The game puts you in the role of a father and his daughter, following their story across five acts. At certain points, you alternate between the two characters, although focus remains on the father. The story begins in a time of peace, with Liam enjoying life alongside his wife Catherine and their daughter Rosie. This calm is suddenly shattered when bombs begin to fall, and it becomes clear that a new war is about to begin. The situation is especially painful for the family because Liam has already fought in the previous war, and now he feels obligated to serve his country once again.
Regardless of which character you control, the gameplay remains simple and largely the same. Each act takes place in nicely drawn locations with several interactive spots. These are easy to identify because movement is restricted to a single plane, allowing only left and right motion. When you approach an object of interest, a button prompt appears, always indicating the same action you can perform.
Most interaction points are tied to specific objectives and become available only when the related task is active. These spots are sometimes highlighted when an objective appears, making them easier to locate. Although tasks sometimes involve picking up an item and delivering or using it, there is no inventory management. Items are used automatically upon interaction as long as you have already collected them.
The game also features optional collectibles with an educational purpose. Even items that seem ordinary or unimportant unlock detailed entries explaining how they relate to the war. Through these, you can learn why posters were used to raise morale, how new canning standards were introduced to preserve food, and why penicillin played such an important role. Despite this, each scene contains only a handful of interaction points, as the experience relies more on art, atmosphere, and straightforward progression.
When you collect an item, an exclamation point appears on your notebook, usually indicating that a new entry has been unlocked. Occasionally, however, the exclamation point appears without any new content. This bug is tied to a separate set of notes that provide more general information about the war, its events, and the locations featured in the story.
Notes typically unlock as you progress through the game, though some are already available from the very first scene. This inconsistency resolves itself later, once your story progress catches up with the prematurely unlocked entries and the remaining notes unlock as intended.
To prevent the experience from becoming monotonous due to constant walking and interaction, the game introduces small events and mini games. Most of these are very simple and involve pressing a button repeatedly, following a short sequence of inputs, or selecting an option with the mouse. Rosie’s events are harmless and quick, while Liam’s are more dangerous and result in death.
For example, there is a running sequence where you must watch the shadows of incoming rockets and avoid them by speeding up or slowing down. Other sections require precise timing to move through gunfire or throw grenades. While many of these situations can lead to failure, the game is forgiving and places checkpoints fairly between hazardous segments.
Overall, the game runs well, but there are a few broken areas. One such issue appears early on in a forest scene. While the first problem, an animation playing incorrectly, is minor, the second issue is far more severe. After the animation ends, you can walk straight through a tree and reach the edge of the area, where the character falls through the ground into empty space. A similar problem occurs later, on a beach, allowing you to walk past the edge of the screen and fall through the environment once again.
Although the story is based on real experiences, it is not particularly engaging, as it follows a familiar pattern shared by many war narratives. The characters, especially Liam, are consistently optimistic and tend to find hope in every situation, acting as if everything will turn out fine regardless of the circumstances. This makes the final act stand out, as it is very brief and abruptly strips away that optimism. The game concludes with a few lines that reinforce the idea that war stories rarely, if ever, have happy endings.
