Refind Self: The Personality Test Game is, as the name suggests, a personality test, but it is not a simple “answer questions and get your personality” type of test. Instead, it is based on the actions you take in the game. You are supposed to play three times (you can play more after that, but I’m primarily referring to the core story, which yes, this game does have a story!).

Utsuwa and the Doctor

You play as a robot named Utsuwa (whose name you can change), created by a Doctor who is seemingly dead whom we see through various flashbacks as we navigate the world to discover our personalities. Utsuwa seems to want to fulfill the Doctor’s wishes, but what those wishes are remains unclear at the start of the game. I won’t explain much more about the story beyond that. As you progress, you will encounter flashbacks, events, and notes that help piece together what is happening in the world and with the Doctor.

That said, I wouldn’t recommend focusing too much on uncovering everything right away. Instead, just play how you naturally would and do what feels right. You will likely stumble upon important details naturally, and since you have multiple runs, you can always change your playstyle in another run. The main story will still be revealed to some extent even if you spend all day sitting on a bench.

Lots of Things to See and Do

I found the visuals to be really nice and aesthetically pleasing. The character designs looked great in their limited color palette, and the music had a very chill vibe. Overall, I played the game in a very relaxed mindset. The game does have emotional moments, often evoking nostalgia and melancholy, but I wouldn’t describe it as heavy or stressful. In fact, this is a great game to play when you just want to unwind.

There are fun minigames and various activities to engage with throughout. Since I’ve only completed my first three runs, I’m sure I haven’t even seen everything yet. The game also includes a feature to notify it when you’re streaming, which I found super helpful. I was streaming to a friend on Discord, and since the game sometimes times your choices and tracks how long you take to make a decision, this feature is really important, especially for those who might be multitasking. You can even turn it on if you’re not streaming, just for convenience.

As mentioned in the title of the game and earlier in the article, this is a personality test game, and there are many personalities to obtain. What you see and do in the world will lead to different outcomes. It truly felt like everything mattered, even the most mundane actions or silly minigames. This made the overall experience much more impactful for me.

There are 23 personalities in total, which means that after completing your 3 main runs, you can replay the game to explore all the various personality endings and events, making it even more replayable.

My Overall Thoughts Before Delving into Spoilers

If you haven’t played the game, I would stop reading here unless you have no interest in it, because I want to discuss its story and message, which I couldn’t really do without spoiling.

The game, of course, isn’t made for people who dislike gameplay that might feel a bit passive, mundane, or slow. I mention this because the game only has around an 86% rating on Steam, which sounds good on paper, but considering that the average Steam score is about 80%-85% due to the platform’s skewed scoring system, this makes the game only slightly above average.

However, if you enjoy games that let you explore without many instructions, allowing you to do whatever you want, you might appreciate this one. While the story may not have the most consistent structure, if you enjoy a somewhat bittersweet narrative that requires effort to uncover, one that you need to replay three times to fully grasp, I think you would enjoy this game as much as I did.

I never found the mundane actions boring because there’s plenty to do, and the game is meant to be a calming experience. After all, Utsuwa is a robot trying to be human, and humans do mundane things. In that sense, it’s a pretty accurate representation of real life.

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About the ending…

I hope you have finished the game before reading this. Let’s talk about what I think the game’s message is, since I have seen several reviews on Steam suggesting that the game didn’t have much meaning or that the ending was bad. I believe the game set out to do exactly what it was meant to from the start, which is to show us the human experience.

I haven’t finished all the runs yet, so maybe I’m not the most knowledgeable about the world. But it is clear that this world is dying, or at least humanity is, with only robots remaining. Through the flashbacks we see, and even with the doctor’s literal brother arriving at the place and dying, it is evident that humanity isn’t doing so well. Yet, there is humanity within the robots themselves, like Utsuwa, who, despite her various personality changes, remains true to her core, her humanity.

She refuses to follow the doctor’s orders because, in her view, the doctor would no longer be the same person if she brought her back. The doctor, on the other hand, isn’t evil for trying to change Utsuwa to do as she wants. She simply wants to live on for herself and wanting to stay with Utsuwa forever. That, too, is human nature. Humans are flawed. The doctor isn’t perfect, nor is Utsuwa, regardless of who you agree with.

The final choice to erase Utsuwa’s memories so the doctor will come back or to spend their remaining time together in a loving way, knowing the doctor will never come back, is yours to make. Neither choice is wrong. It is simply human.