PHPM

About This Game

DEVELOPER MESSAGE

I started developing Wait! Life is Beautiful! while I was going through one of the roughest periods of my life and perhaps I’m still here precisely because of this game. I never aim to bring you down, I just want to tell you a story about something that may affect everyone. That nearly happened to me, and may you never be that close to the edge. I don’t really hope to save someone or to make any global impact, but I do hope that you will simply enjoy my game and maybe learn something for you.

Suicide is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. If you or someone you know is depressed and/or suffers from suicidal thoughts, the best thing to do is to seek professional help. In such a situation, even the closest people (who do not have the proper training/preparation may – and often will – only make things worse). There are signals that can let you know that your friend or relative is in a crisis and needs help. I hope that maybe Wait! Life is Beautiful! will remind you to be attentive to your loved ones. Even if they seem doing perfectly fine, they may be going through rough times.

ABOUT THIS GAME

The process of playing Wait! Life is Beautiful! is similar to watching a film that stimulates a nerve, especially when the viewer finds themselves immersed in the protagonist’s anxious state of mind. At the center of the plot is a young guy, an ordinary clerk, he is not at all a hero, and certainly not a magician.

Watching him, we are instilled with his emotions such as tiredness from the monotony of life and depressing thoughts about the meaninglessness of life. However, there is a desire to change his life for the better, to look for a new meaning – in empathy, compassion, while helping others.

As we try to engage in dialogue with potential suicide victims, we can study their problems and carefully choose the right words in an attempt to talk them down. This can be difficult because the main character tends to cover up his fear with black humor and an ironic attitude to what is happening. This is his defensive reaction. Against the background of stress from the stories he heard and his regrets about the departed, the main character begins to see dark psychedelic dreams that give rise to a feeling of approaching madness.

However, do not forget: all events and characters in the game are fictional. Moreover, the game does not aim at saving everyone. The only purpose is to make you think.

W!LiB! Prologue, one day of Will’s life:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1340470/Wait_Life_is_Beautiful_Prologue/

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Have you ever felt like your life has no meaning? A workaday job, lonely nights in front of the TV… the odd encounter with friends that gives you neither satisfaction nor a sense of your own significance… work, home, work, home… Day after day after day.
To hell with it all! It’s time for a change!

SUICIDE BRIDGE

Abandoning his monotonous and meaningless office job, Will tries to imbue his life with new meaning by saving people who have given up all hope of finding it themselves. Every night he goes to a bridge beloved by suicide victims, hoping to save as many lives as possible.

WAIT! LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL!

It isn’t just the name of the game. The main character speaks this fateful phrase every time he tries to strike up a conversation with another visitor to the legendary Suicide Bridge. And it’s the only element shared by all his conversations with people on the edge. Every story is unique — you’ll have to learn to cope with unpredictable reactions. Just remember that you can’t save everyone.

THE RIGHT TO DIE

While hoping to save as many lives as possible, Will encounters an unexpected opposing force: a group of “freedom of choice” activists led by a spiritual guru are actively campaigning for a person’s right to commit suicide. Will the main character be able to resist them? It’s all up to you.

MONEY CAN’T BUY HAPPINESS

…But you can’t live on happiness alone! Having lost his regular income, Will has to borrow money from his parents. However, he isn’t completely dependent on them because he occasionally manages to get “tips” from the grateful people he’s saved and their family members –— or bribes from those who want to rid themselves of an unexpected savior.

I’M JUST MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS, OFFICER

When it comes to mass deaths, anyone can become a suspect. Will has to explain himself to the police on more than one occasion. Why was he the last person to see these people alive before they committed suicide?

DON’T WORRY, IT’S JUST A DREAM

The psyche is a fragile thing. Needless to say, you can’t talk to suicidal people every day without letting it get to you. Will eventually starts having psychedelic interactive dreams in which you also participate.

WHERE WILL IT ALL END?

Like every interactive film, Wait! Life is Beautiful! has multiple endings. Some of them may seem like an obvious development of the narrative, but others will shock you and subvert your expectations. How will the story end? It’s all up to you.