Part life simulation, part dark comedy, part survival game, Unemployment Simulator 2018 captures the feeling of being unemployed and struggling with mental health that reminds me of what so many of us went through in our 20s.
Play as a random fellow living in a single bedroom apartment in an undisclosed Nordic state, struggling with boredom, mental health, social isolation, and the hunt for employment. Each day has you completing a series of four tasks, all while managing your dopamine, anxiety, health, and fatigue; you will literally die of boredom if you don't keep your character entertained. Dopamine and anxiety can be managed via exercise, eating, sleeping, watching YouTube videos, wanking to porn, and, mainly, by playing video games on your computer. Fatigue is replenished via sleep, charging up rapidly if you take a short rest on your bed should it run down in the middle of the day.
Your days are spent coping with social isolation and trying to balance your ever-dwindling mental health. As such you only have enough spoons / drive to perform four tasks a day, ranging from simple tasks like opening a letter, making food, cleaning X number of pieces of trash, exercising, cleaning the toilet, brushing your teeth, showering, etc. Completing your four tasks for the day will let you use the toilet, turn off the light, and get some sleep. You will have the option of playing through a variety of different dreams in the night, although they are completely optional, having no effect on the next day.
Unemployment Simulator 2018 captures what it feels like to be without work for an extended period of time, having life simply not work out like you might have been told it would while growing up, and dealing with continually deteriorating mental health problems / social isolation on top of it all. Our playable character goes through periods of melancholy, self loathing, and rage during their attempt to find work and get back on their feet. As days go by, the apartment will accumulate filth and bug infestations, mirroring the mental health of the playable character.
Time will eventually reveal something else going on in the apartment outside of your usual daily routine. One night you will receive a letter, plus a transmitter, with instructions on how to attune it, and open a portal to another realm. For those interested in more detail: [spoiler]Your character starts receiving messages from an alien-like being, being told to set up a transmitter, open a portal to another realm, be operated upon by another alien creature, participate in rituals, become friends with a pig-man, learn of an ancient war between the ants and fruit flies, and the prophecy of your coming.[/spoiler]
Unemployment Simulator 2018 is a brilliant experience, uniquely capturing the experience of unemployment and mental health in a way I haven't seen before, while still being able to add an interesting twist in the way of a science fiction adventure. I know this is not going to be an experience that will be for everyone, but it is one I can't recommend enough all the same.
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