Bad Parenting

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About Bad Parenting

Bad Parenting is a psychological horror game that immerses players in their deepest fears – the fear of their own family. The game unfolds the story of a child haunted by the shadow of Mr. Red Face, who is said to “reward good children”. As darkness covers the house, the boundary between reality and illusion gradually disappears, leaving a chilling feeling about the things adults try to hide behind the word “parenting”.

When “The Boogeyman” Is No Longer a Fairy Tale…

In Bad Parenting, you play as Ron, a small child whose only world is his home. There, there exists an entity called Mr. Red Face. During the day, it may just be a name for adults to remind: “Be good, or Mr. Red Face will come for you.” But when night falls, all the rules change.

He really exists. He walks around, whispering and "rewarding" good children. The eerie light from those gifts is not warm, but tinged with sadness. The story quickly goes beyond the framework of a simple hide-and-seek game. It raises a question that penetrates the player's mind: Did adults really create Mr. Red Face... or did they simply name something that has always existed, a more primitive and dark fear?

Play game Bad Parenting

Plot & Theme

Characters & Setting

The main character is Ron — a boy living in a dysfunctional family, with a father who often uses violence, and a mother who loses time taking care of her child because of life's pressures.

Mr. Red Face is mentioned as a punitive figure that adults use to warn their children: "If you are good, he will bring you gifts." However, the appearance of Mr. Red Face goes beyond the fairy tale — it exists, invading Ron's world, parallel to the buried memories.

Additionally, there is the Secretary Cat — a figure between reality and dreams — who often guides Ron through hidden hints in the environment.

Main Themes

Domestic Violence & Emotional Abuse: The game draws on invisible wounds — the scolding, the neglect, the pressure to “be good” — that sometimes hurt more than the physical blow.
Memory and Denial: Ron faces not only a night monster, but also his own memories — things his mind hides to keep him alive.
Education by Fear & Power: Mr. Red Face is essentially a symbol of power: adults teach children to “be obedient” with psychological weapons rather than understanding.
Between Reality and Fantasy: The line is always blurred: you don’t know what’s real and what’s imaginary — and whether what you experience might reveal the brutal truth behind it.

According to SlashFilm, if someone spreads that Bad Parenting is based on a true story — like the Gabriel Fernandez case — it is speculation without evidence; the developer describes Mr. Red Face as fictional, and the game delves into the topic of domestic violence from an inside perspective, not from a specific real story.

On Steam, the game is described as a linear game that weaves supernatural elements — and a graphic framework inspired by 90s cartoons to create a mixed feeling of innocence and obsession.

Bad Parenting Gameplay & Experience

Mechanics & Controls

Move with WASD
Interact with objects with E / left mouse
Sprint: LSHIFT
Mouse sensitivity change: 1 / 2 keys

The game is about 20–30 minutes long, quite short but full of meaning.

Space & Sound Design

The game uses a small space design, a cramped apartment environment to create pressure, a narrowing in the child's psychology. Details of objects, paintings, dim lights are used to tell secondary stories — which is broken, which is tilted, peeling paint, childish drawings — all interwoven with fragments of memory, arousing curiosity.

Sound is a powerful weapon: the sound of a heartbeat, a soft cry, the sound of footsteps, whispers… the quieter it is, the stronger the feeling of being watched. It's not a creepy sound, but your consciousness is suffocated in silence.

Endings & Choices

The game has multiple endings depending on how you interact, explore, and understand fragments of Ron's memories. You will discover the truth between Ron, his father — who is known as Bruce — and the relationship between Mr. Red Face and his family.

According to Villains Wiki, Bruce (Ron's father) and Mr. Red Face have a painful connection: Mr. Red Face’s birth stems from a traumatized mind, from acts of violence, and from repressed memories.

Conclusion

Bad Parenting is a chilling slice of childhood warped by fear and power. There’s no blood, no screams, just soft sounds and a dim light coming through the cracks of the door, enough to make the player realize that sometimes the scariest monster is right in the familiar house.