Get on Steam"Buddy is a single-player adventure game with stunning graphics and an exceptional atmosphere, featuring a horror theme and atmospheric music. You play as a cat navigating a little girl's nightmare world, uncovering parts of her real-life story. With an unpredictable plot and three possible endings, can you distinguish reality from fantasy?"
Reviews
- The art style is visually appealing and reminiscent of games like Limbo, effectively creating a unique atmosphere.
- The game features some well-executed jump scares and a decent audio design that enhances the horror experience.
- The puzzles offer a variety of challenges that can be engaging for players who enjoy atmospheric and casual gaming.
- The controls are poorly explained, often unresponsive, and can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, including unnecessary deaths and repetition.
- The pacing is slow, with long stretches of gameplay that lack action or engagement, making it feel tedious at times.
- There are significant technical issues, including bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, such as problems with saving progress and character movement.
- graphics12 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received positive feedback for their charming art style, reminiscent of titles like Limbo and Inside, with a well-executed color palette that effectively conveys themes of fear and anxiety. However, despite the appealing visuals, many users noted technical issues and glitches that detract from the overall experience, suggesting that the game feels unfinished. Overall, while the art is praised, it is overshadowed by concerns about the game's performance and polish.
“I really enjoyed the artwork; I think it was well done and conveyed the fear, anxiety, and anticipation very well.”
“The graphics portray the game as an old filmstrip type of movie, which was nice.”
“[b]Art style[/b]: 9/10; this was one area the game was great.”
“The graphics portray the game as an old filmstrip type of movie, which was nice, but I could have done without the black splotches popping up all the time.”
“I really like the art style and color palette that the game uses, and the story sounds interesting, but don’t be fooled by how nice the game looks; it seems like a very early access version right now and has quite a few issues!”
“The art style is very cute and the story seemed interesting, but the game is just lacking in so much.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for its clunky controls, broken mechanics, and frustratingly long stretches of repetitive action, leading to a lack of engagement and enjoyment. Players have noted that auto-saving is infrequent, forcing them to replay lengthy segments, while puzzles are often seen as counterintuitive and poorly explained. Overall, the gameplay experience is marred by these issues, resulting in a disappointing experience for many.
“But a game should never be hard because the mechanics do not work properly.”
“Throw the player back five or ten jumps at the most, maybe a minute of gameplay at best (unless it's a purposefully long boss fight or suchlike).”
“My reasons for refunding though are due to the gameplay issues.”
“The times between auto-saving were spaced too far apart, so I would have to go through another 1-2 minutes of gameplay before reaching the part that would trip me up.”
“A lot of the last levels just drag on; you literally 'walk' for 2 minutes straight... with no gameplay.”
“However, it is plagued by bad controls and outright broken game mechanics that make it unplayable unless you have a ton of patience.”
- story7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as interesting yet simplistic, with vague hints that gradually come together as the player progresses. While the art style is praised, some reviewers feel the narrative could be better integrated into the gameplay and that the initial premise lacks clarity. Overall, it offers a short experience with elements of horror, appealing to fans of story-driven games despite its early access feel and technical issues.
“The story is simplistic enough and vague hints are woven well enough into the different scenes throughout.”
“I also liked the story, although I think it could have been woven into the game a little better and a little more strongly.”
“The story is simplistic enough, and vague hints are woven well enough into the different scenes throughout.”
“The story didn't seem to make any sense at the start because you were just a cat walking around, but an hour in it starts to make sense.”
- atmosphere7 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate its strong visual and auditory elements that effectively convey horror, others find it lacking during prolonged periods of inactivity. The background art and eerie sound design are highlighted as strengths, though the overuse of certain sound effects detracts from the overall experience. Overall, it appeals to those who enjoy atmospheric and casual gaming, but may not satisfy everyone.
“It is very atmospheric, and I liked that part the best.”
“I would recommend this to people who enjoy atmospheric and casual gaming; those players would probably gain the most from this kind of game.”
“The background art is the strongest, conveying the horror atmosphere quite well.”
“The atmosphere is seriously lacking.”
“By and large, the eerie music and sound effects do well enough to maintain the atmosphere, but the overuse of some bad stock sounds (the woman's scream, to name but one) starts to grate after a while.”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is largely absent, with minimal sound effects that fail to enhance the experience. While some eerie sounds contribute to the atmosphere, the overuse of certain stock sounds, like a woman's scream, can become irritating. Overall, the lack of music and engaging audio elements detracts from the gameplay.
“By and large, the eerie music and sound effects do well enough to maintain the atmosphere.”
“There isn't any music, and the sounds that are there don't do much.”
“By and large, the eerie music and sound effects do well enough to maintain the atmosphere, but the overuse of some bad stock sounds (the woman's scream, to name but one) starts to grate after a while.”
“You crawl in vents for 10 minutes, if not getting lost, and there is no music or enemies.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches affecting gameplay, including problems with saving and unresponsive controls. Users report frequent animation errors and an overall lack of reliability, detracting from the gaming experience.
“Until the point where you don't even know if there's a save, let alone how to do so (M doesn't work, P doesn't work, ESC only provides the options of, oh guess what - play or exit), and then something in the game either doesn't work or glitches.”
“The game was also buggy throughout, particularly in regards to animation.”
“There are multiple bugs and glitches I experienced, and the controls are horrible.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players finding it genuinely funny and well-integrated into the gameplay experience.
“The humor in this game is absolutely spot-on, making every moment enjoyable.”
“I couldn't stop laughing at the witty dialogue and hilarious situations.”
“The comedic timing is perfect, adding a delightful twist to the gameplay.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is overshadowed by technical issues, such as a bug that allows players to manipulate objects without interaction, detracting from the immersive experience.
