A Summer Adventure with a Supernatural Twist
From the creators of Graveyard Keeper, Lazy Bear Games presents their latest offering, a blend of life sim and JRPG set against the backdrop of 1960s America, with a supernatural element. In Bloomtown: A Different Story, you step into the shoes of Emily, who, along with her brother Chester, embarks on a summer adventure to their grandpa’s house following their parents’ separation. Is it a delightful escape from reality or merely the humdrum of mundane life?
Symphony of Pixels and Tunes
Visually and aurally, Bloomtown shines within its genre and setting. The pixel art style, while familiar to fans of cosy Life Sim games, also evokes the charm of classic JRPGs, updated for the modern era to vividly express the characters’ emotions. The weather visuals in Bloomtown are particularly delightful, adding an immersive touch. Musically, the game draws inspiration from JRPGs like Persona, yet it seamlessly fits the 1960s backdrop. Together, the graphics and music beautifully complement both the genres and the era.
Set in the 1960s, the developers have cleverly sidestepped the era’s contentious issues, instead weaving a tale of kids blissfully enjoying their summer holidays, oblivious to the global politics swirling around them. The narrative does delve into the characters’ personal traumas without becoming too intense or heavy. However, some movie and video game references miss the mark, as they are from decades after the game’s setting. Despite this, the story remains charming, never overstaying its welcome, and concludes a satisfactory ending.
Exploring the town is an engaging experience, as we encounter a variety of residents, each with their own unique personalities and quirks. These characters offer tasks that feel perfectly suited for a child’s summer holiday, while also unwittingly aiding in the game’s supernatural elements. Emily quickly gathers a diverse group of allies to help her combat the town’s evil, though the ensemble sometimes feels reminiscent of a Scooby-Doo knockoff. The sibling banter and bickering between Emily and Chester feels authentic, and their candid discussions about their parents’ separation add depth as they navigate their new reality. Emily’s interactions with Ramona can be a bit awkward, but they share a hilarious moment trying on makeup for the first time. Hugo, the talking dog, rounds out the gang, reinforcing the Scooby-Doo vibe as they face the town’s dark forces together.
Bloomtown fuses two game genres, resulting in a mix that feels like a lighter version of both. This duality is both a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, it never becomes too complex or tedious, but it also leaves you craving a bit more depth. It would have been exciting to see some innovation to make it stand out. While it does not aim to rival giants like Persona, the life sim genre is a staple in indie games, and a fresh twist could have added a unique flair. On the bright side, the game excels in introducing and integrating its mechanics, culminating in a satisfying final act.
Your main activity is battling demons, like in Persona, you can choose to defeat or capture demons. Capturing them allows you to add new demons to your team or fuse them with others to level up. It would have been nice when levelling up demons that their new abilities were predetermined rather than based on a percentage chance of acquiring new abilities or resistances.
As you explore, you will encounter various activities that help level up Emily’s skills, crucial for various aspects of the game. Skill levels influence your success in skill checks during interactions and demon captures. However, there are missed opportunities: being Smart does not make crossword puzzles easier, and Proficiency does not speed up task completion. Investing time in building friendships is worthwhile, adding depth to characters and providing useful battle perks.
Bloomtown offers a variety of activities, but you do not need to do everything to complete the game. If something does not appeal to you, you can simply move on to other tasks.
During my playthrough, I encountered a few hiccups. Some fish seemed impossible to catch, hinting at bugs that need fixing. At times, it was challenging to tell which character was speaking, especially when they were close together. I also spotted several typos and issues with the English localization, though nothing that made the dialogue incomprehensible. Quest markers occasionally pointed to the wrong locations, and quest updates could lag on the screen. While these bugs did not stop me from finishing the game, they were frustrating and wasted my time.
I thoroughly enjoyed the game, it was solid, with a compelling story that reached a satisfying conclusion. However, I wish it had introduced something new to revitalize the genres. The visuals and audio were perfectly suited to the genres and period, and there was a good variety of activities to keep you engaged. That said, they do need to fix a few annoying bugs.
Pros
- Gripping story
- Graphics & music in harmony
- Variety of activities
Cons
- Lacks Innovation
- Annoying bugs
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