The description of That Dragon, Cancer - Play With New Friends
An emotional journey to an inevitable destinationMost games are easy to review, some are hard, and a small handful impossible. That Dragon, Cancer is firmly the latter. My struggle comes from the fact this interactive experience is as much therapy for a couple who lost their son, as it is a product. It touchingly documents their child Joel Green’s life, from cancer diagnosis, through treatment, to his eventual passing.cancer diagnosis, through treatment, to his eventual passingBecause of this, how you interpret and appreciate its narrative’s various twists depend entirely on your own life experiences.how you interpret and appreciate its narrative’s various twistsPowerful connectionsThat Dragon, Cancer is only in the game section because it uses certain interactive tropes associate with videogames. But, how much you actually “play” or even influence the outcome of its poetic narrative, is minimal at most.poetic narrativeThe ineffectualness of your actions are part of the message though, because – as That Dragon, Cancer makes perfectly clear – you can’t control if cancer is going to win or not.you can’t control if cancer is going to winMany scenes from That Dragon, Cancer’s disjointed narrative are casual meandering areas that allow you to explore a snapshot of the family's memories. You may find yourself in a park feeding ducks, a hospital, or an operating theater.explore a snapshot of the family's memoriesExploring these allows you connect with the family, offering an odd sense of expectation, dread, and monotony. To move the story forward you have to interact with a particular element in the world – you may have to play with Joel, or perhaps pick up a phone to hear a recorded message that puts the current events in context.connect with the family,Interaction as communicationThrough all of this That Dragon, Cancer utilizes sound and its color palate to give insight into what the family is going through. One particularly powerful moment has you walk up to Joel turning the world grey and monochrome as you do. utilizes sound and its color palate to give insightIts impactful because its meaning is open to interpretation, from a lack of joy to a numbness. The only thing that is certain is that to move on from this moment, you have to leave Joel behind. open to interpretationThese passive experiences lack interaction, but they are successful in the point they make – something that cannot be said for the "game" elements. Whether you guide Joel floating on balloons past cancer cells or take part in a cart race around the clinic, these sections are ill-designed with awful controls.successful in the point they makeThe thing is, they do not need to be good to get the point across. You can’t guide Joel successfully past the cancer cells, they always win, and your route around the clinic collecting shiny items simply result in you discovering everything you collect represents another treatment for Joel. The message is incredibly powerful, even if the interaction is not.everything you collect represents another treatment for JoelNot a conclusion, more a thoughtAll of which is why this is not a review. Partly because I can’t decide if it’s meant to be an interactive movie or a game, and partly because even the awful bits work within the context of the incredibly powerful narrative. even the awful bits work within the context of the incredibly powerful narrative
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