Botanicula Review
Who would have thought that creepy crawlies could be so adorable?
The puzzling in Botanicula is a great achievement for an odd reason: it had such a large opportunity to go horribly wrong, but instead went right. That’s because all of the puzzling is focused around trial-and-error or exploration-type gameplay. When entering a room with a puzzle or challenge to solve, it won’t be readily obvious exactly what you’re supposed to do. All you’ll see are some clustered flowers, or maybe a pile of seeds and shells, or (if you’re lucky) a needed key object in some out-of-reach place. On every puzzle, half of your time will be spent figuring out what your goal is, rather than how to achieve it. This sounds like a recipe for disaster, because in puzzle gaming one of the least fun and most frustrating experiences is being stuck without a goal, or being unaware of what tools you have at your disposal. Since you have to click around to find out what different objects in a puzzle do, a badly designed challenge can devolve very quickly into that hideous recurring nightmare of the genre: pixel hunting.
But Botanicula’s puzzles are NOT badly designed. The gameplay never feels frustrating for two important reasons: firstly, puzzle elements are kept very simplified and visual, and secondly, Botanicula rewards random clicking. In other words, there are so many hidden treasures and playful doodads to fool around with that it’s literally a pleasure to try clicking every object in a room. Sometimes you might even stumble across a puzzle solution without meaning to, just from being so absorbed in wondering “What does this button do?” This is exactly the right way to handle this style of puzzling, and it supports the lighthearted and childlike aura that the rest of the game exudes. All the same, it also means that the last phrase you would use to describe this puzzling would be “hard-core”: if you’re looking for a hefty mental workout session, you won’t find it here.
Another area that I grudgingly feel obliged to warn gamers on is this game’s length, which clocks in at barely three or four hours. On most games this would be a point of complaint, even for an indie title, but Botanicula is so nicely polished and has such a high standard of quality that it deserves a pass on this count. The modern use of achievements to boost gameplay hours is often an overrated black mark on modern games, but Botanicula keeps things simple by making its achievements almost entirely devoted to exploration of the gameworld. There are about a hundred tiny no-see-ums to ‘catalogue’ in the game, and the fun of hunting each one down actually makes it worth playing through the game a second time. This is alas the only real replay value in the game (aside from the urge to visit the beautifully realized world).
Botanicula creates a world where you’ll want to follow every blinking light and splash around in every puddle. Its intense devotion to a light-hearted tone and glorious visuals make it an improvement even on the very high standard set by its predecessor Machinarium. It’s that rare kind of title that is truly a joy to play for all ages, from toddler to teenager, from whippersnapper to wizened. Although the game is so short that it will only be a flash in your game-playing pan, it’s guaranteed to bring a smile to your lips, no matter who you are, and that’s an achievement worth a special gold star sticker.
Our ratings for Botanicula on PC out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
Share:
Comments
