I dig the vibes - the game has a certain sense of wonder. It feels like you can encounter something new on pretty much every step. Unfortunately that feeling gets muddled in the second half of the game, when the puzzles start to span bigger maze-like areas, or tend to be more focused on clicking on random stuff rather than actually solving something. It's still an extremely unique and imaginative experience, especially in terms of the visuals, audio as well as world and character design, but the gameplay suffers from the same problems most point and clicks do.

Another one of Amanita Design's point-'n-clicks, Botanicula certainly explains why the studio is named after a hallucinogenic mushroom. The game is set in a microscopic world, filled with whimsical creatures, but that is threatened by a foreign presence. It's all very surreal, and while I'm not sure how the competition looks like these days, at the time, I remember calling it the trippiest game you could buy on Steam.

Like Amanita's previous games, Botanicula is a competent point-'n-click adventure that's very charming and approachable, though I do feel that the fact that it's less grounded in reality (much less than Samorost and Machinarium, at least) makes some puzzles a bit too obtuse. Still, it's a fun game to play with someone that isn't too experienced with videogames.

Só tem uma coisa que me atiça mais o filósofo existencialista de boteco que mora dentro de mim e às vezes decide me deixar insone à noite do que pensar na morte térmica do universo: pensar nos infinitos microcosmos que nos rodeiam. Cada milímetro de nossos corpos têm milhares de células e micro-organismos que no passar de um único dia passam por inúmeras gerações - e dentro de cada uma dessas células e micro-organismos há outros microcosmos, com maquinários celulares extremamente delicados que são a única coisa que separam o limite entre a química e a biologia (se é que separam). Há uma quantidade infinitesimal de universos nos rodeando e dentro de nós, que se multiplicam recursivamente em escalas cada vez menores e mais intrincadas, cada um mais fascinante do que o outro. Tentar compreender todas essas múltiplas micro-existências é algo tão impossível e além de nossa compreensão quanto tentar compreender a vastidão do universo. É nessa perspectiva dos microcosmos que nos rodeiam que Botanicula opera, causando a cada momento a mesma sensação de admiração e espanto de colocar uma gota d'água no microscópio e descobrir que tem um mundo lá dentro.

Botanicula is a beautiful little point-and-click about a merry band of seeds and bugs trying to save the great tree they inhabit from malicious soul-sucking spiders. There a certain strength-in-numbers charm to the party, each individually flawed but containing certain strengths that aid progress in key areas. They are also refreshingly timid, forced to skulk around danger with no way to confront it.

Over the course of six levels, each gradually expanding in scope from 1-5 with a shorter climax in 6, you have typical adventure apparatus, a long series of trades and discoveries to eventually get the service you need to move on. The catch, for better and worse, is that much of this manifests in interaction with the bizarre wildlife on each screen. Occasionally it bears fruits, usually it does not, but there isn't a great consistency in this. Botanicula, perhaps unintentionally, dissuades intentional play. If you do not meander, and smell each flower, odds are you will miss something important.

This system leaves me feeling a bit empty, as though everything is merely incidental on the vast tree. Worse still is the necessity of tinkering and toying can make the act lose its desirability. In most games, the appeal is a small act of rebellion, of veering off-course from the importance of the main objective for a miniature indulgence - in Botanicula, there is no distinguishing the two.

It's hard to outright dislike the game, especially with its audiovisual styling so 2012-contemporary. Of course, Flash is now dead, so these stilted paper-puppet animations move me with memories of a simpler era. The gaming world has also long since moved past the folksy indietronica and organic analog sound design that Amanita used to represent. In spite of its loose direction, these anti-anachronisms give Botanicula a certain warmth that is not to be dismissed.

Botanicula flourishes in imaginative creativity through humorously designed plant organisms that grow with the point-and-click adventure, although the simple quest for quelling the infestation of parasites prevents any replay value whatsoever.

WHAT I LIKED:
+ "So a Physalis, a mushroom, a poppy seed, a twig and a feather walk into a bar...". Much like Amanita Design's previous work, the strength of its environmental adventure is through its zany non-verbal characters, This includes the five protagonists, whom are trying to save the last seed of their home tree from parasitic creatures, and the plethora of fauna they encounter along the way. Each one entirely interactable, either granting the player a valuable item to be used later or simply just to provide some weird nonsensical humour. It supplies the point-and-click quest with an abundance of charm, character and charisma that differentiates itself from other similar titles.
+ A luscious tree brought to life. Amanita's art direction for Botanicula settles for the simplistic, embodying the type of style that was prevalent within browser games of the late noughties, but retains its aesthetic throughout. Considering it was created on Adobe Flash, the design work really shines through. Clear prompts are given as to which direction the botanical protagonists can travel in. Items are importance are highlighted for the player to collect. The wildlife, both in the background and foreground, match the environment that they reside in. Botanicula truly felt like an ecosystem of its own.
+ Hum-hum-hummm-hum. Much of the charm comes from the sound editing and score. With no verbal communication, the characters communicate through mumbles and whistles, which in turn generates a thought bubble for the player to visualise. Hearing a "Yee-hoo" will indicate a positive outcome, and these signals help enhance that required accessibility for younger players.

WHAT I DISLIKED:
- As mentioned, Botanicula plays well for the younger demographic. Adults and/or players who are familiar with point-and-click adventures will find this game far too easy. The puzzles and environmental obstacles on offer could easily be accomplished without a hesitation. Guiding a star through a maze whilst it's being chased by a worm? Simple. Racing ladybugs around a leaf? Done. The lack of challenges makes Botanicula a breeze to complete, with only the familiarisation of each level being the trickiest aspect (although a map is accessible...).
- Save the home tree again? Doubtful. Only a select few point-and-click adventures have replay value, unfortunately Botanicula has none. Once the botanical beings have banished the parasites for good, the game simply ends and can be played again from the start. No chapter select. Easter Eggs can be unlocked if the player interacts with a certain number of creatures, but the reward for doing such a task seems fruitless.

VERDICT:
6/10 botanical organisms