Recent reviews by Viporion

So the game is mostly fine. But there are a few things that just irk me to much.
Shift tabbing can cause the game to lock, so you can't interact with anything.

There is an annoying puzzle that randomizes the start position of everything. It is linked to an achievement and if you want that one, better finish the puzzle within 20 turns or restart the game. As the achievement doesn't pop of reloads. Does reset the puzzle again into a new start position.

There is a guess the door puzzle where there is an achievement for doing it in one go, reloading resets it and the solution is random. There are no hints to help and you just need to be lucky.

You need to get into a dream sequence and each time I get there, the game bugs out. Needing a forced close to even continue.

It is not a bad game. If you just like to play games and can put them away after finishing the play through it will be a enjoyable game.
But I am not such a person.

I like the game. It is both easy to learn, fun to build and allows us to nerd out and optimize everything.

Its a fun game.
You follow up on the second game by following the population that had left the moon to make a new colony and abandoned earth. Interesting new puzzles to complete and characters with character traits that are not "here to look pretty" or "exists for the plot." They each have an reason to be on the mission and have interpersonal conflicts.

I do get why some people consider the main character, Kathy, as a flat character. She is driven to find her father. Understandable as she is still a child on this mission. She watched her dad being forced to leave her behind and got taken from the moon back to earth.

I don't know if her character is the way it is due to the trauma's she witnessed growing up or if she was designed with a level of autism, as there are points where I see how I was as a child. And honestly, I don't mind.

But yeah, if you are looking for a female main character looking like Lara Croft or Booberella, you won't find them. If you want a story with 3 team members trying to do what it right while dealing with their own trauma's and not really knowing if they are doing the right thing, this is good game.

I will not call this a great game.

The hidden object sections range from easy to what are you talking about.
Its very short and it often has you wondering what your supposed to do.

What this game is is, is also a parody of a hidden object game.
There are moments that are just so weird, that they get either a laugh or a snicker.
And that is good enough.

Short answer no, long answer, it is complicated.

It is a fun game. Suffering from all the same problems other hidden object games suffer from.
"The hidden object game made me pick up a shovel, why can't I use THAT shovel?"
A lightly buried suitcase in the sand, can't get my hands dirty, need to find a shovel.

The thing that tipped the review into negative is the hiffen object sections.
Find a comb, object I need to collect is a brush.
Find a key, Pretty sure THAT is a wrench.
Find a wrench, that is indeed a wrench.
Find a wrench, Well a pipe wrench is a wrench... I guess.
Find a shoe. ... There are 3 shoes and none of them is the shoe.

There is something half covered in leaves. I can't. I just can't. My nails you see.
Let me spend an hour solving random puzzles to find a rake.


I like these types of games. They are silly with weird logic and it is fun.
This one almost broke me.

For me it is a fun game. Not many will make you mark things on a map to keep track of where you need to go. Make you figure out where to go instead of just meandering around.

But there are a few points in the game that are frustrating, like finding your next destination by luck and still having to find it the official way, or the diving suit sections.

It is a beautiful game.
I love slowly painting in the environment as I pass through it. The music is lovely and the controls are easy to master.
And while it is hard to understand how it would be to be blind, it does show some of the problems they face.

But there are a few minor downsides. As the character is blind, she walks slowly. Which will annoy you very quickly.
And if your anything like me, you will realize the ending at the start and then spend the entire game hoping for a different ending.

For now, no.
I forgot how scummy EA was long enough to buy this game, forget about it long enough that it cannot be returned before I tried playing it. First trying to start it up forces you into the EA app, but it would not let me play after logging in until I also logged in on origin. Annoyances already, but lets try the game.

Apparently the menu won't allow you to use the mouse. Oke,
Now my computer is more than capable to play the game. Still the game ran like a stuttering mess. Tried to keep playing and the game kept fighting me with the camera. Going into the settings gave me the reason for the troubles. Because EA kept trying to use all my computers memory to copy all my data usage.
So now I am wondering why I even bought this game.

It is a short game that requires 2 play troughs to get all the achievements.

The art is cute, the music is cheerful and the game play is very easy to get. I would not call it a puzzle game, though there are a few puzzles. It is more of a relax game.
The sticker collection is relaxed. Where some games have objects that evolve, miss one and it is gone forever, this game will unlock the previous form when you get the final form.

But unless you want to collect all the achievements, there aren't any reasons to replay the game.

Best part of the game really is the sticker book and portable tent. I've used them in each play through to kidnap everybody I could.

At the moment I am writing this review I am 8.8 hours in and have not finished the game yet. To be fair, I am on the last chapter, but I am running around a few chapters back for the last hidden memory.

How is the game. To me the game looks perfectly fine with no stutters. But some people have reported stuttering when entering the large and populated areas.
Audio wise I have found only a single piece of music to be unbearable, and that one was designed to be like that. You are only forced to listen to it for a few moments for reasons I will not explain due to spoilers.

With the npc's, you will not get a lot of dialogue. You won't get full stories with worries and dreams. Without your own little companion you won't even be able to understand the residents. Not that you won't understand them all the time. At times the interactions between the robots make it clear without words what is happening. The robots also aren't dull. They do have their own fears. Sometimes trying to step up and failing. They are as human as a robot can be and that is refreshing. They know what they are, they know what they are not, but they keep trying and they make things work as best as they can.

Is it a mystery game? Or will you learn all there is about the world? Uncover it's deepest darkest secrets?
Nope, not at all. Apart from the player only the cat's companion seems to care even a little about what had happened in the bygone days. The cat is a cat. He doesn't care about the worries of the robots. He only cares about reuniting with his family. And sleeping in a sunbeam. Maybe catch and eat a bird. Most likely not in that order.

The environments are... I want to say stunning. But the first inhabited zone is covered in waste and garbage. Garbage isn't stunning. As you see environments like this in many games I can't call them unique either. But they work. There are paths open to you that the npc's can't access. Area's that you can't reach aren't just blocked by an invisible wall. It makes sense why they are blocked. Wish is more than many other games have.
The environments are different from area to area, but they still flow from one into the other. You won't go from desert oasis to deserted sewer system. It feels all connected as build together before time and nature grabbed the wrench to make adjustments.

Game play wise. I always play with keyboard and mouse. While the game advises to used a game pad, it works fine with keyboard and mouse. Just a tiny hint. If you rebind keys, make sure you can meow and sprint at the same time.
I will advice game pad at the time of writing for two linked reasons. Two achievements are bugged slightly and can't be completed with keyboard and mouse at this time.
You won't be able to jump to your hearts content. Jumping is linked to specific spots which will show the prompt. This may feel weird at the start, but you will get used to it very quickly. But to avoid frustration I will warn you. Sometimes you can get into or onto places where you don't need to be. Not every path leads to a secret or hidden gem. Sometimes an arch is just an arch. Knocking of pots is just a bonus.
You can however meow to your hearts content, even during cutscenes and yes, they did animate the cat to meow in the cutscenes in case yuo want to meow.

For the collectibles gatherers. There are 2 main things to collect. Memories and badges.
Memories will have a minor hint. There are 3 rows of memories to collect, of which the first row can't be missed. The other memories will be light grey to show they can be found in the chapter. When you have the memory you want to collect selected you will see a single corrupted image of where to find the memory. But as corrupted files go, it will be changing and re-scrambling itself, so it is still a challenge to find them. As with all collectibles in all games, don't forget to wander of the beaten path.
Badges are earned. Most are earned by being helpful, with 3 exceptions that you will find out on your own.
If you miss an memory, do not worry. When picking your save file you can pick level select to return to old chapters. It will restart that chapter, so pressing continue later on bring you to the last check point you reached and not the one farthest into the game. So I advice using it only when you reach a new area. As picking level select to return to the chapter you where originally playing in will restart the chapter and not bring you to a certain checkpoint.

Many will focus on the "You are a kitty cat!" Which can be a selling point to many cat and animal lovers. The truth is, this game would not work with you playing as a human or even as a dog. You need the cat's small size and agility to get into places you are not wanted. Your small size is a reason you can't grab a gun and start shooting. Running away from an overwhelming force is often your best choice, but as a human or dog character we tend to stand our ground. As a cat you are more likely to take to the high ground and live.

I will give a strong spoiler.
The cat will get hurt, but you won't see blood or hear screams of pain. At my point of the game the cat has take 2 big tumbles that lead to a bit of limping and against other enemies the can will fall over when you fail and die. No blood, no gore, no nightmares about the poor wounded cat.

TLDR: It is a good and fun game which can last for hours if you want to poke your nose into every nook and cranny. If you just want to do the 'main quest line' you will be done in a lot shorter time. I don't think there is a lot of replay ability if you just want to discover the story. You can speedrun the game to finish within 2 hours, for which you will get an achievement and will most likely be the only reason people will replay the game.

For me the game is worth it. Even at full price.
The only two points of negativity I have is the bugged 2 achievements you can't complete with keyboard and mouse. And that the game released at such a scorcher of a day that after waiting so long, I would not play it right away.