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The Good Life

The Good Life makes it up with some heart and humour.
The Good Life Game Cover
69%Game Brain Score
story, music
gameplay, grinding
80% User Score Based on 115 reviews
Critic Score 63%Based on 9 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCCloudPlaystation 4Xbox OneXbox Cloud GamingXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStation
The Good Life Game Cover

About

The Good Life is a single player role playing game with a mystery theme. It was developed by White Owls Inc. and was released on October 15, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

In "The Good Life Demo," struggling journalist Naomi Hayward investigates the mysterious Rainy Woods village, where residents turn into cats and dogs at night. Naomi earns money by taking photos for the townsfolk and trending topics on Flamingo, eventually gaining the ability to transform herself. As she uncovers the town's secrets, Naomi must solve a murder to reveal the truth about Rainy Woods.

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80%
Audience ScoreBased on 115 reviews
story14 positive mentions
gameplay7 negative mentions

  • The game features a unique and quirky storyline with bizarre characters that provide a lot of humor and charm.
  • The transformation mechanics allow players to switch between a cat, dog, and human, adding variety to gameplay and exploration.
  • The open-world design encourages exploration and offers a relaxing atmosphere, making it enjoyable to roam around and engage with the environment.
  • The gameplay is heavily reliant on tedious fetch quests, which can become repetitive and frustrating over time.
  • The combat mechanics are poorly designed, leading to inconsistent and unsatisfying encounters.
  • There are numerous bugs and technical issues, including save file corruption and awkward controls, which detract from the overall experience.
  • story
    102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story features a colorful cast and a quirky murder mystery premise, but many players find the characters lack depth and the narrative often feels disjointed and tedious due to an abundance of fetch quests. While some appreciate the humor and surreal elements, others criticize the bland main quests and the lack of meaningful rewards from side quests, leading to a sense of frustration and disengagement. Overall, the story is seen as chaotic and uneven, with moments of charm overshadowed by gameplay mechanics that detract from the experience.

    • “It's full of colorful characters, rich storylines, a saucy script, and fun challenges.”
    • “The soundtrack is great as well and so far I have no complaints about the storyline at all.”
    • “I had so much fun with the main storyline, and the great part is the decision you must make can make you disappointed with the choices that are made, which is good for letting the character develop and seeing your pick make the change of the game.”
    • “The game's story is a murder mystery where you meet various colorful characters; however, this cast of characters is unique only in appearance and lacks charming personalities.”
    • “Some main quests are so bland they feel like side quests, and the side quests don't really offer good rewards and feel more like time wasters. You might as well just do the main quest and you still wouldn't miss much.”
    • “Boring, pointless, and jammed with grating characters and obnoxious story beats, the good life doesn't live up to its name.”
  • gameplay
    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay has been widely criticized for being bland, repetitive, and poorly executed, with many mechanics feeling tacked on and lacking depth. Players noted a heavy reliance on fetch quests and cumbersome controls, which detracted from the overall experience, despite some charm in the quirky narrative and visuals. While there are moments of fun and originality, the gameplay often feels frustrating and unpolished, leaving many players unsatisfied.

    • “The gameplay is reminiscent of Deadly Premonition, Shenmue, Majora's Mask, Harvest Moon, Professor Layton, and Animal Crossing, all mashed up together.”
    • “Extremely fun, lots of mechanics to keep track of, but they're easy to pick up.”
    • “So far, The Good Life does a better job at interweaving its mechanics and drip-feeding new reasons to engage with its many systems, subtly upping the challenge along the way by giving you more abstract goals without way-markers, requiring some puzzle solving or viewing the world holistically.”
    • “The gameplay is bland, the grinding is long and unrewarding, the characters are bland, the story is cringy, and the only charm I find are the visuals.”
    • “The good life is a charming and unique 'debt-repayment RPG' that sets itself apart with its humor and character, but its lackluster gameplay, bizarre tonality, and overall lack of polish make that charm wear off quickly.”
    • “While the good life is an often frustrating and dull experience, riddled with annoying mechanics and lacking in polish, I’d struggle to say that I necessarily had a bad time overall.”
  • grinding
    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received largely negative feedback, with players finding it tedious and unfulfilling. Many describe the grinding as excessive, particularly in crafting and side quests, leading to a sense of monotony and frustration. While some appreciate the unique elements and humor that attempt to offset the grind, the overall sentiment is that the game suffers from a lack of meaningful rewards for the time invested.

    • “This game lives and dies by the meta commentary that life sims are grindy, and will run this joke to the ground until the game ends, much to the detriment of it.”
    • “The gameplay is bland, the grinding is long and unrewarding, the characters are bland, the story is cringy and the only charm I find are the visuals.”
    • “The grinding for resources and money is extreme.”
  • music
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the soundtrack as one of the best they've experienced, enhancing both the gameplay and emotional impact of scenes. The compositions are described as charming and engaging, contributing to the overall atmosphere and character development. However, some users noted occasional technical issues with sound functionality.

    • “The soundtrack is great as well and so far I have no complaints about the storyline at all.”
    • “The OST is one of the best I have ever heard and never once did a song become annoying to me.”
    • “Npcs have lives and schedules, plenty of quests, cool costumes to unlock, recipes to learn, a gorgeous soundtrack and plenty of soul.”
    • “Music and sounds stop working intermittently.”
    • “The right choice of music and camera angle elevates otherwise ridiculous scenes to something meaningful or comedic, not to mention the preposterously capitalist character of the protagonist Naomi absolutely selling every situation.”
    • “Feels like a homage to Harvest Moon: AWL (at least in style, comfy music, etc).”
  • humor
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is described as a mix of self-awareness, quirky references, and oddball characters, creating a unique comedic atmosphere reminiscent of other cult classics. While some players appreciate the charm and silliness, others find the humor inconsistent and overshadowed by gameplay issues, leading to a mixed reception overall. The writing is noted for its fun and weirdness, but the execution may not resonate with everyone, leaving some players feeling that the humor doesn't fully compensate for the game's shortcomings.

    • “This is without a doubt an incredible game chock full of humor, references, and comedy.”
    • “The writing is fun, the humor is weird and has a Deadly Premonition fun vibe to it, and the setting is great with lots to see and do.”
    • “Weird, good-natured, and pretty funny with it, The Good Life stands apart, like most Swery games.”
  • graphics
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful aesthetic and character designs, while others criticize the overall quality as outdated, likening it to PS2 or Wii-era visuals. Despite some charming elements and a unique presentation, many players note the presence of glitches and a lack of polish that detracts from the experience. Overall, while the visuals have their appealing moments, they fall short of current-gen standards.

    • “The game offers some nice graphics and a really beautiful aesthetic, although some really ugly glitches here and there, it is pleasant all the same.”
    • “I've often visited the Lake District and I can't recall another game attempting the aesthetic, let alone hitting it so well.”
    • “Shops and merchants and a pretty big map with loads of upgrades to get, cute graphics and a very unusual and fun storyline.”
    • “The characters looked great and the overall art direction was nice, but most of the art quality was not up to par with latest gen graphics.”
    • “It's janky and unpolished, it has a bunch of bugs, the graphics look like they are from the Wii, and the mechanical depth is at the same tier.”
    • “[...that are marred by a mediocre execution, very slow traversal and way too big map make the game a slog sometimes, too many fetch quests, dated visuals]”
  • stability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's stability has improved significantly over the years, with many players noting a smoother experience and fewer bugs compared to its initial release. However, some users still report occasional glitches and design issues that detract from the overall experience, making it difficult to fully recommend despite its aesthetic appeal.

    • “I just got back into playing this game for the first time in years, and the game is amazing. It runs smoothly, it is not buggy, and it is really fun.”
    • “Technically it's not a bad game, but I honestly cannot recommend it, especially coming with good expectations after playing Deadly Premonition (and that one is a broken and buggy game that constantly crashes on PC, yet it's somehow way more charming and fun than this game).”
    • “And all that is not even getting into all the glitches and bad design choices, and I don't mean things like how store prices change depending on how bad my virtual character smells (if that could happen in real life, half of the people that go to my local Tesco would be charged three times the label price).”
    • “It's a better game than Deadly Premonition 2, but at least I could finish the PC port of that game without major problems, crashes, or glitches.”
  • emotional
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game initially presents itself as a charming and wholesome life simulation, but it takes a darker turn that adds emotional depth to the narrative. Players appreciate the blend of British humor and poignant societal observations, which resonate throughout both the main story and side quests. Despite its unique emotional moments, the game has struggled to gain visibility, leaving some fans disappointed by its underappreciation.

    • “But well... let's just say that after a bit into the main story, there is an event that makes it not very wholesome.”
    • “The acknowledgments of its own genre land as poorly as they always do, but the astute British humor, caricatures, and societal observations are surprisingly touching whether you're submerged in the main storyline or side quests.”
    • “In the dead of night with rain lashing down, I staggered down the country lanes, eking out my stamina, and as dawn broke, I chucked it into a corner of my garden and went straight to bed - if nothing else, it was an emotional moment!”
  • optimization
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance and minimal bugs, others highlight significant issues such as poor optimization leading to high power consumption for consistent frame rates, performance problems, and awkward controls. The game's visuals, reminiscent of older console graphics, do not justify the optimization shortcomings.

    • “I just got back into playing this game for the first time in years and the game is amazing, it runs smoothly, it is not buggy, and it is really really fun.”
    • “The game is not optimized very well, so expect to use high TDP to hit consistent FPS.”
    • “Sketchy performance, fetch-heavy quest design, janky animations.”
    • “Side activities don't add much to the experience, performance issues, awkward controls.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a cozy, surreal charm, enhanced by its unique humor and distinctive setting. Players find it relaxing to explore the lively village and engage with its quirky elements, although some feel that the compelling atmosphere may not fully compensate for repetitive gameplay mechanics and technical issues.

    • “I enjoy the atmosphere, and it's been relaxing getting around the quests.”
    • “The charm and atmosphere have to be seriously compelling if they are to excuse the well-worn mechanics, repetitive tasks, and frequent slowdown and pop-in.”
    • “[Distinctive, surreal atmosphere, original setting for an open world game, lively village with many ways to interact.]”
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Good Life is a role playing game with mystery theme.

The Good Life is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 4 and others.

The Good Life was released on October 15, 2021.

The Good Life was developed by White Owls Inc..

The Good Life has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

The Good Life is a single player game.

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