Now despite the gender essentializing title, this game is not about “being a manly man” or “Rugged individualism”–well in some ways it is about being a manly man, but we’ll get to that later–instead it’s a journey that explores the fuzzy edges of gender and identity. It’s hard to talk about this game without spoiling it, so I’ll give you my overall thoughts in the up here part before going more in depth.

I give 12 Steps a Man ★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)

The game’s simplistic pixel art style, dialogue, and story all drew me in and kept me there for a 4 hour journey of self and other discovery. The game’s target audience is trans and gender non-conforming people. If you’re looking for a game with universal appeal, how’s your side-search for the philosopher’s stone going? Are you still hoping to turn lead into gold? This game isn’t for you, and this reviewer is done pretending that niche games should be bashed for being what they are.

The part where I spoil the game

In 12 Steps a Man, you play as Pixel, a bubbly pink haired girl who loves to explore dungeons. 

Actually you play as Wanda, a 35 year old,  brown haired office worker who plays the game Pixel is in to distract herself after work.

But that’s not really true either. You’re actually playing as Wanda’s father, an aging white haired man listening to Wanda tell you about Pixel.

That’s true for a time at least. Until night comes and you’re back to playing Wanda. Or really Wanda’s taxi driver because her family recently moved outside the service range of public transit and Wanda keeps telling you about this stuff like you’re her therapist, but you really need the tip so you keep nodding along to what she’s saying.

This is the structure of the game. You experience Pixel as envisioned by Wanda through the eyes of family, strangers, coworkers, and friends. You only get to know about Pixel from the incomplete stories she tells you based on the relationship she has with whoever you’re playing as.

And the story is really about Pixel, Wanda’s player avatar in an MMO. The core gameplay of 12 Steps a Man is playing through Pixel’s adventures, as narrated by Wanda. Pixel can be heroic in some tales, cowardly in others, and really fucking boring to the people who don’t care about Wanda.

What’s interesting is that Pixel looks different based on who Wanda is talking to. To her family, Pixel is bright and vibrant; to her coworkers, Pixel looks like Wanda; to her friends, Pixel is boyish. And that’s where the egg cracks, isn’t it?

We never see the real Pixel. But some people in Wanda’s life have. And they call Pixel “he” and Wanda “Tristan.” Because Tristan has only just started to transition socially.

By the end of the game…well, it depends. Because the final moments are between you and Tristan. No filter through a stranger’s eyes. Some people might find the 4th wall breaking a bit cliche. It’s open ended based on your interpretation of all that’s happened, and I think that’s beautiful.