[quote]A review copy was provided by the developer.[/quote]
[quote]Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews,[/url] so you can be updated whenever I post a new review.[/quote]
[h1]Overall Rating - Painfully Bad ★☆☆☆☆[/h1]
[h1]First Impressions[/h1]
As I looked at the store page for Plague: London 1665 (PL), it was the variety of features that caught my interest. Maintaining the graveyard as I brought back bodies, while considering the risk factors, made it sound like I'd have multiple variables to keep in mind. I'd also have the ability to help or ignore NPCs, deciding whether their concerns were in line with my own. Such decisions could impact the game's outcome, per what's shown on the store page right now. Sounds a bit like false advertising, when the game only has a single ending that can't be changed.
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
In this title, you're basically completing a never-ending fetch quest to bring bodies off the streets, so they can be buried in the graveyard at the church. There are a few other factors you have to pay attention to, such as your energy bar, and the infection meter showing how close you are to catching the plague. However, food isn't needed to stave off hunger for your character, so the primary importance of money is to provide for your family's needs. Unless I'm mistaken, they'll never change, as it'll always be the same combination of a certain number of food items. For instance, before Friday arrives, place two hunks of cheese into the chest. Another important meter shows your morality, although it's a really crude display. Something it doesn't show well is that you can keep lowering your morality, even though it won't decrease beyond the red point at the bottom.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479967833
[h1]Controls[/h1]
Although you can play PL with a controller, it was clearly made for mouse and keyboard controls first and foremost. In order to navigate certain choices and screens, you have to awkwardly utilize the right joystick like a mouse cursor. This is entirely unnecessary, as none of the shoulder buttons serve any function. They could have easily brought up specific menus or screens, which would function just like the start screen, as you scroll up and down like normal. It routinely feels very awkward to navigate simple tasks, because if you put a corpse down in the wrong spot, it'll block options you want to access, even though they use completely different inputs. Sometimes, even when you're standing besides a corpse, you won't be able to pick it up, especially when they're on the cart.
[h1]Story[/h1]
Something the developer really emphasized is how the game's plot is based on the true story of a family that was present during the London plague. So much so that despite being a game, your actions and choices throughout have no impact on the ending. That bothers me slightly because I find it unnecessarily limiting for the medium, but also think the game's title should have better reflected this focus. Why not title it something like, “The Tragic Fate of the Whatever Family?” At least you'd be less surprised at the idea you can't change what happens to them. Also, I find it very bizarre that releasing rats is considered a moral good for a game centered around the plague, “Well, it was technically the fleas on the rats that spread the plague. The rats were innocent.” Maybe choose another species to defend instead of literal vermin, and the accomplice of spreading a population devastating disease. Just saying.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479967048
[h1]Visuals[/h1]
To be blunt, this title isn't very good looking. It'd be nice if I could say that it seemed to be an intentional design choice, because the bad hygiene standards present in that time period would drag down the appearance of the denizens. However, as you look at the various objects and how they're drawn, items don't look right. Basics such as food and tools should have a crisp, clean appearance, but that's simply not the case. Unless you're a real animal lover, nobody would want to pet the dogs, because they look like large, mangy rats. Character movement isn't an exception, although the faceless crowds probably prevents them from looking truly heinous or terrifying. Watching your family cha cha to the church looks awkward and somewhat hilarious, as your character is the most animated, throwing his arms out while leading the fam.
[h1]Sound Design[/h1]
With your environment remaining static throughout the game, wandering the same bleak part of London, the only trigger that changes the music is the time of day. It seems to switch tracks as you go from early morning, to mid-day, and end in the evening. This means that the music plays in a constant, basic loop, changing only as time passes. I suppose it fits the general setting of London well enough, as the music somewhat makes me think of simpler, peasanty times. Since it doesn't necessarily pair up well with the actions you're taking, which is almost entirely burying dead bodies, it essentially just drones in the background, while I pay it no heed.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3479967473
[h1]Pros[/h1]
🌟 If you move quickly and efficiently, you can make quite a bit of money.
🌟 The tone and atmosphere reflects the situation well.
[h1]Cons[/h1]
❌ Food replenishes minimal energy. I wasn't sure if I was eating pears and other items or not because it made such a minor change to my energy levels. What's the point?
❌ The amount of area covered in this game is about the size of a single block. You just walk back and forth across this linear space.
❌ Merely standing still expends energy. Any time spent thinking works against you.
[h1]Tips[/h1]
🔍 I kept my morality at maximum, but wasn't seeing any reward for doing so, compared to the obvious benefits for doing sketchy tasks. However, if you let your morality fall too far, it'll prevent you from accessing vendors or NPC side quests. So do a bad thing or two, but keep it mostly positive.
🔍 You can carry a corpse with you to the city council, but always accept the quest before doing any work. No reason to bury bodies for free.
🔍 Go to bed early so you get a full refill on energy.
[h1]Final Thoughts[/h1]
On my second in-game day, an NPC calls me neighbor, and asks me to buy him a salmon steak. My immediate reaction was, “Neighbor? I've literally never seen you before, yet you dare ask me to buy you a salmon steak?!” During the introduction, the pastor said a cold was going around, and should pass quickly. This would have been a perfect time to let players familiarize themselves with all of these NPCs, build a foundation so that you start getting invested in their stories, and so forth. However, there's little reason to talk with random passersby, and you never connect with any characters, including your own family. The children are all mute, and your wife only says the same thing repeatedly like a maniac. Gameplay wise, you run back and forth on a single street, repeatedly doing the same job burying dead people. It gets old so quickly. I just don't see the fun factor, or any value from this underdeveloped story, so I wouldn't recommend getting PL. Also, to hell with rats!
[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote]
[table]
[tr]
[th]PC Specs[/th]
[th]Performance[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ryzen 2700
RTX 2070
16GB RAM
ADATA SSD
1920x1080
[/td]
[td]The game ran without incident on default settings.
💖 - PL is healthy
[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
