finally someone acknowledged the horror potential of that one tumblr mushroom post :D
seriously though, man. MAN. that was heavy. yes i know i say that with every single one of your games but it's your fault for making gut punches in videogame form every time. 🍄 wooo boy where do i even begin?
(SPOILERS)
since i played two sides of the same coin, i've been really interested in seeing how you'd incorporate the "two players giving each other hints" mechanic in a future game, and this didn't disappoint at all cuz it was super cleverly done! 🍄 the hints on how to continue were always clear enough to get them and hidden enough to need to pay attention. i played this on my own so i'm not sure how the actual two player experience would go, but i think it'd be really fun cuz of how well structured the progression is :> the day/night cycle with the crops was pretty fun! i'm not the biggest fan of looping game structures like this, and at times the game got a bit repetitive, but the minigames themselves were creative and well executed. 🍄 i liked how different they all were from each other and how they'd get harder as time went on (i literally said out loud "what are they feeding those bugs for them to move so fast??" haha). when i interacted with the crops sometimes they'd disappear and then reappear when i finished the minigames, idk if that was intentional or not but it was a bit distracting. nothing game breaking obviously though.
your art is incredible, as always! the way you combine beauty and horror so seamlessly until they're both one indistinguishable mound is something to behold. the vibrant color palettes of both parts contradict the emotions of the main character and make everything feel wrong in the best possible way; the growth part is way too lively for the unhappiness surrounding cybin, and the decay part is red and aggressive and it doesn't fit with the mundanity with which she does her chores. 🍄 it reinforces the feeling that she should just keep going, get used to the discomfort, just do what she has to and everything will be okay. UGHHH it's so good. and speaking of cybin, i felt like i knew so much about her just with how she looks and moves. how she puts her hands behind her when she stands, how she runs so carefreely, how the emotion icons show her being annoyed or frustrated or surprised, how she turns around impatiently when she's still... you have a masterful sense of characterization through animation (that also includes the way everything else constantly shifts and moves, it makes the visuals soo lively and dynamic). 🍄 and that's without mentioning details like the trees at the front of the forest that move differently than the rest, or the instructions part with the clouds (all your instructions are always super creative and a delight to see), or the design of the mushroom monster, or the lil fungi critters... ahhhh it all looks amazing. 🍄 also this may sound corny but the combined visuals and narration made me picture every described sensation like i was there! i'm now hungry for potatoes. oh also the music??? absurdly beautiful. SirShrugsalot has such an immaculate sense for OST, idk how you he does it but he's amazing at it.
the story... fuck, man. family neglect and trauma are a bitch aren't they? the way the story unfolded was both immensely depressing and intriguing. 🍄 i mentioned how much you get to know cybin despite not saying a single word, and that's a perfect contrast with her family, of which you know nothing about except the things they say. 🍄 the way they're portrayed really sells that they're not evil, that in some ways they're trying to connect with cybin, but from her point of view what she sees during most of her days is the neglect and abandonment they put her through for no reason. 🍄 but above all she still loves them, and that makes what happens ten times more heartbreaking. i don't know if it was intentional, but i thought the mushroom monster was an extremely good portrayal of how children or teenagers in bad family or friendship situations get taken advantage of by other people, appealing to their feelings of isolation in order to get what they want. 🍄 the ending of the decay part where cybin gives in to her fate, like she's been doing her whole life, since she cannot win in any way that matters, was goddamn devastating from that point of view (sorry if i'm getting too dark haha, i just think the themes in this game are super rich for thematic analysis. the fantasy element of everything is really cool as well! 🍄 spores are fucking terrifying as a concept and i'm glad somebody else realized that lol, and the apocalyptic vibe of the decay part was awesome and super original).
overall this was such a great and rich experience! 🍄 every single one of your games is like a painting, both harrowing and beautiful, and they always leave me with either a sense of renewed wonder, a deep pit in my stomach, or both. 🍄 it's been a while since i played one of your games and honestly that's on me, they're always such a treat.🍄🍄i can't wait to see what you do next and 🍄🍄🍄 wait wha🍄🍄t's hap🍄🍄🍄🍄penin🍄🍄g 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄oh n🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄o 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄 i bl🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄ame y🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄ou 🍄🍄f🍄🍄🍄🍄or 🍄🍄🍄thi🍄🍄🍄🍄s🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄