(Received in Humble Bundle’s May Humble Choice)
Packed with charm and adorable pixel 3D graphics, Loddlenaut is a short-but-sweet aquatic adventure into a contaminated ocean planet. Taking the shoes of a nameless, faceless astronaut, the player is tasked with cleaning up after a megacorporation who had contaminated the planet with their careless and wasteful research. Pick up litter, clear up strange goo, and dispose of microplastics to make the planet a safer place for its native species; vaguely axolotl-shaped creatures named Loddles, who can be fed, played with, petted, and grown into unique “evolutions” which depend on their diet. Along the way, the player will pick up scraps of information about why the corporation left the planet in this state, and what led to the collapse of the research operation.
I had a great time with Loddlenaut. It’s very short – only 6 hours to reach 100% completion – and the perfect kind of game for a cooldown after completing a particularly tough title. I particularly enjoyed turning the litter into resources for upgrades; it was incredibly satisfying to empty out my inventory into the recyclers. The upgrades themselves were paced very well, in my opinion. They’re unlocked at a speed that doesn’t render the latter half of the game too easy, but doesn’t leave you crawling through the first half at a snail’s pace, either. Incredibly well done. I also very much enjoyed the story and grew to love the disgruntled man on the comms system. In a game with so little character interaction, his presence was definitely appreciated; I’ve picked up several aquatic titles this year, so I know all too well the isolating landscape of the ocean. Speaking of the landscape, it got quite tedious moving back and forth between the new biomes and the Home Cove. As fast travel is only unlocked once you complete a biome, inventory management becomes an absolute nightmare in the later biomes, where you have to travel even further to recycle all of your litter. That is pretty much my only complaint when it comes to the game’s mechanics, though.
Overall, Loddlenaut is charming, relaxing, and plunges you into an unfamiliar world with kindness, as opposed to other games with similar settings. The game would definitely benefit from slightly more content – though I know the game is intended to be short. I found myself quite sad to leave the planet at the end, even though there was no more work I could possibly do. Maybe we’ll get a DLC someday, in which we tackle another area of the planet? Who knows, but if we do, I’ll absolutely be first to play it.
6.5/10
Packed with charm and adorable pixel 3D graphics, Loddlenaut is a short-but-sweet aquatic adventure into a contaminated ocean planet. Taking the shoes of a nameless, faceless astronaut, the player is tasked with cleaning up after a megacorporation who had contaminated the planet with their careless and wasteful research. Pick up litter, clear up strange goo, and dispose of microplastics to make the planet a safer place for its native species; vaguely axolotl-shaped creatures named Loddles, who can be fed, played with, petted, and grown into unique “evolutions” which depend on their diet. Along the way, the player will pick up scraps of information about why the corporation left the planet in this state, and what led to the collapse of the research operation.
I had a great time with Loddlenaut. It’s very short – only 6 hours to reach 100% completion – and the perfect kind of game for a cooldown after completing a particularly tough title. I particularly enjoyed turning the litter into resources for upgrades; it was incredibly satisfying to empty out my inventory into the recyclers. The upgrades themselves were paced very well, in my opinion. They’re unlocked at a speed that doesn’t render the latter half of the game too easy, but doesn’t leave you crawling through the first half at a snail’s pace, either. Incredibly well done. I also very much enjoyed the story and grew to love the disgruntled man on the comms system. In a game with so little character interaction, his presence was definitely appreciated; I’ve picked up several aquatic titles this year, so I know all too well the isolating landscape of the ocean. Speaking of the landscape, it got quite tedious moving back and forth between the new biomes and the Home Cove. As fast travel is only unlocked once you complete a biome, inventory management becomes an absolute nightmare in the later biomes, where you have to travel even further to recycle all of your litter. That is pretty much my only complaint when it comes to the game’s mechanics, though.
Overall, Loddlenaut is charming, relaxing, and plunges you into an unfamiliar world with kindness, as opposed to other games with similar settings. The game would definitely benefit from slightly more content – though I know the game is intended to be short. I found myself quite sad to leave the planet at the end, even though there was no more work I could possibly do. Maybe we’ll get a DLC someday, in which we tackle another area of the planet? Who knows, but if we do, I’ll absolutely be first to play it.
6.5/10
Fun and cute environmentalist game. I wished that there had been more depth (pun intended) to many of the mechanics though, especially caring for the loddles. Given that they're in the title, I assumed doing things with the loddles would be a central part of the game. However, they often feel like an afterthought. It feels like there isn't any meaningful reason to interact with them after you've cleaned them unless you want to 100% the achievements.
Cute and fun, as many other players have said. Nothing more, nothing less. Could've been richer in content and life, and better overall, but I liked it enough.
Loddlenaut is a sweet, cute and cozy game where you clean up the ocean of GUP-14 with different tools. Amazingly smooth and well controlled, with a little bit of lore sprinkled in about why the planet is so dirty but maybe not enough information which still leaves questions. Ultimately, you’re just going to clean up goo and look after cute little fish. I got about 5 hours on the game which was mainly exploring and just enjoying the zen environment. Another thing to note is the game was made by just two people! They really nailed it.
There’s of course room for improvement like perhaps having more to do? The world is so nice to be in but once you’ve cleaned everything, there’s not much left for you to stay and do. The loddle management is pretty half baked and not as great as it should be.
If you’re considering May 2024’s Humble Choice, this is definitely a good month to buy.
There’s of course room for improvement like perhaps having more to do? The world is so nice to be in but once you’ve cleaned everything, there’s not much left for you to stay and do. The loddle management is pretty half baked and not as great as it should be.
If you’re considering May 2024’s Humble Choice, this is definitely a good month to buy.
Cute
Very underrated OST!!!
Cute little ocean cleaning game that makes for an enjoyable 3+ hours of relaxation.
+ satisfying trash collection and recycling with well-paced upgrades
+ clean pixel graphics
- shallow gameplay loop that wouldn't support an extended playtime
- somewhat lifeless environments aside from the few adorable animals
+ satisfying trash collection and recycling with well-paced upgrades
+ clean pixel graphics
- shallow gameplay loop that wouldn't support an extended playtime
- somewhat lifeless environments aside from the few adorable animals
It's cute, it's fun, it's beautiful. It sticks to one concept and executes it. However, like me, you mind find yourself bored before you finish it entirely.
It's a cute and relaxing clean-up game. The loddle breeding system is super half baked though.
It's peaceful and calming. Cleaning the waste left behind and revitalizing this alien ocean is a really great experience. It succeeds in being cute, heartwarming and the enviromental message is a strong one.
The first Loddle found while cleaning I named onion. He liked kelp tacos and I regularly checked in on him. The Loddles are great at showing the impact your cleaning has on the environment. Watching them grow and play is the real reward for what you are doing.
It's simple, not very long and it's just overall really good. I would recommend Loddlenaut to cozy game lovers or just those who have a fondness of the ocean.
The first Loddle found while cleaning I named onion. He liked kelp tacos and I regularly checked in on him. The Loddles are great at showing the impact your cleaning has on the environment. Watching them grow and play is the real reward for what you are doing.
It's simple, not very long and it's just overall really good. I would recommend Loddlenaut to cozy game lovers or just those who have a fondness of the ocean.
Nice podcast game. Wish the upgrade system didn't top out before the final area, made collecting trash pretty much pointless. Also, there's one song in the soundtrack that is almost a complete ripoff of one specific mario galaxy song. Other than that it's good (thumbs up emoji)
Una experiencia agradable para pasar una tarde entretenida, con una propuesta y mecánicas ultra simples. Limpia el fondo del mar de toda contaminación y habítalo con criaturas monísimas.