Applewood

[h1] What a great game! 9/10 [/h1] [i] "Do not judge a book by its cover..." [/i] Applewood is a sidescroller 2D game, with simple pixelated graphics, a story rich in details, a simple themed soundtrack, unique characters with distinct personalities, and straightforward gameplay mechanics. It has many good points, but no game is 100% perfect. [h1] Let's start the review! [/h1] [b] Game Mechanics [/b] The gameplay mechanics are quite simple but complex enough to provide fun and purposeful difficulty in certain moments of progression. Controller support is well-optimized, with thoughtful key mapping. You can run, jump, glide, hold items, and throw them—including stunned enemies. Yes, you can carry your enemies and throw them away! That's awesome for such a simple mechanics game! BUT... There are relatively few living enemies in the game, considering that the puzzles and the environment itself are the primary challenges. [b] Designs [/b] Starting with level design: It's great and doesn’t become tiresome during gameplay. It was very well planned, and each level has its own distinct identity. This is impressive, considering that even larger games often overlook this aspect, relying on graphics and gameplay to compensate for the lack of thoughtful level planning. Graphics: The graphics are very simple but have their own charm. Fortunately, they don't strain the eyes like many poorly developed pixelated games. The balance of lights and shadows is perfect, making the journey highly enjoyable. Characters: The main character is not someone with over-the-top powers or exaggerated abilities. He is an Imp, technically equal to us as human beings, doing what we ourselves could do. I rarely feel affinity with NPCs to the point of enjoying side quests regardless of the effort required, but this game was different. It left an impact I’ve felt in only a few other games. I found myself identifying with the main character and feeling a strong desire to fulfill his goal as if it were my own. All the characters are unique, with their own personalities and appearances. I even got shivers down my spine in one specific boss stage... [spoiler] The secret dungeon's giant ghost face boss... [/spoiler] OST/Sound: For a game to be immersive, it’s not just about the story, graphics, and gameplay. Many games excel in these areas but fail to plan or develop their sound design and OST effectively. Applewood strikes a perfect balance. The OST fits seamlessly with the climaxes and thematic regions. You know exactly what's coming when you hear a certain type of music, as it correlates with specific locations or events in the game. The OST gives distinct personality to locations and moments in the story, enhancing the atmosphere without becoming repetitive or tiring. The loops are perfect, evoking the nostalgic feel of classic games from childhood. Scenery: Creating a good parallax effect is no easy feat. Applewood manages it beautifully. The backgrounds are spacious and rich in detail without feeling empty, complementing the game’s regions and pivotal moments. The balance of light and shadow further enriches the scenery. Importantly, the environment isn’t just decorative—it ties into the lore and enhances immersion. The scenery is open and packed with secrets, rewarding attentive exploration. However, the lack of a map significantly complicates navigation. In a semi-open world with revisitable areas, a map that updates as you explore—like in metroidvanias—would have been invaluable. I found myself repeatedly entering areas I thought I had explored but hadn’t, causing me to miss secrets. Even after completing the game, I had to reload my save and use a gameplay video to uncover everything. If the game included a map, it wasn’t intuitive, as I couldn’t locate one despite actively searching. This oversight made exploration unnecessarily challenging for completionists like me. Puzzles: Puzzles are a core element of the game. Getting stuck somewhere means you haven’t solved a puzzle correctly. The puzzles are well-designed, integrating seamlessly into the levels and gradually increasing in difficulty. They test both your logic and motor skills. However, one puzzle stood out as particularly frustrating for me. [spoiler] The singing ghost puzzle. I understood the need to create a musical score to improve their awful first performance. I tried various combinations, revisited the ghosts, replayed the melody multiple times—it sounded identical to their song but never worked. It wasn’t until much later that I noticed a subtle color change on the screen during the demonstration. The color difference was so slight it was almost indistinguishable. Even after noticing it, I still couldn’t solve the puzzle without resorting to a gameplay video. Only then did I discover that musical note stones could be hung between the strings, not just placed in the empty spaces. This lack of clarity made the puzzle unnecessarily frustrating, and a brief tutorial or clearer visual cues would have greatly improved the experience. [/spoiler] Story: Finally, a game that avoids a cliché story. The lore genuinely surprised me, exceeding my expectations for an indie game. Each new location heightened my curiosity about what lay ahead, and I was never disappointed. I don’t regret spending my time on a game centered around apples—it was an unforgettable journey. [b] Collectables/Achievements [/b] I’ve grown to enjoy hunting achievements and completing games 100%. Unfortunately, Applewood has only three achievements. The first is unlocked automatically by finishing the game, while the other two require significant exploration and effort. As mentioned earlier, the lack of a map makes this particularly challenging. Although the game could benefit from more achievements, the three it offers are meaningful and challenging. The collectibles required for the achievements are tied to side quests, enriching the main story and deepening the connection to certain characters. After completing the game and earning the first achievement, I returned to my save file to hunt the remaining two. Despite the difficulty, the satisfaction of unlocking them made the effort worthwhile.