Review: BUTTON CITY Finds Sweetness In Simplicity
Games usually focus on one major gameplay aspect with a few smaller mini-games or added mechanics to keep things fresh. Button City juggles a couple of major gameplay elements in a cute and colorful combination that keeps the pace of the story going strong. While some aspects of exploration and camera work could have used a bit more work, the overall experience is filled with personality and fast fun.
The story feels like a Nickelodeon animated show that has a straightforward story, spunky characters, and surprisingly good humor. Players take control of Fennel, a fox who just moved into a new city and discovered a local arcade. Fennel must work with his new friends to keep it from being shut down and go head to head against the rival group of gamers. While the story does lean towards a much younger audience (which isn’t inherently bad), the humor is quite smart and some of the ideas and problems tackled in the story could appeal to all ages. I found the writing and conversations between characters to be snappy and engaging, making the beats between the gameplay to be entertaining. I do wish there was a bit more exploration into the real themes of characters’ backstories, but it is totally fine and fun as it is.
Aside from story progression and building relationships, the main gameplay is done through a series of arcade games, collection quests, and puzzles. These games and puzzles vary a little bit in quality, but most of them are fairly entertaining and well crafted, even if they are quite simple. There are racing games, arcade battle games, and some relatively satisfying puzzles. None of these arcade games are crazy inventive or supremely superb and the puzzles are never over complex or ingenious, but they are pretty engaging and appeal to a simpler time of gaming.
Button City balances a sweet story with a bunch of fun games and puzzles. While the pacing is mostly good, sometimes things can feel a bit too linear and slow. The game overall is a great little experience with some cute critters, solid jokes, and cool games.
