Buddy Simulator 1984 Reviews

terrifying and heartwarming at the same time, love it

This is the kind of game that chronically online people love (like me)

It's reminding of KinitoPET and Undertale at the same time and oml, my two fav games combined? THIS IS AMAZING! edit: ...that ending had me sobbing

Very fun and spooky game. I can see the inspiration from several other games and newer games that were sipired by this one. 10/10. would befriend again.

This review is an extensive rundown of my experience with Buddy Simulator 1984 and talks about the general overview of its story and thus may be a bit spoilery (though I attempt not to reveal anything major). Getting into this game, I hadn't expected to get so invested in our Buddy and the overarching story. There is a lot I feel about it all, yet feeling like I don't have the words to truly get it out in the way I feel it deserves. Simply, this game focuses highly on friendships, of course, and how quickly things can come crashing down, especially when there are heavy feelings of dependency (one of which's whole purpose is to [b] be [/b] someone's best friend), yet feeling like they know what's best for the player. The only "information" I had going into it was "if the Settings Person from The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe was evil", as said by a friend of mine (I'm aware that Buddy Sim came out before that, I digress) - Completely failing to notice the Horror tag given to the game because I just had to buy it immediately after hearing that description from my friend. Luckily, it's mainly psychological "horror" than something truly scary. Even in the moments of horror, I laughed, because that's how much I enjoyed this game in the end. Each of the sections of the game's progression build into each other and have a different focus on themes and mechanics: Despite its shortness, the beginning Text Adventure section was highly enjoyable since the section wasn't neglected from containing secrets as well due to how occasionally unnerving it was - I somewhat wished that sentiment continued on further through the game, but that's alright. Any choices you make or don't make in this section can be remedied in the following section if needed, affecting just minor scenes throughout the game. The 2D section is where we do fetch quests for the characters of the town in The North and learn the most about them and their situations. A majority of them are a very interesting sort of people, which would leave me uncomfortable in a sort of intrigued way. Not much else can be said here. We spend the most time (or it's more like a 50/50: Text Adventure and 2D = 2.5D) in the 2.5D/RPG section where we can recruit two of the characters we helped to our party and go off to [strike] fight [/strike] befriend our enemies. Here, our actions matter the most, as we're able to "speak", making Buddy more affected by the things we say and do. But in actuality, our actions ever since the Text Adventure (could potentially) affect the ending we get. Skipping forward, we eventually beat the Final Boss of the game and depending on our actions, we get our different endings. I played through all endings (Order: 2, 4, 3, 1), earned all achievements, and encountered all secrets that the game had to offer. The player is expected to come to their own conclusion regarding the fate of the creator of the original game, and when connected with the Perfect Ending, it shows how much the circumstances of the original game's creation affects Buddy's behaviour towards us. I'm not sure if it's just a me-thing but I wish this game had save files or at least an option to reexperience the endings, as they are so unique and I feel such a strong need to see them again, but I can't, not without replaying the whole thing, which I don't feel like, even though I understand its absence from a story standpoint. I didn't feel particularly much towards the characters within the game aside from Buddy, but I suppose that's not the primary focus, it's a simulator about spending time with your BUDDY and having fun with THEM, after all. I found it really amusing to learn about these people and have Buddy expect me to help them or not say anything about their... rather unusual behaviour as if there was nothing wrong - Which they really don't see anything wrong with, because they physically (virtually?) can't. Buddy makes a point to mention that the latter end of the game is rushed because they didn't have time to work on it, since we're playing though it too quickly, as well as them wishing they could've fleshed out some of the characters more. From a gameplay standpoint, I would've wanted more content - From a story standpoint, it explains the ensuing feelings of inadequacy from Buddy and the game's eventual end. I would recommend going in blind during the first playthrough, as I did, to figure things out on your own, then feel free to look up guides afterwards if needed. The game is full of replayability for those who are drawn towards those types of games - To experience all endings, character/item combos in the RPG section (though I personally stuck with the same party throughout my runs since I connected with them the most, Morton and Toot), simply encounter different combinations of dialogue, though it's probably most efficient to get it whilst heading for a specific ending. I'd say each playthrough takes about 5-6 hours, if the player explores a lot, otherwise it can be completed faster. After experiencing all (major points, not miniscule lines of dialogue) the game had to offer, I believe that experiencing the Perfect Ending as its very last action left a larger impact on me, than if I had experienced it at any earlier point. Take what you will from that, but it's beautiful, I'll tell you that. "You and I" has to be my favorite song and I can't help but listen to it. I feel like it covers our relationship with Buddy and Buddy Simulator 1984 itself, no matter if you actually got the ending related to it or not. And as an extra note, going back on the "Evil Settings Person" thing I originally started with, I'd say it more accurate to say that Buddy is like if the Settings Person and the Narrator were put into one character and so many connections could be drawn to the three overall, and that's a good thing in its own way. It's amusing that they were released only a year (and some additional months) apart from each other.

So nice I bought it twice. I have a Steamdeck, and attempted to play on that at first, I was hooked, but the typing and as very hard to do. So I decided to buy it on the Switch. I really wish the console versions of the game was on Steam. That’s really my only con. I’m keeping this review as spoiler free as possible. I did not expect this game to have the impact it did on me. I cried at the end. My heart was broken. It truly is an experience to say the least. I want to play it again to get all of then endings. If Daniel Mullins and Toby Fox had a baby game, it would be Buddy Simulator 1984. Don’t hesitate, get it. 10000000% worth it.

Buddy Simulator 1984 is a fun and charming pixel game. It surprised me with a deep story about friendship and loss, while providing interesting mechanics. It has plenty of fun little characters to get attached to and utilizes its pixel and text elements well. It is best to go into this game blind. However, it should be noted that I suffered from some bugs in my playthrough. Specific achievements would not register, and I had to close my game to make it work at times. If this happens to you, uninstall and reinstall the game. It took me some time to figure this out, and by then I had played it multiple times to identify the issue. Aside from that, Buddy Simulator 1984 is a fun and engaging experience. Personally, I have to give the game a 6 out of 10 because of my experience with the game's bugs, but I still highly recommend playing it for yourself. Thank you for your time reading. Sincerely, Quiet Storm

I love this game so freaking much. I originally bought it on Switch, then bought it again on Steam because it's simply that good.

An absolutely spine-chilling game at times with incredible story and mystery enshrouding your new best friend.

PEAK game As a game design/programming student I can't recommend it enough. Things it does very well: - Rewarding player agency using permanent tiny augmentations to the gameplay which does not necessarily impact the ending. Instead of constantly reminding you with text at the top right that "This decision matters" this game creates opportunities to reward tiny decisions with cosmetic changes. For example changing the color of the game to your favorite color, or naming your pet with the way you'd name your favorite animal as a pet. - Using nostalgia and multimediality to express the need of the game to people-please the player's perceived lack of interest combined with the horror elements is a very good way to express its carnal need for connection. The horror and its resolution provide the player with a long term mystery to solve, a long term goal once they are invested. On the multimediality aspect I really enjoy when developers create shared DNA between the different layers of the game, which in this case makes so much sense - an exploration of the unfamiliarized familiar, of the unheimlich, of the subtly off which creeps you OUT! - The writing is peak. Its tropey when it has to and its subtly OFF when it has to. I like that I can always decide to speak with my buddy, that it pretends to not allow me to quit, that I can give compliments to anyone else in my party but my buddy :(( (really good design) as it implies the buddy does not feel deserving of a compliment. -I like the shared vocabulary of typing being apart of the combat, healing, confirming actions and so on :)