Pesticide Not Required
- September 2, 2023
- MatK
- 15h median play time
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Get on itch.io Store"Pesticide Not Required" is a roguelite bullet heaven game that combines farming mechanics with character build customization. Farm crops, fish, and mine for resources, automate your farm with helpful pets, and create overpowered builds with 40+ stats. Experience quick 20-minute play sessions, customizable home interiors, and season-themed map variations.
PC
Web Browser
Windows
Reviews
- The game combines farming, fishing, and mining mechanics with bullet heaven gameplay, creating a unique and engaging experience.
- The art style is charming and the characters, especially the frogs, are adorable, adding to the overall enjoyment of the game.
- There is a good variety of characters and upgrades, allowing for different playstyles and strategies, which enhances replayability.
- The game can feel repetitive after a few runs due to limited weapon variety and similar gameplay across different seasons.
- Some players find the difficulty curve inconsistent, with early levels being too easy and later levels becoming overly challenging without proper scaling.
- There are technical issues, such as controller disconnections and a lack of clarity in the upgrade system, which can detract from the overall experience.
- grinding61 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect in this game is characterized by a unique blend of farming, fishing, and mining mechanics integrated into the bullet heaven genre, providing players with multiple avenues for progression beyond just combat. While some players find the farming elements engaging and a refreshing twist, others feel that it can become tedious or lacks depth compared to traditional roguelikes. Overall, the combination of these mechanics adds a layer of strategy and replayability, making it appealing to fans of both farming sims and survival games.
“This one's graphics are not great even in the pixel-art realm and while the farming 'twist' is interesting, I am finding the game itself dull.”
“Mowing the hordes doesn't feel satisfying, it just mellowly happens in the background while you go around your stupid farming business, a dubious gimmick that adds an unnecessary extra step between killing and level rewards.”
“The weapons don't combine/transform, there are only a few pet types, very limited strategy when it comes to farming, and the upgrades are all just number go up bundles, meaning no given upgrade is all that exciting.”
- gameplay42 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay combines elements of farming simulation with the bullet heaven genre, creating a unique and engaging experience that features adorable characters and varied mechanics. While the core loop can become repetitive, the integration of farming, mining, and fishing adds depth and keeps players entertained for hours. Overall, it offers a fun and charming twist on the survivor-like genre, though it lacks significant mechanical innovations beyond its farming aspects.
“With an adorable concept, cute critters as both player characters and enemies, and fun mechanics, it weaves an element of a farming sim into the vampire-survivors-like bullet hell world, which I found absolutely adorable and very fun.”
“Really solid survivor-like game that combines auto-battling gameplay with Stardew Valley's farm management.”
“The gameplay is fun, every weapon feels unique and interesting to use.”
“The gameplay loop can become a bit repetitive after a while, but it still took me probably more than 20 hours to really hit that point, and I liked how varied the different abilities for each frog were.”
“The gameplay doesn't get any more depth, and the harder difficulties are just more mobs with more HP.”
“Like, yeah, you can fish, mine, and farm in this for XP and coins, but it's mechanically the same as killing monsters for XP and coins; the only difference being that rocks and fish don't move towards you trying to kill you.”
- graphics21 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Pesticide Not Required" are characterized by a charming and cute pixel art style that many players find appealing, despite some noting that they lack high fidelity. The visuals contribute to a wholesome and enjoyable atmosphere, complemented by vibrant colors and playful designs, making it a delightful experience for fans of the genre. Overall, while the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they effectively enhance the game's cute aesthetic and engaging gameplay.
“Pesticide Not Required is a cracking cheap roguelike donned in an adorable aesthetic.”
“The game has a pixel aesthetic that's not lazy.”
“The art style is incredibly cute and I love it.”
“This one's graphics are not great even in the pixel-art realm, and while the farming 'twist' is interesting, I am finding the game itself dull.”
“They don't add a lot of graphical fidelity, and the enemy types could have just been spawned in on the other seasons.”
“Graphics are a little rough, but cute.”
- music15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game features a variety of tracks that are generally tied to the seasons, with most players finding the spring, summer, and autumn themes enjoyable and relaxing. However, the winter music has received significant criticism for being less appealing, leading some players to turn it off entirely. Overall, while some users appreciate the soundtrack, others find it repetitive and lacking in excitement, suggesting a need for a more engaging musical experience.
“The music is awesome and I love all the fun skins you can get.”
“Fun mechanics, nice soundtrack, very satisfying gameplay loop.”
“Enjoyable music, cute graphic design, and a lot of content.”
“The only complaint I have against this game is that the music can be very boring.”
“Even the music is just boring and makes you want to fall asleep.”
“Let's play electric bass guitar or something with really deep sound on repeat... when I play winter stages and I don't plan to play a lot of winter stages, I really turn off the music and play something else.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, featuring cute characters to unlock, multiple stages with varying difficulties, and a customizable hub area. However, some players feel that the limited weapon diversity and linear upgrades could hinder long-term replay value. Despite this, many users express enthusiasm for returning to the game for new runs and different play styles.
“Cute characters to unlock, 4 stages with 4 difficulties for replayability and a customizable house/garden hub area.”
“Brilliant little rogue-lite with a bunch of replay value.”
“Lots of replayability and many different ways to play the game.”
“I do agree with what some others are saying in that seeing some more weapon diversity would help the replayability more long-term, but I could still easily see myself dumping several more hours into this.”
“Replay value is pretty low because the weapon pool is shallow and upgrades are linear with no choices.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its subtlety and charm, particularly through the amusing animations and quirky frog characters. Players appreciate the blend of genres and the thoughtful design, which contributes to a lighthearted and enjoyable experience that elicits laughter even in moments of failure. Overall, the game's silly yet well-crafted humor enhances its appeal.
“Pesticide Not Required succeeds at what Sundown fails to do, but with funny little frogs.”
“It's silly with a great sense of humor, but is also well made and has evident thought and care put into it.”
“Makes me happy when I play it, and if I die I laugh at the funny animation of your frog flying off the screen.”
- story3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's story combines elements from "Vampire Survivors" and "Story of Seasons," but it falls short in key narrative components, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. While the character abilities are varied, they often feel nonsensical and detract from the overall experience.
“I like a lot about this game, but sadly it just misses the plot on a few key components of the genre that make it more frustrating than fun after a few runs.”
“As for character abilities, those normally range from +2% x per occupied farming plot to 'can't mine well', that kind of inanity.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the inclusion of an adorable dog that players can interact with, evoking feelings of joy and warmth. This wholesome element, combined with a charming art style, contributes to a positive reception, making the game accessible and enjoyable for a wide audience.
“You put a dog in the game which you can click, and people will write positive reviews of your game because 'there's a cute doggie, omg I can pet the doggie, omg omg so wholesome.'”
“Wholesome bullet hell, cute art style, simple and cheap enough for anyone to enjoy.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions, which is considered a positive aspect in today's gaming landscape. Players appreciate the progression system and the decorative options for the homestead, highlighting a satisfying experience without additional costs.
“Also, no microtransactions, which is a win these days.”
“The progression and decorations for the homestead are good and there are no microtransactions.”
“The game is riddled with microtransactions that feel exploitative.”
“I can't enjoy the game when it constantly pushes me to spend more money.”
“The monetization model is frustrating and takes away from the overall experience.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization for controller use, lacking shortcuts or hotkeys, which forces players to navigate through imprecise menus repeatedly.
“Badly optimized for controller, with no shortcuts or hotkeys, so you have to cycle through imprecise menus every time.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates strong stability, with users reporting smooth performance and no issues, particularly on the Steam Deck.
“Runs great on my Steam Deck; so far, no issues.”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
“I've experienced no crashes or bugs, making for a smooth gaming experience.”
