I've been looking forward to this game releasing on Steam for a while. I'm so glad I was able to hop in on the ground floor.

Kind Words is more or less a chat room where each user may exchange only one message with each other - one user opens the conversation, the next is given the opportunity to respond. Each has about a Tweet's worth of information to communicate what they can.

When opening these exchanges, you are given a text box to put just about anything you want into the world... (besides a few things like contact information, which the game's mascot and engine of distribution Mail Deer is adamant about). 7 lines of information to ask for help, to vent, to look for advice. Others are given the opportunity to respond to these requests.

Once you receive a reply, that's pretty much it. You can read what they had to say, thank them with a decoration for their room they may or may not have unlocked. It's a remarkable visceral kind of volatility that really challenges a lot of what we usually think about life on the Internet, communication, relationships between people, between the "me" and the person on the other end of the screen, and interpersonal socialization as a whole, really.

Another feature is the "Say nice things", which offers a similarly sized text box. 7 lines or so to share a motivational message, which Mail Deer then folds into a paper airplane and floats across the room of other users. There's no two-way communication, here - its just a way to send a feel-good message.

I'm... a little broken by it, really. But I'm not sure if it is in a bad way. There isn't really any other experience like it. Tonight alone I've helped three other trans people, one other empathetic person struggling with their feelings of obligation, and others just looking for a helping hand.

It aims to be, and hits its mark wonderfully, a game that nullifies those experiences that make us contemplate hate for humanity. One to remind us that most of the time, we're all just as scared, just as unhappy, struggling just as hard as you are. A game to remind you that you're never alone. It's a game that may reopen some old scars, may call forth some pretty bitter tears... But it's also one that I really needed right now.

This is an experience that I truly, truly love. And one that I don't think will ever be matched. It's one I hope you'll check out, too, because we all need some kind words sometimes. This is the kind of goodness the world needs right now.