Undusted: Letters from the Past

[i]Mmmm, I didn't even clean my house yet, really?[/i] *5 hours later* [i]Looks at messy house :)[/i] It's a simple game to pass time or to get yourself motivated to clean your house (or not) :P The story is a bit short though, turn of events were too fast. There were only 16+1 parts I think. If you just lost a loved one, I'd not recommend this game to you, unless you want to find a reason to cry/feel emotional. [b]100% Achievement?[/b] Pretty easy to 100% it but you can't do it in one try. Only 1-2 repetitions required, I recommend to fully do everything with brush & sponge only, 100% clean everything on first playthrough. [b]Tips:[/b] I realised fast rapid strokes could remove more dirt efficiently lol. [b]Microtransaction?[/b] Nope! A simple complete game. [b]Timer?[/b] Take your own sweet time! [b]Children Friendly?[/b] Mmmm, because of the story, I'd say not that suitable. The gameplay itself is children friendly, but story is a bit sad.

I almost never leave reviews on any games but this one truly got me in my feelings. Yes, it's a short game but the story it told hit me in my chest. The mechanics of the game was easy enough to get and items you cleaned made you feel you were the main character rediscovering long lost feelings. It's almost like you were healing as you went and cleaned up the items. Those who struggled with support from families or had moments were it felt like you had no one in your corner, this game is for you. For what it's worth, especially from a stranger, I'll support you every step of the way.

This game has a very simple gameplay loop. It it not far removed from being a visual novel. Unfortunately, the actual story is...bad. It's the same fairly generic 'processing trauma about a bad mother/daughter relationship' you've seen everywhere. Took less than 2 hours to beat, and by the 45 minute mark I was timing it.

Stylistic, short, cleaning game with a slowly unfurling story that deals in trauma, emotionally immature parents, estrangement, and grief. The story can hit home for many of us who were emotionally abused including emotional neglect. The cleaning portion unlocks memories- revealing Adora's past and relationship dynamics with her parents. There were some pretty big holes and problems in the story. SPOILERS AHEAD: [spoiler] The parents divorce and the Dad is nowhere to be seen again besides in a picture with Adora at the end in her mother's pendant (only closure you'll get for him.) He truly inspires Adora (MC) to acquire his passion for music, he's goofy, curious, said he can't live without Lily (mom) and Adora and they make him the happiest man in the world, because of them, etc. He is a SEEMINGLY fun, immature, wholesome, caring dad as Adora is young but abandons her when she needs a solid parent (relatable I guess.) The only subtle hint I could gather for the divorce (besides the tension and disagreement on display from the parents) is that he is an accountant and mentions how he needs to work with numbers to survive- he was getting them phone numbers from the ladies to cheat!!!!!! (lmao but what was that bit about???) All said he needed more smoke in this story. It didn't sit right that he just up and left with no consequences for himself in the story. [/spoiler] [spoiler] Lily was an emotionally distant, rejecting, and neglectful mother which really showed after the divorce. The mother-daughter relationship was centered around how Lily didn't want Adora to waste time on her music hobby or make it her full career (the career thing kinda came from nowhere but it ended up backfiring anyway) and her throwing away the cassette tape with original music she recorded to comfort her as a high school aged child. Though the act itself was horrible, it was the culmination of the real problems she caused for her daughter- the emotional distance and neglect. But resolving the throwing away of the tape and telling Adora not to pursue her hobby was really how they wrapped up the conflict with a neat bow. In her diary that Adora finds in the end, she talks about her passion coming to a traumatic end. The entry describes her seeing a mirror to her own past in her daughter...having a music hobby? At least in the diary she says she loves her too...which IS NOT SHOWN through the story besides a little bit in the beginning and at her regretful end writing in her diary and trying to call Adora. Really pitiful way to "end" the story (Adora sits smiling reading Lily's diary as shown in the splash art while Lily's ghost hugs her) [/spoiler] [spoiler] The aunt is basically nowhere to be seen either. She is used as a tool to contact Adora (the dad was too preoccupied as per usual), push her to find her mom's necklace which you find as a bonus item after the "resolution", and to be an awkward contact with the mom while she was dying. She seemed like an untapped character with huge potential for the story. They relied more heavily on the connection of the story to the objects being cleaned. [/spoiler] [spoiler] Estrangement can be messy which is shown in the story especially given the mother's death. However the moment that Adora considers that SHE hadn't thought of the mother's point of view which certainly comes up in estrangement, it's a strange thing to use that narrative to guilt a child who was abused and then move along. It's an out-of-date practice to empathize with your abuser to resolve estrangement in the parent-child dynamic especially in modern times where estrangement is recognized and accepted at peak levels. Though it should be noted that it was going to be a sad and messy story regardless. The bigger problem overall is that only the tip of the iceberg was "resolved" at the end of the story. [/spoiler] Also the UI is a bit janky, to interact with the items in game or to go to the menu to start your next item, the cursor doesn't line up properly with buttons which was frustrating for an otherwise polished game. The dialogue and story elements jam up the gameplay if you weren't looking to engage with them. But yeah if you don't care about the wack story, the cleaning part is like a 6/10. Get it on sale if you want a short cleaning game lmao

[h1] Why you should or should not play Undusted: Letters from the Past [/h1] [b] Before You Read [/b] [i] Every review on my profile is based on my own personal experience with a game. My opinions aren't facts, and you're not expected to agree with them-and that's perfectly okay. My goal isn't to tell you whether you should like a game. Instead, I try to explain what worked for me, what didn't, and who I think the game might appeal to. Constructive discussion is always welcome, but please remember there's a real person behind these reviews. Respectful disagreements are encouraged; insults, hostility, or personal attacks are not. [/i] [b] What is Undusted: Letters from the Past? [/b] In this game you play as Adora, a girl who is trying to uncover her past and deal with her underlying sadness. [b] Quick Pros [/b] ✔ Story Rich ✔ Satisfying progression system ✔ Relaxing game play ✔ High replay ability ✔ Easter Eggs [b] Quick Cons [/b] ✘ The Story is sadly short, and I wish I could clean more items. [b] Initial Thoughts: [/b] -"I already love the cleaning mechanics, I love cleaning games like this." -"Okay there's an actual story to this? So far its kind of sad." -"I WASNT EXPECTING THIS ENDING- Okay game devs just break my heart." [b] Beginner Player Friendly? [/b] Yes this game is very beginner player friendly and has a easy tutorial that will help you progress through the game and teaches you the mechanics as they come. [b] Game Play: [/b] In this game you are playing as Adora as we go through her childhood and discover items that give her memories of the past. With every item is a new story that relates to Adora, her mother and her father. Cleaning these items brings out lots of emotions, and use various different cleaning tools to assist you with various levels of cleaning. [b] Graphics: [/b] The graphics feel hand drawn and are a beautiful. They remind me almost of a story that you are slowly unraveling. I really love how they designed all the pieces you need to clean, its beautiful and cozy. [b] Community: [/b] I have not interacted with the community but from a glance everyone seems friendly and this game is filled with cozy gamers. [b] How long can you play? [/b] In this game it took me three hours to complete it, if you are an achievement hunter it may take you longer however I probably wont be playing again. I would argue this game is re-playable however I think I would only replay it if I need cozy cleaning vibes. [b] My Opinion: [/b] In my opinion if you are looking for a cozy story where you clean items in order to uncover the truth this game may be worth trying. I really enjoyed the cleaning portion of this game. [b] Overall Review [/b] ★ 8/10 - A cozy game where cleaning can bring out lots of emotions. ✘ [b] Active Online Multiplayer [/b] [i] (meaning people will interact with you in game) [/i] ✔ [b] Family Friendly [/b] [i] (meaning friendly to all ages) [/i] ✔ [b] Solo Playability [/b] [i] (meaning you can play by yourself if preferred) [/i] ✘ [b] Cross Compatibility [/b] [i] (meaning you can play with friends through other consoles.) [/i] ✘ [b] In-App Purchases [/b] [i] (meaning you can buy things after buying the game i.e DLC's) [/i] ✔ [b] Controller Compatible [/b] [i] (meaning you can play this game with a controller) [/i] Enjoyed this review? Follow [i] Basement Broadcast[/i] for more Reviews, Rants and Replays! https://store.steampowered.com/curator/46018670/ [i] Any major edits that are made with this review will be added here: [/i]

Beautiful and heart-wrenching story. Very short, I 100%ed it in my playtime, but it is a very touching story. Hug and appreciate your parents while you have them

I would probably aim to buy this on sa,e but I do recommend it. It's a story of mother and daughter with their shared traumas and it all unfolds through the cleaning of object. The story is so simply delivered and yet packs an emotinal punch. The art and objects are also beautiful. It's a very short game which is why I say to wait for the sale. I played levels several times to get achievements and still only have 2.5 hours in the game. However it's clearly a labor of love and deserves some attention.