Fruitbus
- October 28, 2024
- Krillbite Studio
- 7h median play time
Fruitbus is a culinary adventure game set in a vibrant, open world. Traverse the Gustum archipelago, discovering new fruits, vegetables, and recipes on each island. Customize your Fruitbus, gather ingredients, and cook meals that will delight customers and unlock new stories.
Reviews
- The game offers a charming and cozy experience with a heartwarming story that resonates with players, especially regarding themes of family and nostalgia.
- Players appreciate the cute art style, relaxing gameplay, and the freedom to customize their Fruitbus and create unique dishes without the pressure of time limits.
- Despite some bugs, many find the game addictive and enjoyable, providing a satisfying gameplay loop that allows for exploration and creativity.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including game-breaking glitches, unresponsive NPCs, and problems with saving progress, which can frustrate players.
- Some players feel that the game lacks clear direction and guidance, making it difficult to navigate quests and understand certain mechanics.
- While the game is enjoyable, some reviewers believe it is overpriced for the amount of content currently available, especially given the technical issues.
- story37 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story of Fruitbus is described as heartwarming and beautifully written, focusing on themes of reconnection, loss, and healing, particularly through the protagonist's relationship with their grandmother. Players appreciate the immersive and emotional journey, enhanced by charming visuals and a vibey soundtrack, although some have noted issues with quest bugs and difficulty spikes that can detract from the experience. Overall, the narrative is a significant draw, making the game a worthwhile purchase for those seeking a relaxing yet impactful story-driven adventure.
“The story is incredibly well written and bittersweet towards the end, unlocking the different memories and falling in love with grandma just made me weep like a baby when it came to wrapping things up.”
“Everything is just so charming and fun and the story is so heartwarming.”
“The story starts wholesome, and turns it into a somber journey of reconnection, regret, and healing.”
“Generally this is an instant do not recommend for me, but the story and the gameplay shine through enough that I could fight through.”
“The game at its core is fun, decent looking, and has a heartfelt story, but I would let it cook a while longer before buying.”
- gameplay26 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is generally praised for its solid mechanics, satisfying progression, and enjoyable cooking elements, creating a fun and immersive experience. However, technical issues such as bugs, laggy controls, and gameplay inconsistencies detract from the overall enjoyment, with some players finding the gameplay loop repetitive and lacking depth. Despite these flaws, many players still recommend the game for its charming art style and engaging core gameplay.
“I love the mechanics, the art style is so good, the controls are really unique in a good way, and it's just really fun to play.”
“On top of a great gameplay loop, the story was really warm and just enjoyable.”
“Very satisfying progression and mechanics.”
“After 3.5 hours, it's clear that the core gameplay loop is repetitive.”
“Second, the gameplay loop in the beginning is very basic.”
“There's also a mechanic with flashbacks that isn't really explained at all.”
- graphics21 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their cute art style, vibrant colors, and charming animations, contributing to a relaxing and immersive experience. While some players noted minor bugs and glitches, these did not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment. The combination of appealing visuals and a fitting soundtrack enhances the game's atmosphere, making it a standout title for many reviewers.
“The graphics are lovely, the sound design is crunchy (in a good way), and the cooking is fun.”
“The art style is beautiful and I really love the animations.”
“The graphics are really nice and easy on the eyes, with bright colors and cool details that make it even better.”
“Some minor bugs like lag in certain areas and some graphical overlaps, but nothing game-breaking.”
“It's pretty difficult to play long without finding a graphical or audio glitch, whether that be shimmering or two audio clips playing over each other; nothing game-breaking but annoying nonetheless.”
“The game's aesthetic works well, and though the animatronic-esque NPC animations are jarring at first, I grew to like them.”
- emotional14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwarming narrative and the deep connections players feel with characters, particularly the grandmother figure, which evokes strong feelings. Reviewers appreciate the blend of wholesome content, exploration, and engaging mechanics, noting that the story evolves from a cozy beginning to a more somber journey of reconnection and healing. Overall, the game is praised for its charming characters and emotional depth, making it a fulfilling experience.
“Good therapy, and for me the grandma made me really feel like she was my real grandma, almost made me cry at the beginning.”
“The story starts wholesome, and turns it into a somber journey of reconnection, regret, and healing.”
“Everything is just so charming and fun and the story is so heartwarming.”
- stability14 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous bugs, glitches, and freezing issues reported by users, leading to frustration during gameplay. While some players appreciate the core gameplay loop, the persistent technical problems, including disappearing inventory items and game crashes, detract from the overall experience, making it feel unpolished for a full release. Despite some positive performance on certain systems, the overwhelming presence of bugs has left many players disappointed.
“It runs great on my PC (2K, max settings) and my Steam Deck (native, medium settings, 60 FPS, 11-19W consumption).”
“Bugs are a persistent issue as well; inventory items vanish, and occasional game freezes break the flow entirely.”
“Currently it is buggy to the point of frustration and the content to price ratio feels off (especially when you consider the numerous and obvious bugs in a full release game.)”
“I want to love this game so bad, and when it works I guess it works, but it's so buggy currently (lost 2 hours of data because the save button doesn't work, the bus was spinning by itself when I exited it, the tools don't work after the bus bug) and I don't see anywhere that it's early access... for something to release in this state, also at $25 with no launch discount, it's kind of bad.”
- music12 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its vibrant and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall experience and immersing players in the narrative. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as both adorable and addictive, with unique tunes that linger in their minds long after playing. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and emotional depth.
“The music in the game is extremely vibey; put on a headset and max the volume, and I assure you will dive in and feel like you are the character yourself.”
“Music is spot-on perfection, all the little sounds are right on target, and the game never starts to feel boring or repetitive.”
“The soundtrack is absolutely adorable and a good vibe to mellow out to.”
“The radio yelling out shoutouts, and soundtracks that are so unique they have been playing on loop in my head or having me hum them for the entirety of the game.”
“Apart from that, the music is very relaxing too; I sometimes would fall asleep to the music in the bus and wake up to a loud crash 20 seconds later.”
“The game has an addictive quality, with cute visuals, an upbeat soundtrack, and enough varied missions to keep players interested for hours.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some players report significant issues like server lag and stuttering that affect gameplay, others have only encountered minor performance problems that do not hinder their experience. Overall, there is optimism about future patches addressing these concerns.
“I’ve encountered only minor performance issues that haven’t really impacted my gameplay, and knowing the team is working on them, I’d 100% recommend this game.”
“Heavily unoptimized; wait until patched.”
“On top of that, server lag and stuttering seriously undermine any momentum, especially during moments where precision matters.”
“There are a few minor bugs and performance issues, but nothing that has kept me from playing the game.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews on grinding in the game are mixed; some players appreciate the lack of complex missions and enjoy the casual collection and serving mechanics, while others find the gameplay grindy due to the repetitive back-and-forth for ingredients. Overall, the experience varies from relaxing to time-consuming, depending on player expectations.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Kind of grindy (constant back and forth for ingredients), but that's just the game!”
“No need for grinding or complicated missions; I can just turn off my brain and enjoy collecting, chopping, and serving fruits to cute characters.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Reviews on replayability are mixed; while some players appreciate the game's freedom in dish design, sparking creativity and encouraging multiple playthroughs, others feel it lacks sufficient replay value to warrant returning to the game.
“The game has very good replayability, and the freedom of designing the best dish has my mind thinking about what monstrosities I can cook up.”
“I wish it had more replay value, but I don't think I'll pick it up again.”
“The game lacks the depth needed to make me want to replay it.”
“Once you've completed it, there's little incentive to go back.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally appreciated, with players noting its charm and the effort put into creating a vibrant world populated by unique and amusing characters. While it may not be overwhelmingly funny, it adds a delightful touch to the overall experience.
“The devs really put their heart and soul into this game, creating a beautiful and fun world filled with unique and funny characters.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a vibrant and colorful world that invites exploration, complemented by a serene and peaceful vibe that enhances the experience of running a fruit bus business.
“You get to explore a colorful world, run a little fruit bus business, and just vibe with the peaceful atmosphere.”