Paradise Marsh

game had me GLUED to the screen and I beat it in one sitting, so many fun little trinkets and secrets to find, super satisfying trying to find every animal and help all the spirits plus a really solid ending

A beautiful, poignant indie game that deals with life and the things it throws at you. Walking through the Marsh is both relaxing and sombre. Catching the bugs is fun as not only are they cute (the snail design is peak) but but you have to use different strategies for each of them. The soundtrack is fantastic and visually, the game is just wonderful. It's got so many little hidden things to do and explore. Without a doubt - Do not rush through this game. Take your time, do it slowly. It's so much better. A really underrated game.

https://youtu.be/95shF7HEMFg Rather weird and oft disjointed the chill/cozy wrapper does well to draw players into explore just a little more.

A very charming and cozy indie game with the same vibe as A Short Hike, I had a lovely time with this one and highly recommend it.

What if Purgatory was a marsh where you captured bugs, amphibians, and fish and turned them into stars in the sky? That’s Paradise Marsh. I enjoyed the chill exploration and the crunchy, beautiful visuals. The little puzzle-y elements are welcome and fun to stumble on. There’s nothing hand-holdy here either, you just wander around and experiment with what to do with the various things you encounter (and the tools you gain, as well). My only drag was figuring out how to capture tadpoles; these I kept for last because they were frickin jittery. That meant I’d done most of what there was to do in the marsh and had to wander around a lot and go through a couple of day/night cycles before I had them all. Even then, I didn’t resent that too much because it was a bit of a discovery to figure out how to catch them and I could enjoy some fishing while waiting for daylight to come back. This is worth an evening or two between longer and more complex games to enjoy, call it a game-limbo of sorts. A purification of the soul.

this was such a sweet game, perfect for a cozy afternoon with a cup of tea

Admittedly, my first impression of Paradise Marsh wasn't great. I did come around to it, though, about halfway through. The negatives, for me: → The perspective/FOV - it can be quite jarring when coupled with the movement. The first time I played, it made me feel nauseous. (I was able to get used to it though.) → I'm also not a fan of the speech bubbles. The text pops in large and then shrinks to size. I found myself mashing the button to get through it; again, it just felt a bit nauseating to look at. → The exposition could be better, it does feel a bit disjointed when you begin. I think the worst part of this is the disconnect with the celestial beings. You catch bugs to bring their stars back to the sky, which then forms constellations and these celestial beings then talk to you. I think it would have been better if there was a chance to meet these characters in the marsh, and learn that you have to help them by returning their stars. The objective felt random to me, you sort of stumble upon it. I wasn't interested in these characters. Plus, the speech bubble thing I mentioned earlier didn't help. But there [i]are[/i] an additional four souls who can be found in the marsh, and they each give you a small task to do. I liked this idea much better. They give you items which you can use to interact with the environment. The most enjoyment I had was through achievement hunting. I guess I just like having a list of things to do, which [i]might[/i] defeat the purpose of this game, but it did encourage me to explore further. I was able to see the cool things that the developer added and, paradoxically, it also made me appreciate that this was an area for wandering around and observing, whether aimlessly or not. I wanted to interact with the world more even if it achieved nothing. I liked the ending too. I like the concept of this celestial world and its relation to the afterlife. It was a satisfying ending. All in all, I think some tweaks could make this a stronger game. But the main reason for my negativity was the visual settings, and that is an individual preference. While it didn't quite hit the mark personally, I think I understand where the developer was coming from and what experience they wanted to create.