Now that the game has made another Major Update, I figured I would share my own review. (Some of what's said might have already been fixes, but I did my best to omitted the parts of my review that I saw were fixed in the Update.)
-- MAJOR SPOILER WARNINGS THROUGHOUT, DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED THE GAME. --
(This is also going to be pretty extensive, sorry about that.)
At the moment, I'm on my fourth playthrough to see the other half of the bad ends, I have played as a deer, a fox, a bear, and most recently a opossum (as a raccoon). (The bear I slept through every day to see if the villagers would starve, however the did not on my playthrough. This could be because of the difficulty setting. I'll defiantly be playing another round to see starving death scenes later.)
[b]ART/CONTROLS/PLAYER CHARACTER[/b]
- Positives -
The art, music, and character design are both aesthetic and [i]useful[/i]. I love the way the music conveys the mood so perfectly, and the character traits for different species sets this game apart from other farming games. The customizations to include the subspecies is also clever, I really liked that. (Being called a raccoon as a opossum was a tad strange, but something I can overlook pretty easily since other comments focus more on the nocturnal side than the actual species.)
The screen interaction is also great. The default are very easy on the hands, and the options to change them make it accessible to everyone. I adore the way the game mimics the cozy aesthetic of farming games, both in looks and in nature. The moments where it deviates comes across as genuine instead of parody, and I like that I lot.
The character designs are also adorable and well made. I love the different expressions each character is given, and especially the unique expressions for death/funeral scenes. I also really like the slow changes from the seasons, or when the water becomes contaminated. It mimics real life and brings another visual layer to the game that I wasn't expecting. It peaks curiosity before the events happen, and it makes how the different NPCs form plans more realistic, since there had been some time passing before they come to talk to you about it. (This is more obvious with the crows and least obvious with the predator.)
- Noting as well that the trees change to different colors, rather than it depending on the type of tree, they all have their own shades of red, orange, and brown. This I loved.
The tail animations are also a huge plus for me, I think it's adorable and I like that each tail has it's own animation rather than being a simple sway back and forth.
- Negatives -
I almost never use the map, so I don't care about this as much, but I did make a note that while the map looks good, the sticker-like art style for the buildings might clash with the rest of the art-style. Honestly, I don't see it that way anymore, it's simple and easy to read, and that's the important part.
Some of the walking animation is a bit janky. Characters will get stuck walking up or downhill, and in some cutscenes, your character can get temporarily stuck on the mailbox. (This was during my bear playthrough, so it's likely that it has to do with the bigger size.) There have also been some instances where characters will be standing in the same place as each other (this happens the most often in the furniture store)
- Critters can also get stuck pretty often, but this isn't as big of a problem unless you can't pet them or collect their resources.
The transitions between upstairs and downstairs is SUPER jarring. I wish there were a slight fade or something to help the transition.
- Other -
(This section is not negative or positive, mostly suggestions or thoughts about the game.)
I think it would be neat if the fish in the manor were animated.
[B]GAME MECHANICS[/B]
- Positives -
The mix of forging, farming, and ranching is nice (this you can usually get in most farming games), but what I especially love about taking care of the Critters is the butchering and ageing aspect. It adds a sense of urgency, in some cases-- you want to butcher your animals before they die of old age, but you also want to collect their resources. You also have to watch for overcrowding and how much each critter weights before you butcher it. I think it's a well balanced system! Aging and weight gain happens over time, and you can fish to get most of your meats for the carnivores.
The game starts out relatively easy, but becomes more difficult the longer you play! I love how this matches the mood of the game. Hopelessness begins to spread among the village, and you really start to feel it when you begin to struggle.
One of the more unique aspects of the game is that [i]you're not alone[/i] in fulfilling tasks! The other characters will also add to the root cellar and donate resources to the town. This is one of my favorite aspects of the game, because it genuinely feels like a community rather than just a video game where you're having to complete missions.
The festivals are nice. They mirror some of the other festivals you find in farming games, although there aren't minigames for them. (You can choose options for poems, though, which is neat!) I do like that they make you feel more like you're a part of the community, especially during the fur-based festival where you're given the rug. It think it's really sweet.
I also really like the pattern of Fin coming every Saturday before the stores reset. Forming strategies around it is surprisingly fun, and when he skips a week, you notice it immediately. (That's something I also really like about this game, it gives the players a chance to notice what's going on before the Villagers start talking about it.)
- Negative -
Most of the NPCs have useful mechanics, like Tano being able to tame a specific critter or Kai being able to pinpoint where certain critters are. Percy's is also really useful! However, Logan's stands out as being one of the more useless ones, because there aren't really any [i]new[/i] clothing items you can get from him. [This might have been updated, I did see something about adding clothing items in the updates, but I don't know if this effects Logan or not yet.]
There are some skills that overall seem useless, especially once you're mid to late-game. (Noble, for example.) But I saw that there were some changes to the skills! I'll have to test those out in a fifth playthrough.
- Other -
I would really like it if you could utilize the library in some way, even if it's something silly like little text from a children's book or chicken scratch in someone's diary. Adaline even recommends you reading something, but the bookshelves are inactive.
- Imagine finding little notes from Percy to Adaline that she saves, or a secret stash of notes back and forth from Poppy and Jack. It would be really cute, I'm just saying.
- You could find certain cooking recipes that the characters like.
- Maybe certain books are 'unlocked' when you gain Adaline and Beryl's trust? Like, they return the book because they feel you can get something out of it.
It would also be neat if the different Kibble had different effects on the fishing traps. For example, small, medium, and large fish could be correlated with the basic kibble while sickly fish have a chance to be 'cured' if you use the medicine. Maybe the breeder kibble could spawn 2-3 fish by chance? It's just something to think about, it would make kibble more useful overall, especially if you end up getting some from a task or bottle and don't need it.
I HAD MORE TO SAY ABOUT THE STORY, BUT THERE'S APPARENTLY A CHARACTER LIMIT. :| I'll just make a video.
