Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son
- September 17, 2019
- Tequila Works
Like Father, Like Son is an interesting VR experience that mostly succeeds despite lacking the charm of the source material
Get on Steam"Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son" is a narrative-driven puzzle game where you play as Phil Connors Jr., reliving the same day over and over in Punxsutawney. Interact with characters, solve puzzles, and explore multiple endings to break the cycle and learn from your experiences. The game encourages you to appreciate family and friends, while pondering life's cyclical nature.
Reviews
- The game features a charming and heartwarming story that resonates well with fans of the original movie, providing a unique narrative experience.
- Gameplay mechanics, including the time-looping and mini-games, are engaging and add variety, making the experience enjoyable despite some challenges.
- The voice acting and character interactions are well-executed, contributing to an immersive atmosphere that captures the essence of the film.
- Many players experienced issues with controller compatibility and awkward hand positioning, particularly with the Oculus Quest 2 and Valve Index, leading to frustrating gameplay.
- The mini-games can be repetitive and frustrating, with some requiring precision that feels tedious, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The character's initial unlikable personality and the overall linear progression can make the game feel restrictive, limiting player agency and exploration.
- story56 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely praised for its heartwarming and engaging narrative, which remains faithful to the original film while adding new layers of depth and character development. Players appreciate the immersive storytelling and emotional moments, although some note that the repetition of mini-games can detract from the overall experience. While the character animations and some plot elements may feel lacking, the overall sentiment is that the story is compelling and enjoyable, especially for fans of the original movie.
“There's really no shortage of nice things I can say about the story; it's such a heartwarming tale that you really just need to experience it.”
“The fun story, the cute character design, the uplifting music, everything comes together for an incredibly wholesome experience definitely worth playing for anyone that loves the original film.”
“The narrative is immersive and surprisingly original; there's a decent variety of mini-game style tasks at which the character continues to improve, and there's a lot of pathos in the storytelling with several moving moments.”
“If you haven't seen the movie, the game's story, which relies heavily on the movie, will likely fall flat.”
“The storyline is pretty much as expected.”
“This omission takes some depth out of the story.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay features teleportation movement and engaging VR mini-game mechanics, offering a unique experience enhanced by time-looping elements that encourage experimentation and learning from mistakes. While the mechanics are generally seamless and varied, some players find the repetition of certain tasks frustrating, though the humor and story add to the overall enjoyment. The game provides a casual playtime of 3-5 hours, extending to 7-8 hours for those who explore all interactions and scenarios.
“Its mechanics are seamless, and the story is fantastic.”
“Expect 3 - 5 hours in casual gameplay, and likely up to 7 - 8 if you decide to do everything, break things, and do it all over again!”
“+ time-looping mechanics are superb: there are a lot of variations and shortcuts for repeated scenes.”
“The gameplay lets you do a lot of things with the environment, but also seems to unnecessarily (or necessarily for the plot?) restrict you.”
“It can get annoying having to do the same things over and over, but I love the unique gameplay mechanic, further augmented by VR.”
“Wide variety of interactions in the mini games, however some do get a little frustrating while trying to get used to the controller mechanics.”
- emotional9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its heartwarming and wholesome narrative, offering a touching experience that resonates with players. With a fun story, cute character design, and uplifting music, it effectively captures the essence of the original film, culminating in a satisfying and emotional finale. Overall, it is described as a thought-provoking journey that is definitely worth experiencing.
“There's really no shortage of nice things I can say about the story; it's such a heartwarming tale that you really just need to experience it.”
“Extraordinarily heartwarming, this game will give you a wonderful experience for a few hours.”
“Great story, stays true to the movie, with a heartwarming ending.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as whimsical and artistically unique, with a creepy art style that enhances the overall experience. However, some users find the visuals lacking in quality, particularly in character models and animations, which can detract from the storytelling. Overall, while the graphics have a polished appearance, they may not meet the expectations for a dialogue-driven narrative.
“The graphics are whimsical, the audio and voice acting are great, and I love the art style.”
“It is fairly polished, especially when it comes to graphics.”
“The environment visuals are decent; however, the environments -- when interactable -- reacted okay enough to it.”
“The people in the game use an art style that is very creepy.”
“The visuals are a bit of a letdown.”
“Visuals are not good enough for a dialogue-based story: character models constantly clip into other objects and themselves, and facial animations are not nuanced enough to convey believable emotions or properly lip-sync.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a strong R-rated sense of humor that effectively revitalizes familiar tropes, making the experience of reliving the same day both enjoyable and hilarious. Players appreciate the cleverness of the humor, which enhances the overall adventure.
“It had a good R-rated sense of humor, and I liked the mechanics of redoing scenarios and learning what needs to be done correctly to proceed.”
“Tequila Works certainly revived and refreshed the tropes that make reliving the same day story an enjoyable and hilarious experience.”
“Amazing, funny, and cleverly done adventure game.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the grinding aspect of the game, noting that mini-games are enjoyable and conclude before becoming monotonous. Additionally, the repetitive nature of reliving the day is engaging, as it encourages exploration and improvement with each attempt.
“The grinding feels endless and becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
“I spent hours grinding for resources, only to realize it was all for a minor upgrade.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes the game feel more like a job than a fun experience.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is praised for its engaging storytelling and charming character design, creating a wholesome experience that resonates with fans of the original film. The combination of these elements enhances the overall enjoyment of the game.
“The fun story, the cute character design, and the uplifting music all come together for an incredibly wholesome experience that is definitely worth playing for anyone who loves the original film.”
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as uplifting and contributes significantly to the overall wholesome experience, enhancing the enjoyment for fans of the original film.
“The fun story, the cute character design, and the uplifting music all come together for an incredibly wholesome experience definitely worth playing for anyone who loves the original film.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The minigames are considered basic and functional, but their lack of depth and complexity results in minimal replay value, leaving players unlikely to return for additional playthroughs.
“Each minigame is basic, generally works, but is not fleshed out enough to warrant any kind of replay value.”
“Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play it again.”
“The lack of variety in gameplay makes it feel repetitive after just a few sessions.”
Critic Reviews
Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son review
Like Father, Like Son is an interesting VR experience that mostly succeeds despite lacking the charm of the source material
70%Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son PC Game Review (HTC Vive)
Without the charm of Bill Murray, this "sequel" just comes across as mean.
50%Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son Review
Phil Connors is dead. That’s Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son’s opening gambit and it doesn’t get much better from there on in.
40%
