Played with amazing gf through Gamepass. Since she is not as big of a gamer as I am, I was very much interested in seeing how we would play this game together. In the spirit of the game and its themes, I will be putting down her thoughts on the game as well as my own. The final rating that I give the game on here will be the median of our two scores.
GF: I liked how the game presented how Cody and May's relationship improved in subtle ways throughout. Scenes like killing the daughter's stuffed animal made me question if I wanted to keep playing, but looking back, I can see how it was essential in seeing how their relationship issues didn't just affect Cody and May, but also Rose. Having to work together was one of my favorite aspects of the game. We could not just do something without the other and needed teamwork. There were times where my BF was impatient with me, but in the end, we had a great time.
The greenhouse was probably my favorite section as I loved the metaphor of the purple gunk being their issues with the relationship and "hosing them down" while growing new, healthier flora instead. For someone with ADHD and basically no gaming experience, this game was easy to get into because there was so much variety. I never was bored of doing anything.
The book was great since he was basically their therapist, which they were very resistant to at first. But then, over time, they began to actually like seeing him and felt that he was helping them out. From a future therapist's perspective, I admired him and his work.
GF's Final Rating: ★★★★½
Me: I loved pretty much all of this game. The amount of variety alone is worth the price of admission. Every level keeps introducing new tools and mechanics to keep the players engaged. Not only that, but it also allows for great replayability so you can experience what tools your partner got to use.
The story was nothing that unique or different, but the way its presented makes all the difference. I loved how every level and challenge represented something for Cody and May to work on. The amount of times my gf and I smiled at each other when we slowly saw them starting to ask how they were doing or encouraging each other made me really start to care for their relationship. And the ending, which I won't spoil, leaves an ambiguous but sweet message.
It's just such a joy from beginning to end. The pacing is absolutely perfect, as is the levels in design. There can be issues here and there, but every level is so damn creative and memorable. You would think that, with so many different tools and mechanics being introduced constantly, that something would not work right or be buggy. But no, everything pretty much worked as intended.
While it's certainly not a perfect game, it was one that I loved playing from beginning to end. Not only was it a very well crafted game, but it also was one that I got to share with my partner and experience together. We are already talking about how much we will wanna replay it some day, as its the first game we have completed co-op together.
My rating: ★★★★½
GF: I liked how the game presented how Cody and May's relationship improved in subtle ways throughout. Scenes like killing the daughter's stuffed animal made me question if I wanted to keep playing, but looking back, I can see how it was essential in seeing how their relationship issues didn't just affect Cody and May, but also Rose. Having to work together was one of my favorite aspects of the game. We could not just do something without the other and needed teamwork. There were times where my BF was impatient with me, but in the end, we had a great time.
The greenhouse was probably my favorite section as I loved the metaphor of the purple gunk being their issues with the relationship and "hosing them down" while growing new, healthier flora instead. For someone with ADHD and basically no gaming experience, this game was easy to get into because there was so much variety. I never was bored of doing anything.
The book was great since he was basically their therapist, which they were very resistant to at first. But then, over time, they began to actually like seeing him and felt that he was helping them out. From a future therapist's perspective, I admired him and his work.
GF's Final Rating: ★★★★½
Me: I loved pretty much all of this game. The amount of variety alone is worth the price of admission. Every level keeps introducing new tools and mechanics to keep the players engaged. Not only that, but it also allows for great replayability so you can experience what tools your partner got to use.
The story was nothing that unique or different, but the way its presented makes all the difference. I loved how every level and challenge represented something for Cody and May to work on. The amount of times my gf and I smiled at each other when we slowly saw them starting to ask how they were doing or encouraging each other made me really start to care for their relationship. And the ending, which I won't spoil, leaves an ambiguous but sweet message.
It's just such a joy from beginning to end. The pacing is absolutely perfect, as is the levels in design. There can be issues here and there, but every level is so damn creative and memorable. You would think that, with so many different tools and mechanics being introduced constantly, that something would not work right or be buggy. But no, everything pretty much worked as intended.
While it's certainly not a perfect game, it was one that I loved playing from beginning to end. Not only was it a very well crafted game, but it also was one that I got to share with my partner and experience together. We are already talking about how much we will wanna replay it some day, as its the first game we have completed co-op together.
My rating: ★★★★½