Bunhouse Review (niknakodile)
I am essentially in love with this game. I purchased it as soon as it was available on Steam- I was not disappointed even at the beginning! I knew well enough that being a crowdfunded game it would likely have it's share of bugs and room for growth; I think the best thing about this game IS how much room it has to grow and become the best game it can be. Admittedly I have a crap attention span and played for a few days after it released and completely forgot about it after that as I do with lots of games. I picked it back up just this last week and have devoted hours to it. Lets get into the meat of the review and what I do and don't like about it!
Pros:
This game is so lovely to relax to. It's not high stakes, it's incredibly peaceful, and the bunnies are super cute. I love being able to take care of even more plants than I'm allowed to have in my actual house, and I like the slight uptick in difficulty with the more expensive plants, but it never feels like I'm wasting my carrots (in game currency) when buying additions and plants. It's an easy game to like if you're into completely losing a few (or more) hours to just taking care of 3D modeled plants as a 3D modeled rabbit. I'll reiterate that it's incredibly nice to veg out to after a long work week.
The developers have taken so much time and care to add more items and features as the months go on and create an even more diversified gameplay. It's available to play with friends which can be a great way to spend time with others. I truly think this game can only go up!
Cons:
There aren't too many bad things to say except for the control system. I was only able to fully enjoy this game with the use of a controller (which is already a disclaimer the developers have added). While I still enjoyed the game playing using a keyboard and mouse, the controls are incredibly clunky and definitely not designed for tapping and clicking. Having access to a controller will really set the tone for the game, and if you're able to use use Steam Link and stream it to a large screen you can truly immerse yourself. That being said, I would absolutely still recommend this game even if you don't have a controller- you can still get the hang of the controls and it's still a really relaxing game! There are bugs still being ironed out- I don't quite consider that a "con" as every game has patches. Movement of the bunny character might be an adjustment but once you're past your first ten plants you've got the hang of it.
Like I said in the Pros, there is room for growth (which I think is a great thing being an indie game!). I would definitely like to see even more features added to create different complexities and depth to the game. I'm a little saddened by the lack of "quests" to keep the brain's dopamine reward system going, but I'm hopeful that that is a planned addition seeing as there are still so many supporters and donations.
All in all I would highly recommend the game to anyone who enjoys laid back games, plants, bunnies, or all of the above. It's such a labor of love and you can absolutely feel the passion in the game, and it's wonderful.