![]() ![]() The sound design goes a long way toward making a memorable experience as well. It’s such a satisfying, highly visual and tactile simplification of the “band of adventurers each with a unique skill necessary to attain the goal” theme that by the end of your quest you can’t help but feel attached to all their tiny victories and defeats throughout the game. Generally there is only one character who can solve each obstacle, but watching each member of your little entourage’s failed attempts is half the fun. Certain points in the game will require you to select one for a task at hand and watch what happens, with the results ranging from cute to delightful. A short introduction sets the journey in motion: a strange corrupting force is disrupting the status quo of their botanic landscape and they set out to correct it. ![]() On starting the game, you’ll be introduced to five protagonists who would otherwise look at home scattered on the forest floor: mushroom, nut, twig, feather and lantern… thing. ![]() It’s what put Pixar on the map, and Amanita Design deserves the same accolades. It takes a strong command of visual language to successfully pull off something that communicates mostly in abstractions. I don’t know exactly what these skills are, but to quote former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: “I know it when I see it.” Of course, he was talking about hard-core pornography, but the sentiment is the same. There are a very specific set of skills necessary to create appealing characters without using words or traditional narrative. In a world where companies will always eagerly license every popular children’s property to churn into awful games, Botanicula shines bright as an enjoyable experience truly suitable for any age or skill level. Think of it as less of a game and more of an interactive art exhibit, a room full of toys that want to be played with so badly they won’t make you work too hard to find and enjoy them all. Citing a lack of challenge would certainly be a valid criticism in most cases, but players going into this game looking for one might be missing the point. Much more accessible than previous games like Machinarium and the point-and-click adventures of yore, there are very few obstacles that can’t be surpassed by fiddling with them for a minute or two, giving something the right item, or simply clicking everything on the screen and watching what happens. ![]() “Puzzle” is perhaps too strong a term for what you’ll find in Botanicula. It confirmed for many at the time something most kids and Henry David Thoreau naturally knew: bugs are interesting little critters who inhabit a bizarre kingdom. Garden slugs slam together and teeter like battling sumos to an operatic aria, and panic-crazed ants scurry to avoid the thunderous pecks of a hungry pheasant seriously, check it out on Netflix. Rather than assigning a narrator to contextualize the action, the miniature insect dramas of “Microcosmos” play out to an amazing soundtrack that wordlessly frames the action and amplifies the natural sounds of the insect world, leaving the viewer adrift to interpret as they wish. It stuck in my mind for a long time afterward, setting itself apart as a different beast from your average nature program. When I was 11, my parents took me to a theater to see a French documentary about insects called “Microcosmos.” The film showcased exciting time lapse and gorgeous close-up shots, footage of the beauties and grotesqueries of an alien world lurking in the well-manicured gardens of suburbia. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |