This War of Mine
A survival game about civilians scavenging and hiding in a besieged city.
Where This War of Mine comes up1 episode or test
This War of Mine ties morality to its core systems. Stealing or killing while scavenging yields more items, but characters grow sad, then depressed, then broken, and may leave or die. Consoling them costs time, and alcohol costs resources. The lesson: give immoral choices real gameplay rewards, then attach a mechanical cost and visible reactions so players feel the consequences.
- 1Steal or killDefenseless people, more items to safe house
- 2Character turns sadMood drops after the misdeed
- 3Then depressedMood keeps sinking
- 4Then brokenMay leave or commit suicide
- 5Pay to restoreConsole them or make alcohol
From Mark Brown's game comparison
What was said about This War of Mine
This War of Mine charges players a mechanical price for stealing and killing. Looting by stealing from or killing defenseless people brings more items to the safe house. The character then turns sad, then depressed, then broken, and may leave or commit suicide.
Restoring a character costs time spent consoling them or resources spent making alcohol. Mark Brown says it is the only game in his comparison (with Undertale, Darkest Dungeon and Papers, Please) that punishes immorality mechanically. The morality runs through looting and character moods, which are core systems, not isolated choice scenes. In his words: "The consequences of your actions are felt keenly in this game."
Visible reactions from the world make a mechanical misdeed feel like guilt. Mark Brown says he felt like "human garbage" when a woman wept over the corpse of her husband, whom he had just punched to death.
The guilt comes from the game reacting to what the player did, not from the mood penalty alone.
Morality in the Mechanics
Stealing or killing while scavenging brings more items, but the character turns sad, then depressed, then broken, and may leave or commit suicide. Consoling them costs time and alcohol costs resources, and it is the only game here that punishes immorality mechanically.
This War of Mine charges players a mechanical price for stealing and killing. Looting by stealing from or killing defenseless people brings more items to the safe house. The character then turns sad, then depressed, then broken, and may leave or commit suicide.
Restoring a character costs time spent consoling them or resources spent making alcohol. Mark Brown says it is the only game in his comparison (with Undertale, Darkest Dungeon and Papers, Please) that punishes immorality mechanically. The morality runs through looting and character moods, which are core systems, not isolated choice scenes. In his words: "The consequences of your actions are felt keenly in this game."
Visible reactions from the world make a mechanical misdeed feel like guilt. Mark Brown says he felt like "human garbage" when a woman wept over the corpse of her husband, whom he had just punched to death.
The guilt comes from the game reacting to what the player did, not from the mood penalty alone.
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