Bilkins' Folly
- October 2, 2023
- Webbysoft
Bilikin’s Folly is a jolly adventure across the seas that makes treasure hunting fun, full of tricky puzzles and great characters, and the only time you’ll get frustrated is from your own folly.
Get on Steam"Bilkins' Folly" is a narrative adventure game where you play as Percy, a treasure hunter searching for his missing family while digging up hidden loot. Accompanied by his loyal dog Drayton, Percy must explore the region, solve puzzles, and uncover family secrets. Utilize Percy's cartography skills to customize your map, and rely on your friendship with Drayton to navigate the world's challenges. Some puzzles may require patience and revisiting as you progress through your journey.
Reviews
- Bilkins' Folly offers a charming blend of exploration and puzzle-solving, reminiscent of classic adventure games like Monkey Island and Zelda, with a modern twist.
- The game features a variety of clever and satisfying puzzles, alongside a delightful pixel art style and engaging character interactions, making it a joy to play.
- The developer is highly responsive to player feedback, frequently updating the game to improve the experience and fix any issues.
- Some puzzles can be overly cryptic or vague, leading to frustration, especially without a hint system to assist players who may get stuck.
- The character writing can feel dated and unlikable, which may detract from the overall enjoyment of the story and interactions.
- There are instances of lockout states for certain quests and some puzzles that can feel tedious or repetitive, particularly the block-arrangement puzzles.
- story20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story of "Bilkins' Folly" follows Percy Bilkins on a heartfelt quest to find his missing mother and grandfather while unraveling a family curse. Players engage in a treasure-hunting adventure filled with clever puzzles and a mix of humor and emotional depth, enhanced by a charming relationship with Percy's dog, Drayton. The narrative is well-crafted, offering a blend of comedic and touching moments that keep players invested throughout the game.
“Percy Bilkins is on a quest to find his missing mother and grandfather, and stop the family curse, the eponymous 'Bilkins' Folly', which threatens to end the family line.”
“This was a masterclass in challenging but fair treasure map design, wrapped in an excellently enjoyable, funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story.”
“The writing across the board is solid, with a combination of frequent comedic moments and unexpectedly strong emotional moments that come together to create a wacky yet heartwarming story.”
“I would describe this game as Monkey Island if the story had less emphasis and focused more on solving puzzles.”
“The only thing that came close to getting stale was the lockpicking, but most of it is completely optional if you're just looking to finish the main story.”
“I'm around 20 hours in, and I still have more of the main quest to do, and have uncovered many side treasures and an overall super complex gigantic treasure map covering all the islands that will take me a long time to decipher.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by witty dialogue and charming characters, blending lightheartedness with some darker elements in the story. While some players find the comedic style a bit dated, many appreciate the engaging animations and the delightful interactions, particularly with the dog, which enhance the overall experience. Overall, the humor complements the enjoyable gameplay loop of exploration and puzzle-solving, making it a standout feature.
“The pixel art and the animations are really nice, the music fits the tone well, the dialogue is funny and witty.”
“There is a fun gameplay loop of exploration and finding treasures and helping random NPCs out, and it introduces new things at a pleasant pace. It has charm, wit, and some nice humor; it almost feels like a Zelda game meets a classic adventure game with a lot of new twists!”
“It's full of interesting characters, it's funny, the animations are just amazing, and the interactions with the dog are so lovely.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a series of engaging environmental puzzles that vary in type and difficulty, creating a satisfying exploration loop filled with treasure hunting and NPC interactions. Players appreciate the clever integration of mechanics, such as unique puzzle-solving methods and a natural step-counting system, which enhance the overall experience. The charming blend of adventure elements and humor evokes comparisons to classic titles like Zelda, making for a delightful and brain-teasing journey.
“The gameplay consists of one environmental riddle after another, with good variety in puzzle types and difficulty.”
“There is a fun gameplay loop of exploration, finding treasures, and helping random NPCs. It introduces new elements at a pleasant pace, with charm, wit, and nice humor. It almost feels like a Zelda game meets a classic adventure game with a lot of new twists!”
“Practically every mechanic revolves around a puzzle of some kind: lockpicking is done through tetromino block puzzles, fishing involves a sort of grid-based movement puzzle, and every main and side quest will have you either solve a riddle or locate a hidden object to progress.”
“Practically every mechanic revolves around a puzzle of some kind: lockpicking is done through tetromino block puzzles, fishing involves a sort of grid-based movement puzzle, and every main and side quest will have you either solve a riddle and/or locate a hidden object to progress.”
“I'm not necessarily saying the gameplay is similar, but oh boy does it ever make my brain itch in that same beautiful way.”
“Worth mentioning is the clever integration of step counting, essential when having to walk x steps north and y steps west: you hold the space key and a rising musical cue for each step helps you count, but without an on-screen counter, so you get some help, but it's not super mechanical and a nice natural solution for a game that isn't built on a grid.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its fitting tone and clever integration into gameplay, particularly through a unique step-counting mechanic that enhances the experience without feeling mechanical. Composed by Jamal Green, known for his work on other titles, the soundtrack is considered a standout element, contributing to the overall charm alongside the pixel art and witty dialogue.
“The pixel art and the animations are really nice, the music fits the tone well, the dialogue is funny and witty.”
“It's yet another great soundtrack from him, and he's quickly turning into one of my favorite game composers in recent memory.”
“Worth mentioning is the clever integration of step counting, essential when having to walk x steps north and y steps west: you hold the space key and a rising musical cue for each step helps you count, but without an on-screen counter, so you get some help, but it's not super mechanical and a nice natural solution for a game that isn't built on a grid.”
“The soundtrack stems from the mind of Jamal Green, who also composed for other games like 'Sizeable' and 'Toem'.”
“Worth mentioning is the clever integration of step counting, essential when having to walk x steps north and y steps west: you hold the space key and a rising musical cue for each step helps you count, but without an on-screen counter, so you get some help, but it's not super mechanical and a nice natural solution for a game that isn't built on a grid.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a charming pixel art style that, while simplistic, is rich in detail and showcases careful visual design. Players appreciate the fluid animations and overall delightful art, enhancing the enjoyment of exploration and puzzle-solving.
“The exploration and puzzle solving is quite fun, and the game has a nice pixel art graphics style.”
“Pair that with the delightful art style and charming characters, and this is the perfect puzzle game for me!”
“The pixel art style is very simplistic in some regards, yet full of little details showing that a lot of care was put into every aspect of the visual design.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its touching and heartwarming story, blending challenging gameplay with emotional depth. Reviewers highlight the effective combination of humor and poignant moments, creating a memorable and engaging narrative experience.
“It's a really touching story, and the challenge of it really reminds me of an older style of game.”
“This was a masterclass in challenging but fair treasure map design, wrapped in an excellently enjoyable, funny, heart-warming, and heart-breaking story.”
“The writing across the board is solid, with a combination of frequent comedic moments and unexpectedly strong emotional moments that come together to create a wacky yet heartwarming story.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, characterized by its engaging writing and well-developed characters, which contribute to an immersive puzzle-solving experience.
“This is a great puzzle game with a wonderful atmosphere, writing, and characters.”
Critic Reviews
Bilkins’ Folly Review – Treasure hunting weighed down by technical hiccups
Bilkin’s Folly is a game that I could recommend to almost anyone in the mood for a treasure-hunting adventure. Its tone and characters highlight the experience and make the longer-than-expected time sail by, whilst its puzzling is largely engaging if drawn back by more obtusely difficult puzzles and some technical hiccups that will surely be fixed in short order.
70%Bilkins' Folly Review
Bilikin’s Folly is a jolly adventure across the seas that makes treasure hunting fun, full of tricky puzzles and great characters, and the only time you’ll get frustrated is from your own folly.
85%Bilkins' Folly Review - A Light-hearted And Charming Puzzling Pirate Adventure That Everybody Should Play
While the relatively laid-back and plodding pace likely won't be for everybody, it's fair to say that Bilkins' Folly represents an almost perfect storm of engaging characters, gorgeously framed visuals and refreshingly non-combat focused adventuring that gamers of any age can fully enjoy.
90%
