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The level of detail and the intricate work that has gone into the design and presentation of every single creature, leaf and flower, has to be applauded. Natural wondersīotanicula manages to stay away from being simply an attractive ambient experiment with the consistently inventive animals, and the evil parasites. Some little pointers for those who are really stuck would be nice.
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The puzzles are deliciously inventive, but sometimes it's a bit too taxing on your brain to try and figure out how to make a creature do something, or where you should go. There's no hints system in Botanicula, which would be very useful at times. It's just a case of clicking the mouse to send your band of bugs along a particular branch. Though puzzles can be tough to crack, Botanicula is very simple in terms of its controls. This encourages you to really explore the treetop world, in order to find all its secrets. There's a collecting aspect to Botanicula too, and every time you discover a new creature you unlock a card. There are no long conversations to follow, just really pretty animations accompanied by a gorgeous soundtrack. The tree is divided into screens, and on each screen you can interact with the flora and fauna in different ways, sometimes for fun and sometimes to solve puzzles. It's a surprisingly big game, with lots to explore and quite a complex map.
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