Rootnote

вроде чиловенькая такая, приятная, но много моментиков, от оптимизации(на картошках вообще туга) до обычного сохранения прогресса(видимо короткая)...

It is very choppy. Wasn't clear what I was doing. Stopped playing before finding the third musical note.

Rootnote is a really calm little adventure game that mixes exploration, puzzles, music and some light survival ideas together. I play as a guardian connected to the Tree of Life, and my main job is to help heal a forest that is slowly being taken over by a spreading disease. I have to travel around different areas, find the other guardians and collect their songs so I can use their abilities to push the disease back. I like the idea because the music is not just something playing in the background. It is actually part of how I make progress. The forest is easily my favourite part of the game. Everything has a very soft and colourful look, and there are plenty of little paths and hidden areas for me to explore. I can find secret gates, hidden treasures and objects to decorate my home with, so there is a reason to look around rather than always going straight towards the next objective. The game also gradually gives me better ways to travel through the world. I can build a boat to cross the large lake and use my vine like a grappling hook to reach higher areas, which makes places that were previously out of reach worth coming back to. The guardians are another part I really like. Each one gives me a different song and ability, and I can use those abilities to deal with the disease spreading through the forest. I like how this ties the story, exploration and music together instead of making them completely separate systems. There is also a simple time management side because I need to keep making progress before the disease becomes too strong. If the Tree of Life dies, the game is over, so I cannot just wander around forever without thinking about what I should be doing next. The main thing that holds Rootnote back for me is how simple some of the gameplay feels. The puzzles are generally easy to understand, and the exploration is more about finding where I can go next than solving anything particularly complicated. The music abilities are interesting, but I do not think the game pushes them as far as it could have. Once I understand the basic purpose of each ability, a lot of the experience becomes travelling around, finding the next area and clearing the disease. I enjoy that because it is relaxing, but I would have liked a few more moments that really tested me. I also think the survival side is lighter than I expected from the way the game is described. There is pressure from the spreading disease and I have to keep moving forward, but most of my time is spent exploring and completing objectives rather than genuinely struggling to survive. That is probably a good thing for me because I do not want every part of this type of game to feel stressful, but it does mean the survival label sounds more important than it actually feels during most of the adventure. I am much more interested in seeing the forest recover and finding the next guardian than managing resources. The presentation does a lot to make up for the simpler mechanics. The forest has a really pleasant atmosphere and the music is obviously a major part of that. I like having a home that I can decorate with things I find during my journey too, even though it is not a huge building system. The whole game has a peaceful feeling that makes me want to explore instead of rushing through everything. It is also completely free, which makes the fairly relaxed pace and simple puzzles much easier for me to accept. Overall, Rootnote is a charming little adventure that I think works mainly because all of its ideas fit the same peaceful theme. I like collecting the guardians' songs, using their abilities, exploring the forest and slowly opening up new ways to travel around it. The puzzles are quite easy and the survival mechanics are not especially deep, so I do not think it has enough complexity to reach the higher end of my ratings. Still, the atmosphere is lovely, the music is important to the actual gameplay and there is enough to explore to make the journey worthwhile. For me, it is the kind of game I can play when I want something gentle and different rather than something that is constantly trying to challenge me. Rating: 7.5/10