Sunfluffs

ray of light in these dark times

I love this world and the creatures in it

I love to run around and be a little animal

very promising, very cute. glad to see a game about being kind to animals

I am now having doubts about nominating Silksong for game of the year.

I have never felt more seen, and loved, by a video game before.

This game is an exceedingly wholesome and cozy exploration experience. Sunfluffs is a puzzle-platformer and photography game, that sucks you in with its setting, style, character dialogue, and just the pure VIBES. The graphics are colorful and pretty, the music is catchy and soothing, and the characters are loveable dorks all around. It is a bit short so far, but it makes up for that with the level of love and detail poured into every last pixel and note. Due to the many things to see and the nonlinear exploration with unique dialogues, there is also decent replay value, and the game even takes speedrunning into account, if that is your cup of tea! I would definitely recommend playing this game, and I am looking forward to the release of further chapters!

Game is good and very cute. But it knows when to stop being cute to have moments that feel awesome.

A delightful little low-stakes platforming romp with some very cute visuals and critter photography. Cleru is a fun little flappy-eared koala of a protagonist, and fruit-based "combat" remains charming throughout. Chapter 1 is largely just a short intro to the world and its characters and overall vibe, but the whole of Chapter 2 is something between a metroidvania and a collectathon platformer. I look forward to seeing the remaining chapters. Delightful!

I wasn't sure i'd be into this game at first given that it seems to be designed primarily with casual audiences in mind, but I've been having a lot fun with it! it feels great to move around, and the scene selector tool makes replaying sections of the game really easy and fun. There's a few different trinkets you can find that aid movement in some way, and most players will find themselves using the Zip Stars (which let you warp forward a short distance, which can only be used once while in mid-air) and the Wing Shoes (which lets you jump incredibly high into the air, at the cost of most mid-air speed). However, if you're good enough at moving around, you can get most of the sunstones and finish the main game with just the Zip Stars. I've been having a blast replaying the game this way, getting faster and faster each time, learning new tricks and developing new strategies along the way. Of course if you're not into fast paced action like what i tend to like, you'll still be right at home here, since as i said, the main audience here is those who play more casually. You can get around this world without too much difficulty, as it's designed with a focus on making inputs simple and easy. You can take your time exploring, taking in the scenery, taking photos of the characters and animals you meet along the way. Cleru (the main character) will even write a cute description of the animals you find! There's also some really engaging boss fights (encounters might be the better word), which i didn't really expect from a game about feeding animals with fruit. Nuclear Strawberry's previous game, Copy Kitty, was exceptional in this regard, and this game is no different. these fights are incredibly well paced, with great telegraphs, music, and plenty of room to improve and master them, I've found making use of Oranges and Grapes over Strawberries to be a particularly enjoyable part of skill development. My favorite part of this game has been the world it presents, and the atmosphere it creates. Everything is incredibly pretty, and the music throughout each area does a great job at keeping me immersed in this colorful land. The characters are cute too! I really like seeing the other residents of this world interact with it as they go about their day, all while i go about my mischief. Cleru has a passion for animals that i really enjoy. The way they write about the animals (and friends!) you take pictures of in your journal is really charming, and their interactions with the various animals and people you meet throughout the game are just as fun. They also have this strictness with some characters that i find really funny (mostly just directed towards animals they're giving commands to). I should also probably mention that this game is, in fact, incredibly queer, as the trailer and description would have you believe. There's a lot of characters with diverse identities here, many of which i'm already familiar with, but some i'm less informed about. There's a couple characters, named Beanbag and Eclipse, that i really enjoyed the writing and personalities of. They're both part of a plural collective, which is something i have a hard time understanding, since i don't know anyone personally that shares the experience. Their presence here greatly added to my enjoyment of the game, as it helped to further my understanding of what plurality is like for those that experience it in a charming and tasteful way. Overall, i would say this game is definitely worth your time if you enjoy charming worlds with expressive characters, fun movement, great music, pretty and colorful visuals, and a relaxing, well paced adventure. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what comes next.