# That Dragon, Cancer > Narrative videogame memorializing a child's fight against cancer, exploring faith, hope, and love. (iPhone/iPad app by Tap Happy LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/that-dragon-cancer/id1091640857 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Tap Happy LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1091640856) - Category: Games, Adventure, Simulation - Price: $4.99 - Rating: 4.55/5 from 200 App Store ratings · 102 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 12+ - Requires: iOS 9.3 · 3.6 GB - Languages: English - Released: 2016-10-06 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/that-dragon-cancer/id1091640857/reviews.md ## What is That Dragon, Cancer? An immersive, narrative experience that retells Joel Green’s 4-year fight against cancer through about two hours of poetic, imaginative interaction that explores themes of faith, hope and love. "This is where we go to remember our son Joel, up through here along this path. We want to show you who he was, and how his life changed us. Can we walk here together for a while?" A videogame developer's love letter to his son; a memorial to Joel Green; an interactive tribute to the loved ones of over 200 of our Kickstarter backers. Can you find hope in the face of death? Gameplay: Using a mix of first-person and third-person perspective, and simple point-and-click interaction, we invite the player to slow down, look around, and immerse themselves in this deeply personal memoir. Featured in: NY Times, NPR, Wired Magazine, Radiolab, Reply All Podcast, The New Yorker, The Guardian, and many others Reviews: "I think it might have changed me in some way that I'm yet to fully understand." -Polygon "That Dragon, Cancer is probably the most sophisticated example of compelling storytelling I’ve ever witnessed in a video game." -Forbes "A remarkable piece of work that challenges everything I thought I knew about grief, hope and faith." -The Telegraph ## Key features - Poetic, imaginative interaction - Narrative experience - First-person and third-person perspective - Point-and-click gameplay - Themes of faith, hope, and love - Interactive memoir ## What do users think of That Dragon, Cancer? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 💗 Emotionally powerful experience - 🎨 Beautiful and creative visuals - 👍 Meaningful tribute to a child - 🙏 Inspiring message of faith and hope **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy and glitchy controls - 🤔 Overly religious/Christian themes - 🤢 Deeply sad and heartbreaking content **Commonly reported bugs** - Freezing and crashing issues - Text/audio sync problems - Difficulty progressing through certain scenes **Most requested features** - Improved navigation and controls - More accessibility options - Ability to skip or pause emotional scenes ## Recent user reviews (10 of 102) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/that-dragon-cancer/id1091640857/reviews.md ### 5/5 — More than a game *2024-12-15, version 1.0.4* Heartbreaking, absorbing, melancholic, and brave. This is a work of art that can be held up to other works of art in high regard. You’ll never play any game like it. Seeing how heavy this game is, you may not want to. But we need to support more games like this. ### 2/5 — That dragon, cancer *2023-10-25* This game started out so amazingly. A starkly sensitive portrayal of parents facing the death of a child. My daughter recently died from cancer…I could see all the false hope we had been given, and then the reality of impending loss. Unfortunately about half way through the entire experience became a sermon. What could have been an acknowledgment of the enduring hole out of order death leaves in its wake, and a portrait of the weight that must be carried; became instead, contemporary Christian proselytizing. This game really should be listed as Christian entertainment. ### 3/5 — Devastating, Beautiful, Flawed by God *2022-08-17* This game is truly devastating for a father of small children, and I spent a couple nights bawling my eyes out before bed. That said, the story really leaned into religion in the second half, which really sucked the wind out of the story. This is best exemplified by the mother’s letters, which immediately dried my tears whenever I had to open them. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of encountering Christian pop media, you can guess the gist: god has a plan, I trust in him, he will get to be with Jesus, etc. I understand this game was developed as a way for the parents to grieve but a life is made up of memories, not angels and devils. I’ve read similar media in which the creators use loss to explore their faith, typically coming out stronger in their beliefs; sadly, this isn’t nearly that deep. ### 5/5 — Emotionally challenging to get through *2021-11-19, version 1.0.4* But life can be very challenging at times. Not really sure what else to say about this game… other than; to Amy & Ryan, thank you for sharing your’s and Joel’s story. ### 1/5 — What is the point of this game? *2021-03-26, version 1.0.4* I wanted to like it because of all the 5 star reviews but I get stuck on every scene and don’t know what to do. I’m not sure what’s supposed to happen so I move around and press every inch of my screen but nothing happens. I spent the first fifteen minutes feeding a duck because the game wouldn’t allow me to do anything else (except eventually give up and turn it off). I pretty much gave away $5. ### 5/5 — Amazing, even after years I can’t stop thinking about this game *2020-11-11, version 1.0.4* Even after years of first having played this game I really can’t get it out of my mind. This was really well put together and really created a heartful experience. ### 5/5 — Amazing *2020-09-19, version 1.0.4* Worth every penny spent. So sad and feels so real. Scene dehydrated got me. RIP Joel ### 3/5 — Powerful story, confusing controls *2020-04-19, version 1.0.4* I cried playing this game. The story is powerful, emotional and beautiful. But the confusing gameplay and controls get in the way. I couldn't always understand where to go, what to do. ### 5/5 — An emotional and beautiful experience *2020-03-05, version 1.0.4* If you’ve been affected by cancer (and I know most of you have), I encourage you to experience That Dragon, Cancer. Ryan & Amy capture so well what it feels like to go through the emotions of the cancer experience and do such a great job of honouring their son Joel. Reminiscent in story telling to What Remains of Edith Finch it is a emotional and beautiful experience. ### 5/5 — The Most Beautiful, Heartbreaking, and Inspiring Game in Existence... *2019-12-08* I honestly don’t know how this doesn’t have a perfect 5-star rating on here, because it is the single greatest game I’ve ever played in my life, and I can’t thank the Green family enough for making it and sharing Joel’s story. It’s the most heartbreaking, beautiful and inspiring storytelling game I’ve ever played. I’ve lost family to cancer as well, and this perfectly shows every detail of what it’s like for the person who suffers from it, their overwhelming strength and optimism through it, and how family members struggle to cope with the loss after a fight is lost. I’ve never cried at any form of media, whether it be television or games, but this was the first one. I laughed, I smiled, and I cried the whole time through, because I knew it was real without having anyone spoil it for me. If you want to experience a truly beautiful story, then I recommend this above any game in existence. And if you have a heart, please donate whatever amount you can to vital organizations, like St. Jude Children’s Hospital and/or the American Cancer Association. ## Frequently asked questions about That Dragon, Cancer ### What is That Dragon, Cancer? That Dragon, Cancer is an immersive, narrative experience that retells Joel Green's four-year fight against cancer. It uses poetic and imaginative interaction to explore themes of faith, hope, and love, serving as a memorial and tribute. ### What kind of gameplay can I expect? The gameplay involves simple point-and-click interaction from both first-person and third-person perspectives. Players are encouraged to slow down, look around, and immerse themselves in this deeply personal memoir. ### How much does That Dragon, Cancer cost? The application is a paid game. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned in the description. ### What platforms is That Dragon, Cancer available on? The description does not specify the platforms the game is available on, but it is presented as a mobile application. ### What are the main themes of the game? The game primarily explores themes of faith, hope, and love in the face of death and grief. It is a deeply personal story about family and resilience. ## Version history (last 4 releases) ### 1.0.4 — 2016-11-12 This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon. This is a minor update that softens a few rough edges, especially about text getting cut off, dealing with icons, and touch areas on smaller devices. We also found a bug that caused the iPad mini sensitivity to feel far too high, so we brought it in line with the rest of the devices. ### 1.0.3 — 2016-11-02 This is a minor update that softens a few rough edges, especially about text getting cut off, dealing with icons, and touch areas on smaller devices. We also found a bug that caused the iPad mini sensitivity to feel far too high, so we brought it in line with the rest of the devices. ### 1.0.2 — 2016-10-06 The "Adrift", "Drowning", and "Peace, Be Still" scenes were missing some icons, making it hard to know where to tap, so we tracked them down and brought them back. ### 1.0.1 — 2016-10-06 No release notes. ## Apps similar to That Dragon, Cancer | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Mars Rescue: rocket simulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-rescue-rocket-simulator/id6443799860) | 4.6 (25) | Free | Games | | [Vogue Dance](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vogue-dance/id1564065035) | — | Free | Games | | [Tender: Creature Comforts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tender-creature-comforts/id1448211141) | 4.7 (535) | $3.99 | Games | | [Rain City](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rain-city/id1371241818) | 4.0 (69) | $1.99 | Games | | [Despotism 3k](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/despotism-3k/id1462908562) | 4.3 (29) | $2.99 | Games | | [The Aether: Life as a God](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-aether-life-as-a-god/id1328533789) | 4.3 (91) | $3.99 | Games | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*