Fall of Porcupine

For much of the first few decades of video gaming, storytelling was often seen as an afterthought. So long as a game could offer a compelling reason for its gameplay to exist, that was enough. Since the turn of the millennium, though, gaming has slowly but surely become far more focused on telling great stories. That leads us to many games, like Fall of Porcupine, that arguably focus more on storytelling than gameplay.

This is often a challenge to pull off, as trying to straddle the line between boring and engrossing can be tough. Does Critical Rabbit’s latest game manage to do that? Or is it doomed to fall into the ‘interactive movie’ trope?

An interesting journey with some very important points to make

So, the first thing that most people will notice with Fall of Porcupine is the design. The art style is very specific, build around anthropomorphic animals that live in their ow little world. One thing that Fall of Porcupine is based upon is healthcare: this game tells a story about the impact of an unsuitable healthcare system, and the damage that it can have on the society which relies upon it.

You take on the role of Finley, and engage in a highly enjoyable adventure that will see you learn about the town of Porcupine and its residents. As you quickly begin to find out, though, that behind its cutesy art there are some worrisome secrets to uncover.

Really, the game plays like a happy mixture between something like Monkey Island and the Ori series of games. There is enjoyable exploration and platforming, but most of your game time will be spent interacting with others and making deductions about what is really going on in this creative town.

The main issue with Fall of Porcupine is that when you are simply moving around and going from location to location, everything can feel a touch barebones. The interactions with others and the story progression is excellent; what lies between, though, can be more limiting.

Gratifying storytelling with a really important plot (8/10)

Make no mistake, Fall of Porcupine is a fantastic story that is wrapped up in a very cute little world. what you soon find, though, is that the point of Fall of Porcupine is very important to what makes it so fun to play. The story is engrossing, and you soon learn that this amazing little world has lots of problems that need to be resolved. Sadly, not everyone wants to resolve the issues.

You might spend much of your time talking to people or hanging around local amenities such as the pub. Other times, you might find yourself adventuring in the forest trying to gain access to the old castle ruins. As one of the upcoming doctors in Porcupine, though, your inquisitive nature both opens up opportunities and helps you to see all is not right with the healthcare system here.

Pros

• Great standard of storytelling mixed in with characters that you care about
• A storytelling game that has a story that you actually want to find out in full
• Makes some excellent points and commentaries on the healthcare system

Cons

• Though the story is excellent, moment-to-moment gameplay can feel a touch dull