[quote]Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews,[/url] so you can be updated whenever I post a new review.[/quote]
[h1]Overall Rating - Average ★★★☆☆[/h1]
[h1]First Impressions[/h1]
It's funny how quickly things can switch, as I went from not buying any game bundles, to picking up a couple of them within a short span of time. That's how I acquired a copy of Button City (BC), knowing little about what it was supposed to be like. I figured I'd primarily just play a few arcade games, progress the story, and that'd be about it. However, there's more involved with getting the story moving than merely arcade games. What is this, real life?
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
My initial impression was that I'd be spending most of my time playing a handful of arcade games, but it probably makes up less than half of the playtime. Instead, much of the game revolves around talking with NPCs, handling simple quests for them, and advancing the plot. Due to the amount of dialogue, simply reading everything winds up being a big chunk of what you do here. I could see some people wanting to have devoted more time to arcade experiences, but with the simplicity of the games here, I don't think this winds up being a bad thing. If I would have had to spend several hours devoted to replaying each iteration, I doubt I'd have finished this release. Knowing in advance that it's much more focused on story just means you'll be better prepared for what to expect than I was.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3646411730
[h1]Controls[/h1]
Although I'd want to play my reason for struggling in the dancing mini-game on the controls, I don't think there's any problems with how things are arranged in BC. Everything was responsive to my controller or keyboard without ever having any issues switching as I wanted.
[h1]Story[/h1]
Any silly antics shown in the trailer does not fully capture what levels the goofiness gets to in this game. It's probably in part because most of the main characters are children, but I remember what it was like when matters related to hanging out with my friends during summer or after school was the most important issues of my life. Such decisions wouldn't matter much longer than the day they were made, but it meant so much in the moment, and I think this game does a good job capturing that spirit. I'd say it uses a cheap tactic to rouse up a sob story, but it leads to a believable sense of community in the small town, and retribution against someone who didn't know when to shut his big mouth.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3646412299
[h1]Visuals[/h1]
An element that adds to the game's charm is the 3D models used for all the characters. They don't really have much in the way of facial expressions, but the accompanying sound effects and movement help sell their emotional responses. I think my personal favorite is when people would be shocked by something, because they look so taken aback by what happened, “Did he just use a curse word? If so, should we tell an adult?” Navigating from one place to the next could be a bit cumbersome, because you always start in the same opening area, and in some cases have to walk a good distance to reach your destination.
[h1]Sound Design[/h1]
I'd describe the soundtrack as a mixed bag, because one downside for all the songs is how short they are. A benefit to longer songs is how it tends to help them from being so repetitive as they play across longer spans of time. It's likely that a decent number of the tunes play in specific circumstances, so the shorter time won't matter as much. However, the longest songs don't pass a minute and a half, which is quite short for video game music. Ignoring the length, the use of sound effects makes me think of chip tunes, but many of the noises are unique to this game, instead of being something I've heard in dozens of other tracks. There's a few times where the music felt a bit too intense, almost like it was stumbling over itself in its hurry to move things along. Despite these complaints, I actually do enjoy the OST, but the composer may want to work on ways to extend their duration.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3646412915
[h1]Pros[/h1]
🌟 I thought the tone captured the sense of childhood pretty well, if you don't mind goofy antics. Otherwise, you won't want to spend any time with this title.
🌟 Power-ups can change the gameplay in a handful of ways, besides just the obvious.
[h1]Cons[/h1]
❌ It can be kind of unclear where you need to go or who to talk with in order to advance.
❌ The arcade games are kind of boring.
[h1]Tips[/h1]
🔍 It's commonly agreed upon that the dancing mini game is the hardest to earn all the achievements for. Thankfully, drinking sodas can make it a mite easier. Also, using the keyboard was the better choice for me, instead of using my controller.
🔍 Wait until you've earned 10,000 buttons before buying items.
🔍 Be thorough in exploring and talking with NPCs.
[h1]Final Thoughts[/h1]
Although the mechanics in the arcade games were pretty lackluster, I'd say this title works well enough as a vehicle for its story. You have to be in a mindset where you're willing to embrace silly tangents and childish logic, but if so, it serves as a fun way to take a detour into nostalgia. Even without the experience of hanging out at an arcade, I remember both the bonds forged through mutual interest, and how annoying other groups of kids you didn't get along with could be. We never acted out any kooky schemes to vanquish them, but the desire to drive them off one way or another was still there. Either way, the gameplay isn't the most interesting or engaging element, so I can see how this title wouldn't be for everyone. Depending on the timing, I might not have appreciated this game myself, so I give it a cautious recommendation.
[table]
[tr]
[th]PC Specs[/th]
[th]Performance[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ryzen 2700
RTX 2070
16GB RAM
ADATA SSD
1920x1080
[/td]
[td]The game ran without incident on default settings.
💖 - BC is healthy
[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
