A video game with a special resonance... Wednesdays, by Arte and developed by The Pixel Hunt and Pierre Corbinais, will be available from March 26, 2025 on PC and Mac via Steam and itch.io. This narrative game, in the form of an interactive comic strip, tackles the subject of domestic sexual violence through a memorial journey. It invites players to decipher silences and better understand the mechanisms of trauma and memory.
In a retro 2D graphic style, reminiscent of games from the 1990s, the player follows Timothée, an adult looking back on his past through the construction of an amusement park. Orco, a mascot with the head of a killer whale, suggests that he build this place, where each attraction represents a memory linked to his childhood and the events he suffered. The game alternates between the park's colorful pixel-art, by Nico Nowak, and the souvenir scenes illustrated by Exaheva, inspired by independent comics and graphic novels.
The player explores these memories by taking on the roles of various characters from Timothée's entourage, trying to understand what happened and how these events shaped his life. As Pierre Corbinais, the game's creator, explains: "My aim is to create a work of art, but also to raise players' awareness. Incest is one of the rare subjects where simply speaking out is already a step forward. I've seen it all around me: the effect is immediate". Wednesdays features multiple-choice dialogues, leaving the player free to choose which information to explore.
Not recommended for under-18s, the game contains no scenes of aggression (rest assured), but does offer content warnings for each memory touched on, as the subject is particularly sensitive.
Our review of Wednesdays:
A game we were able to test on Steam. And it's a nice surprise! Graphically speaking, the theme park's 2D pixelated side is reminiscent of certain retro games, while the drawn side of the story's various episodes plunges players into another, more thematic universe. The whole is linked by a colorized AD in the same pastel pink and blue tones. It's soft and pretty, and in the end quite neutral in relation to the subject matter.
As for the story, incest is evoked and put into context without being voyeuristic. It's an important and well-staged story, evoking a difficult subject that is far too little discussed in the public arena. It's light without being overly so, and the dialogue, a little peppy at times, will put a smile on your face from time to time.
As for the gameplay, it's fairly simple, not to say simplistic (build the park and choose dialogues), but that's not the point of the game: the most important thing here is the story being told, and the gameplay serves the plot of the game in a coherent and fluid way. And that's all we ask... In short, a game in tune with the times, to be played by all (adult) gamers. And a good way to raise awareness of these issues. All you have to do is make up your own mind!
Available in French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese, Wednesdays is designed to raise awareness and pass on the message, tackling an often taboo subject through the prism of video games.
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