The Archipelago

[h3]A dialog not a Game[/h3] I forgot to save my draft in notepad, so I'm writing this review all over again. It's still a negative, but now I am more certain. As to why. 2 things: 1. It's not a game it's a very short dialog. You do not really get "choices" that matter, the choices are not really polar. 2. The teas combinations are endless, you can make thousands of different ones but you only get to choose 3, so learning what they do before the game becomes boring is impossible. It's just text based, which in itself is not bad, but the writing does not flow smoothly, mainly because it relies too heavily on you making sense of rather confusing events in the game. [h3]Social Commentary[/h3] You are basically a barista, but you make different teas, you choose the tea for each day. The dialog is all about how people drift apart. [h3]Floating Islands and floating events[/h3] Much like the way the islands in "The Archipelago", the dialog floats and often fractures or splits. It left me hanging a bit often, and I have to say is still a good commentary on real life. The only thing that bring us together are disaster events in our lives, things that touch all of us. Those events bring u…

The Archipelago is a free, dialogue-heavy visual novel. The story unravels as you get to know the inhabitants of the Archipelago over several play-throughs. 1 play-through takes roughly 1 hour (less afterwards as you skip through familiar conversations). The game has a cozy, hand-drawn art style and an atmospheric, moody and rainy soundscape. I enjoyed the calming sceneries. The illustrations are simple and a lot is left to the imagination. The story is interesting with sad undertones and a sense of heaviness. By the end of the 1st play-through (and due to the abrupt ending) I felt invested enough to find out what more there is to the story, even though I don't usually enjoy replaying games. The game might've not been what I expected (not as cozy, heartwarming or focused on tea, more so melancholic), but the story is surprisingly deep and compelling. The only interactive parts are choices, picking tea ingredients and moving them into a teacup. The choices, other than tea, don't seem to change answers. There are unfortunately no achievements.

<3

This is a game for nosy, gossipy little eavesdroppers, and I love it for that. I love being a fly on the wall trying to piece together the lives and story arcs of all the characters in the world, and letting the worldbuilding naturally unfold around them. It's cozy with the right amount of edge to keep it from being saccharine or milquetoast, and I find myself endlessly fascinated with the dynamics and subtle differences in conversations and arcs, depending on who talked to who when, if ever. It's a quick game if you only intend to play it once, and it's still quick per round if you want to dig into the different characters, which I think is very worthwhile.

This game is cute, relaxing and chill. I have a good experience with the guest's conversation and the storytelling. The art also shines, it really catches my eyes.

Didn't really like it, would've liked a bit more to the tea process even though i know that's not the point. I would've also liked the story to be more catching. alright music though.