''One Chance'' is a
Flash game
A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer.
Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on co ...
developed by Dean Moynihan and released on
Newgrounds
Newgrounds is an entertainment website and company founded by Tom Fulp in 1995. It hosts user-generated content such as games, films, audio, and artwork. Fulp produces in-house content at the headquarters and offices in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
I ...
on December 2, 2010. It has been frequently cited in video games literature as an interesting and moving use of
permadeath
Permadeath or permanent death is a game mechanic in both tabletop games and video games in which player characters who lose all of their health are considered dead and cannot be used anymore. Depending on the situation, this could require the p ...
mechanic (permanent death).
In the game, the player controls a scientist who has created a
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
-attacking "cure"; when it is released in a gas form it begins to cause the
extinction
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
of all life by unexpectedly targeting all living cells, rather than just cancer cells. The player is given six days to create an antibiotic, after which point one of several endings may be achieved depending on the choices made. A web browser cookie prevents the game from being played more than once.
Plot
Players assume the role of a Dr. John Pilgrim, who has a wife named Penny and a daughter named Molly. Pilgrim is the leader of a small group of scientists who have discovered what seems to be the cure for cancer, titled E48K15. They soon realize that the experimental cure doesn't just kill cancer cells, but all living cells as well. The cure is released into the air, and the player is given 6 days to save the Earth.
Gameplay
WhatGamesAre describes the gameplay as that of "a simple
adventure game
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...
where you can walk around, talk to people and open doors. Every day the game changes the scenario up a little bit and reinforces the message of how much time is left. In the end... the results are stark and affecting." There are multiple endings, and some reviewers asked readers to share their own personal experiences on how they chose to spend their last 6 days on Earth before the ceasing of all life.
The game's name refers to the player's inability to replay it upon completion; refreshing the page after finishing the game brings the player back to the ending received. However, this can be circumvented by playing the game on a different website, using a different computer, or clearing the Internet browser's
cookies
A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, nuts ...
; Moynihan discourages these workarounds, and feels that they detract from the game's impact.
Reception
WhatGamesAre praised the unpredictability of the game, saying, "At several points the game then surprises you. You think you have it figured out, and then something changes and it sneaks past your defences. You might feel appalled or just freaked out that this little Flash game is somehow getting to you, and you may well feel conscientious and even guilty about the situation that the game places you in." It added that "The biggest flaw with One Chance is that it is only good for one play through...The other game-side flaw is that there is no sense of a solution." Alternatively,
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
' ...
spoke positively of inability to replay, stating, "There's a problem with branching paths and moral decisions in videogames: even if they are meaningful (few are), players can usually bypass the system by using multiple save files or other means to go in for another attempt and a different outcome", adding that the game had a very good system to prevent people from "cheating".
See also
* ''
You Only Live Once'' (2009)
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/555181
Flash games
Permadeath games
Puzzle video games
2010 video games