Great God Grove

commentary about the slippery slope into authoritarianism wrapped in the coolest art style ever

This game is great! It's so funny and charming, I love all the blips when characters are talking, and how each character's dialogue and dialect are unique and written as they are speaking--you can really hear their voices in your head. The artstyle is distinct and charming, and not afraid to be different than the norm. It's unique and wonderful and there's love in each character's design. There are sections with puppets are well that are just so special. When you talk to the Gods you enter a first person perspective, and the are animated in a completely different style which really makes them stand out. The gods are all unique and fascinating, each one has utterly charmed me. I have a plushie of Inspekta on my couch. You are the Godpoke, a character who does not speak, but can use the Megapon to suck up other character's words and use them to solve puzzles. Along the way, you meet the various Gods of the grove, and uncover the corruption at the heart of everything. And save da world!

1000/10 absolute banger of a game I need my memory erased so I can play this again, I fear.

I really really really liked Thespius

The game captivated me with its art style first and story second. But getting to know these characters and their charms made this entire experience feel whole - when I got to the top of the spire and met King for the first time, my heart felt full (what a wonderful way to introduce King in person) :)

Great God Grove is a short, artful romp through an imaginative world of gods and humans. The world is ending but it always does that, so there's rarely a sense of danger or apocalypse. You travel through different towns, each focused on one or two gods, helping people along and progressing the story the way. Everything oozes with style, though "style" doesn't necessarily mean "cool" or "fashionable" here. The different god realms are very reminiscent of the heavily themed mind-realms of Psychonauts, and that's before you even reach the one with a theater show that changes based on the lighting. I love how much this game feels artist-driven, from the character designs to the music to the animation, which routinely shifts between different mediums and perspectives. It's a light-hearted game overall, but with important messages throughout about communication, the power of art, and fighting off attempts at uniformity from multiple fronts. The actual gameplay is rather simple and usually just involves you walking around each zone going from one person to another. At the very start you're given the tool for the game, the Megapon, which you use to suck up and spit things out; sometimes this'll be objects but most often it's lines of dialogue, which you'll then use to either irritate or connect the other characters. Finding the right dialogue for the job is usually pretty simple and will come naturally while walking around an area. This is hardly a "puzzle game" and you won't find any challenging or random solutions here. The only time I ran into issues progressing was in the third zone, where the problem wasn't the dialogue puzzle itself but the visual style and clutter that made it difficult for me to notice a whole second area I needed to converse with. There is some very rudimentary "combat" on occasion, but even without the easy combat turned on it's easy by default, and seemingly impossible to lose. I also tried the game with both M&KB and controller, and didn't notice much of a difference between them; movement was easier with the controller, but aiming the Megapon was easier with M&KB, so really you can just pick your preference with no fear you're playing "sub-optimally." While the main game is fairly straightforward, there's lots of little extras if you like, from admiring the animals to optional puppet shows. You can also play around with the dialogue you collect; you don't have to solve puzzles right away, and there's plenty of humorous outcomes to see if you try chucking the "wrong" dialogue at different people. Once you progress the story and leave an area you can't go back though, so if you missed an optional skit or piece of dialogue, you'll have to start a new game to go back for it. Great God Grove is a casual, silly, yet thoughtful, game, made by artists with a clear vision and good messages. It's the kind of game I hope to see a lot more of.

This is a typical "woke" narrative, but since it is an original creation, no established lore is harmed. Positive reviews raised my expectations, but it feels like the praise is just for ticking formal boxes. A great example is Thespian; hyped up by critics, but actually one of the most bland gods in the game. If you enjoy this specific style, you will love it. If not, lower your expectations. It isn't a bad game, but it can be boring outside of its themes. I am giving it a recommended rating only on the condition that you know exactly what you are getting into.