TL;DR: I recommend this game to some people, not to everyone. It is fun and challenging, but it is also very slow and a little glitchy. I wouldn't pay more than $5 for this game.
Despite some of its flaws, I actually found that I really enjoyed the game. I do think the complaints in other reviews are valid, but I don't think they are as awful as they sound.
Right off the bat, a few cons: the keyboard controls were a bit glitchy and hard to get right. Sometimes I would have to repeatedly hit the same key to get it to work (like control!). The down button didn't always work to allow me to go down the ladders, or the jump (or up) button would sometimes get me stuck half on/half off an item. There are very few controls to master: up, down, left, right are all the intuitive ones; control (on my laptop, at least) "grabbed" or "pushed" items, and that was the only one I needed to go back and look up. Yes, it should've been included as part of the game in the instructions. Once you learn it though, I don't think it impedes the game all that much, but it does make me hesitate to recommend this game.
Additionally, the game moves very, very slowly. This is best played as a very casual game, because there are long periods of time when you're really doing nothing except walking in the same direction. I think if you're looking for something with a little more action or speed, this definitely won't be your liking. This took me about four hours to play, so it is a shorter game.
What I think was the worst is that the save functionality is... sub par. The times between auto-saving were spaced too far apart, so I would have to go through another 1-2 minutes of gameplay before reaching the part that would trip me up. It was really the most frustrating part for me - I would've preferred autosaving in much closer intervals so that I didn't feel like I was wasting time replaying through certain parts.
Pros: I never watch horror films, so I found the jump scares to be just right: just enough scary without being too much, just enough surprise without seeming totally out-of-the-blue, and just enough that I would lower my guard sometimes and get caught by another monster. If you frequently watch films with loads of jump scares, they (obviously) will surprise you much less.
I think the puzzles were sufficiently varied in difficulty: some were very difficult, and others were easier but still required some creative thinking. So long as you're patient and willing to stop to work things out (on paper or in your head), I think you'll find the puzzles appropriately challenging.
I really enjoyed the artwork, I think it was well done and conveyed the fear and anxiety and anticipation very well. I also liked the story, although I think it could have been woven into the game a little better and a little more strongly. It is very atmospheric and I liked that part the best. I strongly preferred Limbo, and I would recommend Limbo over Buddy any day of the week, but Buddy itself isn't a bad game.
For full disclosure, I bought this game ~$4, and once I played through the game entirely, I think it was a fair price. I'd definitely like to play through it again, so I definitely don't feel like it is wasted money. I would NOT recommend this to gamers who prefer fast-paced or action-based games, or to very novice players. I would recommend this to people who enjoy atmospheric and casual gaming, or who have a few games under their belt: those people would probably gain the most from playing this kind of game.
