Bad Parenting

In the indie horror game Bad Parenting, the stage is set in an apartment that echoes the somber, unsettling aesthetic of a dilapidated dollhouse. Players step into the shoes of a young boy, who excitedly awaits his mother’s return from a long day at work, hopeful for birthday celebrations. The atmosphere thickens with disappointment as she returns, late and completely oblivious to the significance of the day or the gift she had promised. This oversight casts a shadow over the evening, foreshadowing a night filled with more than just familial discord.

An Eerie Night and the Doll’s Revelations

As tensions between his parents escalate, the boy is sent to his room, a space that soon becomes the center of bizarre occurrences. His mother, in an attempt to soothe him, tells a tale of Mr. Red Face, a cryptic figure reputed to visit well-behaved children under the cover of darkness, bestowing gifts upon them. This story, far from comforting, becomes a chilling prelude to the night’s unsettling events. Woken by strange noises, the boy encounters a peculiar new doll beside his bed by morning, its head misshapen, claiming to be crafted by Mr. Red Face. This doll, eerily resembling the boy, invites him to the kitchen with promises to reveal hidden truths. There, the doll exhibits supernatural abilities—refilling empty plates and levitating objects, deepening the mystery. It speaks of the boy’s father, suggesting his recent disappearance was a consequence of his misdeeds, judged by the enigmatic Mr. Red Face. The revelation forces the boy to grapple with his family’s secrets and the potentially sinister underpinnings of his current reality, setting him on a path that blurs the lines between the mundane and the paranormal.