In this whimsical tale, you step into the shoes of Dam, a dreamy and eccentric elf who passionately believes in the prophesied arrival of Elftopia. She doesn’t know when it will happen, what it really is, or how it will come to pass, but none of that matters. What matters to Dam is her unwavering faith that Elftopia is real and it’s on its way. Her closest friend, somewhat reluctantly, is the main audience for her elaborate storytelling.
The story unfolds in the format of a visual novel. This means the experience is guided through dialogue boxes, expressive character portraits, and simple click-to-continue progression. One of the immediate highlights is the script. It’s witty, clever, and genuinely funny, filled with theatrical phrasing and over-the-top expressions that only an elf in flamboyant attire could pull off. Dam has a flair for dramatics, constantly exaggerating events, stating the obvious in comically grand tones, or behaving in a manner that borders on childlike enthusiasm.
Though the narrative is linear, you are occasionally presented with decisions, choosing between a few dialogue options. These choices don’t diverge the story in any significant way, but they do affect how the scenes play out momentarily. That said, you can’t make any irreversible mistakes. The game ensures you can’t truly fail, but there is a small “penalty” system in place to keep things playful.
That’s where the gummy bears come in. Your best friend, who is subjected to Dam’s ongoing tale, will confiscate a gummy bear whenever your storytelling falters, such as when a choice doesn't match Dam’s character, or a narrative path ends too soon. Fortunately, the stakes are low. You’re allowed to try again and select a different option if you’ve chosen poorly.
However, with each misstep, you lose a gummy bear. The game doesn't punish you beyond that because you won’t get a game-over screen or be forced to restart, but losing too many gummy bears does take away some of the sweet satisfaction of a perfect run.
You can also earn gummy bears by conquering the game’s “dungeons.” These are short segments that tie into the main gameplay and involve clicking around interactive scenes and engaging in basic battles. It all starts with a beautifully illustrated environment. Nothing in the scene is explicitly marked, so you’re encouraged to explore freely by clicking on anything that looks out of place or intriguing.
When you interact with these “hotspots,” you’ll often be treated to bits of dialogue. Dam might muse on something ridiculous, Ronald the cat might chime in with sarcastic wit, or your best friend may pop in to question the increasingly absurd logic of Dam’s storytelling. If you’d rather not search every corner yourself, a character in the scene can reveal all the hotspots, except for one special kind.
There’s a hidden manatee in each of the four main scenes, and finding them requires some extra clicking. These are easily missable because the game doesn’t allow you to return to previous scenes. To make things even trickier, there’s only one save slot that auto-saves constantly, meaning you can’t reload to undo a missed opportunity. Manatees are tied to a secret ending, so you will have to play the game at least twice to see them all.
Hotspots that have already been interacted with can’t be clicked again, but that’s not a major issue because all they give is a commentary. The real focus is on the enemies scattered around the scene. Clicking on one of them will take you into a separate dungeon area. Visually, the main scenes are colorful and feel like pages from a whimsical children’s book. Dungeons, while slightly more basic in appearance, still maintain a charming maze-like design.
Each dungeon introduces a set of enemies, and they’re delightfully silly and looking more like costumed mascots. A fun quirk is that they all wear boxing gloves. When you click on an enemy, you’re taken into a battle that is governed by a very simple mechanic. At first, you have three marbles to choose from, representing fire, water, and lightning. Later in the game, two more elements are introduced: light and space. Your job is to pick the right marble to counter the enemy.
The outcome of these fights hinges on your ability to interpret a short vision shown before each battle. This vision provides a visual clue to the correct element. Sometimes it’s very clear, like a burning candle might indicate fire, a fish suggests water, but other times the answer is more abstract.
A cow is tied to space, or a lotus floating on water is strangely matched with the light element. Occasionally, the vision could point to multiple elements, such as clouds that might match with water, light, or thunder. While a few battles are scripted for Ronald the cat to automatically win, most will require you to make the correct call. Beating all three enemies per dungeons rewards you with gummy bears and a whimsical victory poem.
Ultimately, the game is lighthearted, humorous, and designed to be enjoyed. It’s not difficult, and the stakes are low, but the charm lies in the storytelling and the interactions. And for those determined to hold onto every gummy bear, whose numbers are also tied to two separate achievements, there’s even a clever trick: if you make a wrong choice in battle, you can quickly return to the main menu and reload your last auto-save.
