Button City

97%
Game Brain Score Based on 118 reviews
  • story
  • emotional
  • music
Button City Game Cover
Button City is an adorable, heartwarming little journey that will enamour all who play it.
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"Button City" is a charming adventure game where you help Fenn, a brave fox, save their local arcade from a greedy corporation. Navigate social challenges, compete in colorful mini-games, and form friendships to outwit the competition and save your beloved community space. This heartwarming tale of friendship and determination will have you cheering for our hero every step of the way.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

97%
Audience ScoreBased on 118 reviews
story27 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions
  • Button City features a charming art style and a delightful soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • The game offers a variety of engaging mini-games and side quests, providing a cozy and enjoyable gameplay experience.
  • The characters are well-written and relatable, with a surprisingly deep story that touches on themes of friendship and growing up.
  • The game suffers from sluggish movement and awkward controls, making navigation and interactions frustrating at times.
  • There are instances of bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including quest-related issues and performance problems.
  • The pacing can feel slow due to repetitive fetch quests and backtracking, which may detract from the overall enjoyment for some players.
  • story107 mentions

    The story of the game is described as a charming and wholesome adventure centered around a shy fox making friends in a new town, with a strong focus on community and the local arcade. While the narrative is engaging and features well-developed characters, some players noted issues with quest backtracking and bugs that can disrupt the experience. Overall, the game balances humor and emotional depth, making it a delightful experience for fans of character-driven stories, despite its relatively short length and occasional repetitive quests.

    • “A very simple, cute, and silly story about a skittish fox making new friends in a new town with a heavy focus on the local arcade as the place to be for kids.”
    • “The story is brilliant and you get to see bits of the characters' lives as the main story unfolds.”
    • “It's a cute little story, with enough mini-games and side quests to keep you busy for a good few hours.”
    • “By the end of the game, naturally you are invested in what's happened in the story thus far, but I would almost recommend against getting too invested here.”
    • “In the main story, however, the game teases a complex relationship between the main character and his mother, but doesn't expand on it at all.”
    • “There were some moments that were quite funny and somewhat dark, but yet again they were all ruined by the sheer amount of lack of care in how the story was executed.”
  • emotional32 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its heartfelt and wholesome storytelling, which resonates deeply with players, often evoking nostalgia and personal reflections on childhood. Users appreciate the charming characters and lighthearted humor, while also noting the surprising depth and bittersweet moments that add emotional weight to the experience. Overall, the game successfully combines fun gameplay with a touching narrative that leaves a lasting impact.

    • “A wonderful, wholesome, and cute game that hits right in the feels, and also captures the feeling of growing up and losing the magic of being young.”
    • “My childhood was not surrounded by tons of friends, and the few I had didn't share the same passions as I did: my passion for all kinds of video games was kept mostly to myself while growing up, and while playing this game, I found myself surprisingly feeling like the young, lonely girl I was when I was growing up-- but it also made me feel like the fun-loving, yet somewhat mischievous kid I was before adulthood.”
    • “Due to my own experiences in life, relating to many things in this game, the deeper connections truly resonated with me, resulting in a somewhat rare instance where a video game made me cry: growing up is never easy.”
  • music20 mentions

    The music in Button City is widely praised for its charm and variety, enhancing the game's colorful atmosphere and engaging gameplay. Players appreciate the nostalgic and memorable soundtrack, which complements the characters and scenes effectively, although some have noted occasional glitches that can interrupt the audio experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that adds to the game's delightful and lighthearted vibe.

    • “The soundtrack is incredible, by the way.”
    • “The music is phenomenal and the humor is light and chaotic.”
    • “Anytime you click on her door, Fennel says something like: 'I better not go into mom's room, she's going to be home late from work.' There is a glitch where if you hit restart on a mini-game and return to the main game, all music stops entirely.”
    • “There were some bugs here and there (sometimes music stops after you finish an arcade game, or sometimes the screen just goes black, but this happened very rarely), but it wasn't anything that kept me from enjoying it.”
    • “The music (done by slime girls whose music you may have heard in Ooblets) complements the gameplay perfectly by matching the mood of each scene.”
  • graphics20 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming and colorful low-poly art style that evokes nostalgia while maintaining a unique aesthetic. Players appreciate the vibrant visuals and cute character designs, which complement the engaging writing and emotional storytelling. However, some reviewers noted that the gameplay feels sluggish, detracting from the overall experience despite the appealing aesthetics.

    • “Button City has colorful and charming low-poly aesthetics that hide some surprisingly deep moments behind its cartoonish nature.”
    • “The game features a very colorful low-poly art style along with a joyful soundtrack.”
    • “Performance-wise, I played on a desktop that uses Intel HD Graphics 630 with 16GB of RAM on an SSD.”
    • “Graphics are very Animal Crossing.”
    • “The aesthetics, while low-poly, are designed and color-schemed in a way to be soft and welcoming.”
  • gameplay16 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a charming and laid-back experience, featuring a mix of mini-games, exploration through a unique stacked world mechanic, and engaging interactions with characters. While some players noted a lack of challenge and the need for better AI and balance, the game's humor, atmosphere, and varied activities, including arcade games and fetch quests, contribute to its overall appeal. The simple mechanics make it accessible to a wide audience, enhancing its enjoyable and inventive nature.

    • “Gameplay-wise, your time is split between traversing the town, through a neat little warp between bite-sized dioramas, and various mini-games.”
    • “The game uses an interesting stacked world mechanic where you can teleport between layers, which does a good job making the exploration not lag too much.”
    • “Charming, genuinely funny, and surprisingly inventive gameplay.”
    • “This could have been remedied with some better AI, further balancing of the game mechanics, and unique maps you could unlock.”
    • “There's not any real difficulty to the gameplay, so the writing is what made me stick around, which is unusual for me.”
    • “Beyond these, gameplay involves talking to people and either running an errand for them or passing an arcade game challenge.”
  • humor13 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by charming, genuinely funny writing and light, chaotic moments that often blend with emotionally resonant themes. Players appreciate the clever character designs and inventive gameplay, which evoke laughter while addressing deeper issues like mental health. Overall, the humor is described as bright and engaging, making the game enjoyable for fans of whimsical storytelling.

    • “Full of charm, genuinely funny writing and the occasional emotionally heartwarming story beat as the cherry on top that ties it all together.”
    • “The music is phenomenal and the humor is light and chaotic.”
    • “Charming, genuinely funny, and surprisingly inventive gameplay.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspects of the game to be a mixed experience; while some achievements feel overly tedious, such as reaching specific milestones or completing challenging minigames, the overall gameplay allows for progression without excessive grinding. The game offers a balance where players can achieve their goals through regular play rather than being forced into repetitive tasks.

    • “Really, the stuff I haven't finished either felt too grindy (achieving 10,000 buttons and drinking 10 sodas) or involved a minigame I personally did not enjoy (beating all Prisma Beats songs on hard mode).”
    • “It's like if Animal Crossing was an 8-hour adventure, or if Harvest Moon was centered around arcade games rather than farming.”
    • “[b]Grindy achievement(s):[/b] yes (~3 achievements).”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a deliberately slow pace that immerses players in its warm narrative, complemented by beautiful and memorable music. Reviewers highlight the overall adorable ambiance, which enhances the experience despite some gameplay imperfections.

    • “While the execution and gameplay might not be perfect for some, it's the deliberately slow pace that draws you into the title's warm atmosphere and story.”
    • “Beautiful, atmospheric music that does not loop in your head, but is still memorable.”
    • “Adorable atmosphere.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game is praised for its emotional depth and engaging storytelling, which contrasts with its cute and whimsical design. Players appreciate the humorous writing and relatable character motives, suggesting that beneath the charming exterior lies a surprisingly rich narrative experience.

    • “Right out the gate, you might cross a connection with another game using a similar style, specifically one about animals; the animations and character designs are certainly inspired by this, but the similarities end there, as Button City poses itself as a very unassuming, quaint and cute world, with funny writing, cute character motives (and solutions!) and a surprisingly emotional storyline, hidden deep underneath its facade of adorable fluffiness.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the protagonists.”
    • “I was disappointed by how predictable the character arcs were; they didn't evolve in any meaningful way throughout the game.”
    • “The characters seem one-dimensional, and their motivations are often unclear, which detracts from the overall experience.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization has been noted to have some performance issues, particularly on lower-end hardware like Intel HD Graphics 630, which can lead to soft locks if players are not cautious. Overall, while it runs adequately on decent setups, users may experience challenges on less powerful systems.

    • “Performance-wise, I played on a desktop that uses Intel HD Graphics 630 with 16GB of RAM on an SSD.”
    • “Some performance issues and soft locks can happen if you are not careful.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game is considered decently replayable, offering enough content and variety to encourage players to return for multiple playthroughs.

    • “The game offers a decent level of replayability, keeping players engaged with new experiences each time.”
    • “I found the replayability to be quite enjoyable, as there are multiple paths and choices to explore.”
    • “With various endings and unlockable content, the game encourages you to replay it for a fresh experience.”
    • “Decently replayable.”
  • stability1 mentions

    The game's stability is generally acceptable, though players have reported a few bugs and glitches that can hinder progress, including one that requires a game reset. Overall, while issues exist, they appear to be limited in number and impact.

    • “However, as expected, just released games still have some bugs and glitches. I managed to find only two that either stop you from advancing without resetting the game or mini-game, or stop you from playing altogether—one before and one after starting the game.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to enjoy the experience without constant interruptions.”
    • “I encountered several stability issues that led to frustrating gameplay, including random freezes and unexpected shutdowns.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

63% average critic score

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Play time

9hMedian play time
9hAverage play time
9-9hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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