the clichés of playing on emotions, isn´t, the biggest success of That Dragon, Cancer. Even more astonishing is the coherent form, playful linking of the game genres and creative imagination of the authors. Is it a game at all? Who cares when you get such satisfactory piece of art...
While it’s far from the typical video game adventure, That Dragon, Cancer is a reminder that games can be so much more than just wish-fulfillment power fantasies. It’s an important and unforgettable experience, full of pain, love and grace.
The people complaining about the glitches or wonky controls need to look That Dragon, Cancer again. It's not a game that you play. It's a game that tells a story, almost like a movie. You're just along for the ride. Yes there are some things that could be better, and there are bugs, but the point of this game isn't for it to be played. The point of this game is to tell the story of Joel and his family living through the struggle of cancer, which is something I have gone through. Because of that I was re experiencing that time of my life when my mom had cancer, and that made the message of this game so much clearer. People complain that this game costs $15, but for that price you get this real story that many people can connect with. For 4 times the price you could go buy a Call of Duty game, a game franchise that's story hasn't made me feel for a character since MW3. But that's all those games are. Fictional stories about fictional people. That Dragon, Cancer is a real story about real people. That $15 is paying for you to experience the Green family going through an extremely hard time. It's an emotional game. It's not right to rate it the same way you rate Call of Duty.
And if you can't connect to this game, go watch the videos that Mini Ladd, Markiplier, JackSepticEye, and many other people have made. See how emotional they get. Go watch the video by SoulPancake, who meets Joel. That is the character from the game you played.
I feel for Ryan and Amy as I play or watch this game, and I hope you do as well.
This is a game but it's more like a storybook. This game has it's great storytelling which is emotional. It really sends a powerful message. The game itself would have a lot lower ratings if it wasn't to this storytelling and message it sends because it has a ton of bugs and glitches, The story is about a loss of a child viewed trough eyes of his parents which is just soul-crushing, heartbreaking, terrible event that nobody should experience. Game is well written and a great idea but it lacks in execution. This review is one of my hardest because the game is bad but story and message that it sends are powerful. Basically you don't know what to say or write about this game
Sorry, for the loss, Ryan & Amy.
The end of the ''game'' it reads "thank you for playing'', but there is zero gameplay, nor is this a game. i really don't see how 14.99 justifies what i just went through. Also, imo, the controls are wonky as heck. i feel like the button mapping could have been made easier. I think i spent about an hour and a half on this, and there were a few times i was kind of stuck, once underwater trying to (incorrectly) swim up, another time in a hospital room with Joel crying on a loop, and a 3rd time infront of candles in the church where i found myself playing repeater a few times before progressing.
kudos, for the artistic approach, i thought that was a nice touch.
i'm not going to really touch too much on belief, bc i don't feel like that should warrant a positive/negative review just bc someone might share a different belief; mine, may be similar, who knows.. But, i kind of wish it was less about ''us'' knowing what exists and that Joel is alright now, and more about how Joel positively left a good imprint on others whilst he was here. it's not my story. it was heartfelt.
basically, bc of what i thought were weak controls. and, the fact that it's simply not a game. i don't feel it warrants a 15 USD price tag.
i dislike giving this a negative review. rip, Joel, and to the family, all the best.
Oh, dear, I gave a game that's about CANCER a 4/10. Colour me an evil monster.
I really wish I could give this game a big score, but this just isn't an experience worth going through. If this story was made into some sort of hour-long documentary, I would've watched and loved it. The reason this game gets a 4 and not lower is that I really did feel for the characters of the story (and it honestly broke my heart when I learned it was a true one) and I wanted to know more about it. But after about an hour and a half, everything was over and there was a whole lot of nothing left behind. As Yahtzee Croshaw stated when talking about Everybody's Gone To the Rapture, "once you remove the fun and interactivity of The Stanley Parable, you ARE supposed to replace it with something". I simply don't think that "but it's art!!!" is an excuse for glitchy sections and overly-dragging monologues. Heavy Rain worked, The Beginner's Guide worked, but this, unfortunately, does not.
SummaryThat Dragon, Cancer is an adventure game that acts as a living painting; a poem; an interactive retelling of Ryan and Amy Green's experience raising their son Joel, a 4-year-old currently fighting his third year of terminal cancer. Players relive memories, share heartache, and discover the overwhelming hope that can be found in the face ...