We all struggle sometimes, if not all the time. There’s no shame in that. Life is hard and sometimes it seems like everything is just too much to deal with.

Kind Words, available on PC and Mac, is an impressive and admirable attempt to get people to just talk; to genuinely just say whatever is on their mind, but also to listen and ask for, as well as receive, advice.

It’s a truly wonderful experience, but how exactly does it work?

Well, when you first start Kind Words, you’re greeted by a cute deer, who explains how the game works and lays down a few guidelines for you and gives you some random stickers to start off your collection.

You write a letter, with the idea being to talk about something that’s bothering you; a situation, thoughts or feelings that may be difficult to talk to someone about.

Once complete, your letter is sent out into the game’s world and other players can respond. You’re anonymous, as are they; in fact, the deer encourages you to not include any details that may identify you, whether you’re the sender or the receiver of a letter.

You’re free to talk about anything. You’re not restricted in how you respond to another letter.

You can simply respond to the letters that are awaiting answers without sending any of your own to be responded to. The game doesn’t force you down any particular path.

You simply sit in your beautifully rendered room – which you can customise as you go along, as well as being able to personalise your in-game avatar – listening to the chilled out, lo-fi beats on the soundtrack, and write.

You can send out little words of encouragement that aren’t even in response to a letter; these float through the rooms of other players as paper aeroplanes, little platitudes that can be discovered and help anyone without dealing with a specific problem.

When you do browse through letters awaiting a response, you get to read the entire contents before deciding to assist, so if you don’t think you can help, can’t think of any advice or find that a certain letter is too upsetting for you to deal with, you can skip any of them until you find one that you are able to respond to.

I played Kind Words remotely alongside a friend, both of us discovering in real time just how warm and encouraging the community are; in fact, given the lack of restrictions in what can be sent and received, it’s startling just how everything, from problems to responses and paper aeroplanes, seem genuine.

Everything sent and received is from a real person of course, but by ‘genuine’ I mean that everything you get seems to be heartfelt; real.

My friend and I may even have unknowingly helped each other with problems that we sent out into the ether – not that we’d tell each other if that was the case, as the anonymity that the game allows does mean that you can wear your heart on your sleeve, without any fear that someone can identify you.

There’s also the sense with responses you receive that people really do want to help you out and offer helpful advice; receiving a response is always exciting and I’ve never received one that feels anything less than reassuring.

I mentioned that you’re gifted stickers at the outset of the game; you can attach these to letters or responses; any time you find a new one, you can add it to your collection for future use.

It’s difficult to truly describe the genuine warmth and air of positivity that permeates Kind Words; it’s incredibly unusual to report that I’ve not come across a single instance of trolling in the time I’ve ‘played’ it.

It’s odd to discover that a game, if you can call Kind Words a game at all, can restore some of your faith in humanity.

T hough it’s very easy to be cynical, fearful or depressed about the general state of the world, Kind Words is a reminder that a problem shared is a problem halved, as well as being a simply gorgeous, relaxing and heartwarming reminder that good people are out there – and you’re not alone, no matter how much you may feel that you are.