Meaningful games, that are close to the developer’s own feelings or experiences, is something that I personally love seeing in games. Overwhelmed is a puzzle game about the health care system in Spain, which could be described as the title of the game.
In this puzzle game, you are looking at a glid. There are a bunch of patients and doctors on the grid, and you must move your curser along the lines of the grid, to create different rooms with patients in them. Most doctors can only handle two patients in their room, and you need to make it all the way to a wall to create a room, so deciding where you need to move and how to split up the board is your primary goal.
In between the levels, you are given a bit of narration in Overwhelmed, talking about the doctors currently in Spain and the way the health care system is, while also being told about anything new coming up in the next level. These little breaks that help make the game more meaningful really give a lot of character to the game itself.
When it comes to health care systems, every country has it’s own. Some are free like Spain to use, others are more expensive and costly like America. Health care is a common topic across social media and within different countries, as it’s something everyone has had experience with, most of the time from the start of their lives. With that in mind, health care in many countures has been overwhelmed, stretched, and has continued to go down not so great paths for those who need it. Having a game that addresses some of these issues is always going to be interesting to play through.
Overwhelmed is a short puzzle game, made for the Game Jam Madrid Crea, 4º edición – a game jam focused on cultural, tourist, historical or natural aspects of the Community of Madrid. You do not need to be from Madrid or Spain even to relate and understand the issues brought up in the game or play any of the puzzles. The game itself feels really well made and challenging to play through as well.
You can play this game, for free, on itch.io.