izigame.me

An extremely tentative positive review. Buddy Simulator 1984 does achieve what it set out to do, but with poor execution that long outlasted its welcome.
The game starts off strong with the introduction of Buddy and the setting of the game. It's obvious from even the trailer that it's a game about the "rogue AI that wants to be your friend" trope that has been done before, so the real excitement is about understanding what makes this particular permutation interesting. The joy in games like these is not to be found in the plot twist because we already know it; it's about the execution. It starts off strong with an interesting text adventure element that forces you to use your imagination to create a creepy build-up of things you hardly understand, but it eventually leads to a 2D RPG segment. This is ok at first, but it begins to really drag. Once the game turns into a 2.5D RPG, it REALLY drags. The combat has QTE elements that utilise the entirety of your keyboard and have strict timing, making it very difficult to attack or defend properly. I got SO frustrated with this segment that I dropped the game altogether, I am sad to say.
There is still a somewhat interesting over-arching narrative going on with various secrets and there is replay value, too, but for me, the adventure segment (and the combat part especially) is just so dull. I understand that there is an in-game meta reason for the adventure segment to suck, but the real life person playing the game is gonna get bored of it. It overstays it's welcome and isn't interesting enough plot-wise to make it worth it. I just barely recommend the game because it's still short and for some people it might be worth a try if you take all these caveats into account.