Applewood Reviews

[Summary] This game is like Undertale but more wholesome, and with better comical timing. [Review] Applewood is a game with lovable characters, fun mechanics, and a catchy soundtrack. It isn't insanely hard (except for a certain optional dungeon) and provides a decent challenge for any level gamer. Now while all of that is awesome, there is much more to this game than meets the eye... ...This game has emotion... It's not all about scaling the mountain and saving the day. It's heart-wretching. It's heart-warming. And it's an incredible story. I'm not saying the game will make you cry (this isn't the Hallmark Channel), but it will get you invested. It deals with heavy themes and makes you care about the characters. The beginning of the game is humble. Yet, it is the ending which sets it apart. It is reminiscent of Undertale, but has a better story. You can see similarities in the intro story, as well as in the ending. I sincerely hope this game gets the popularity it deserves some day. But until then, I will cherish it as a private gem. Thanks Garrett. Godspeed, Burton Edit: I had the chance to interview the creator in a Q&A style talk! See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bW-iOV_kNQ It was a ton of fun. :D (Edited for Grammar)

Great indie game. Not entirely sure how much of it I have left, but right now it definitely feels like I've got plenty. The controls feel good, the dialogue is well-written, and the story is the right amount of engaging. There haven't been any unfair stretches nor any super easy and boring stretches. No matter how you slice it, it's just plain old fun in the end. If you're looking for a fun and thought-out platformer, then you'll have no regrets picking this one up.

A charming, short and sweet 2D Platformer with compelling characters and surprisingly deep worldbuilding given the length. Ringo's not a swimmer and barely a floater but he tries his best and that's what truly matters. Also, he's got an attitude. Fun characters and chill gameplay. A good number of collectibles, and a few secrets to find. If you go for everything, on first playthrough, it'll last you perhaps up to twelve hours. I think it could also be interesting to speedrun. In that setting (Any%) it'll be closer to like 1.5 hours if I had to guess. Either way, it's quality time!

Super cute, fun controls. I love platformers like this. I thought the throwing mechanic would be annoying, but it controls nicely and seeing where stuff will land eliminates all the expected frustration (though it's not always accurate, it's close enough). Looking forward to spending more time in it.

A super fun platformer with a very honest learning curve. From the get go it intuitively shows you (subsequently allowing you to teach yourself) a myriad of different ways to traverse the obstacles of the game. You're not thrust into puzzles and predicaments you can't handle early on but the difficulty progression feels steady and keeps the player on their toes with diverse platform puzzles and encounters. The characters are well written and the story is engaging. This title is absolutely worth your time, twisting and turning to make sure you aren't quite ready for whats coming both from a narrative perspective and with its gameplay.

Applewood is a truly charming puzzle-platformer that pulls you in with its cute characters, clever dialogue, and fun gameplay, and then really grabs hold with some good old-fashioned emotional content. The controls are easy enough to pick up, though it took me most of the game to get the hang of throwing items quickly and accurately. The puzzles are satisfying to solve, especially some of the optional ones. Exploration is almost always rewarded with a collectible of some kind, which instantly makes this a great game for me. Those who don't play many platformers (like me) should be aware that the endgame might seem overwhelmingly tough at first. Don't panic, keep on trying, and the game will forgive your mistakes with generous checkpoints. Whenever I died - which I did, a lot - I never felt like I had to redo too much. And it's not hard to want to keep trying, because the story and characters are so compelling! It's 100% worth the effort. Finally, regarding my play time: 1) It's really about 12 hours, because I once left the game on overnight, oops. 2) I completed the game 100%. The average playtime is probably more like 8 hours.

The story is very well written, lovable characters, amazing music, and an overall cute game. The controls seem simple, but can take time to get used to. As someone that doesn't play too many platformers, the puzzles and battles can be challenging, but rewarding once you finally get it. I found myself emotionally invested in the story and characters. The world is full of exploration, yet also easy to get lost in. You can truly see how much time and love was put into this game; I would highly recommend it.

[b]Who knew a story about one of my favourite fruits could be so meaningful? *munches pink lady apple*[/b] I do not recall how I came across this but this is one of my best discoveries in 2019. This is a fantastic effort by one person. It’s a genuine shame that this has very little reviews and has not been played by more people. Playing as plucky imp Ringo, he is happily living his life in Applewood with his friends. One day he investigates a rumble. Ringo with the support of friends old and new starts his journey to Mt Durian to pursue the legend of the first apple… This pixel art game may not be the most aesthetically pleasing game but has dollops of uncomplicated charm and strong engagement. Take your time to enjoy the dialogue of the cute characters: they may give you wise words of wisdom, some light laughs, clues or just say sweet things. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1914549342 Game play consists of creative problem solving by placing items in the right place to open doors for the next section. This gets progressively more complex as new elements are introduced. Enemies cannot be directly killed so you have to use other resources. There items to collect such as gold berries to purchase items and hats. The game is very generous with lives and plenty of save points. You do not need twitch reflexes to complete this game. However, there is a longer end game difficulty spike. Controls were smooth and tight with X to throw, A to jump/hover and the D-pad or left stick to move Ringo. Ringo can barely swim and can just skim the water by hovering. Do not jump in deep water! I personally experienced technical issues with this game. It crashed on me several times. In two major fights I got an error message and was forced to close the game which is discussed in a thread here. I also experienced a bug at one of these when hitting an enemy. All the characters subsequently froze except for Ringo. https://steamcommunity.com/app/1107470/discussions/0/3166519278510402949/ Despite my enthusiasm this may not be a game for everyone. Despite its slower pace, due to game design, if you have any issues with aiming because of poor co-ordination this may be a frustrating experience. If you are currently looking for a more hardcore or run n gun experience this is not your game. [i]Associated themes: casual, loneliness, friendship, courage, loss, forgiveness, compassion, platformer, puzzle, cute, eeeer apples? [/i] * disregard my playtime hours for this - there was a LOT of idling while doing other things over a 6 week period*

[h1]tl;dr / quick review Applewood is a well-written and tight 2D action-adventure-platformer that's fun to play and keep things funny and engaging from start to finish.[/h1] [h1]what's good?[/h1] + Well-written and amusing dialogue, character interactions, and story-telling + Varied, colourful, and thought-out level designs that always keep it fresh + Tight controls with mechanics that are fluid and feel good + At times, some really lovely pixel art levels and animations + Varied and fitting soundtrack with some really chill tracks + Full controller support + Suitable for most ages and skill-levels + It has a really chill vibe that appeals to me [h1]what's bad?[/h1] - I got stuck on a few puzzles - I experienced a bug with taking steam screenshots [h1]final verdict[/h1] I wasn't expecting much from this game when I picked it up and I am quite surprised by what I've found in Applewood. I suspect that this game will be a creeper-hit on Steam in the years to come. [i]At the time of this posting, there are only 6 reviews for this game. If this was at all helpful to you, please click the like button. Thank you :)[/i]