Some games immediately draw me in with their art style and Fall Of Porcupine is certainly one of them. On the surface, it looks like a cute and whimsical affair with its impressive and warm animation, but you’ll soon realise that there is a sombre side to the story. This is a super casual experience with a fair amount of dialogue to read through and digest. The result is an emotional tangle of storytelling of the healthcare system with pigeon doctor Finley at the helm of your control.

Gameplay

The game is a side-scroller with light platforming elements throughout. Primarily scrolling from left to right, to begin with, there is the ability to go back from right to left during sections of the game. Interactions are conducted with the click of one button with some conversations often needing responses or questions thrown back at the other person. You may be given specific tasks to go off and do before you return to an individual. For instance, the receptionist in the hospital is craving snacks from a vending machine, but you are asked if you can go and sort it out. You arrive at the hospital late for work, so it’s the least you can do right?

Platforming is simply jumping and sometimes gliding using your pigeon wings to carry you. Nothing is ever tough or challenging and if anything is just a touch to enjoy the brilliant backdrops of each section of the game. Mini-games whilst I’d have loved to see more throughout, the ones that are there break up the game perfectly, especially when you’ve just surpassed some dark narrative. There does seem to be purpose with these mini-games and they appear to build relationships with the cast you’ll meet along the way. With gameplay on the light side, I won’t ruin any of the story or what these mini-games entail as it is important to stumble on these yourself.

Graphics & Audio

Fall Of Porcupine is visually stunning and alongside the writing, the strongest portion of the game by far. It baffles me how a 2D side-scrolling title can be so aesthetically pleasing but this game proves that it can. The art style looks to be a hand-crafted cartoon with wonderful attention to detail throughout. This extends to interesting and intriguing NPCs that blend the narrative that gives them instant personality. Even though there are no voiced portions of the game, it felt like I was having meaningful conversations every time. Sometimes they were funny and made you smile and other serious elements of discussion left the emotion of sadness. These bits of chatter are all displayed with clear and concise chat bubbles.

Audio whilst minimal is also fantastic with sound effects in the right places. One example is in the early game and running through a puddle of water and the pitter-patter of tiny pigeon feet splashing through the water. This all blends in really well with the warm colours illuminating the screen.

In Conclusion

Fall Of Porcupine starts the journey off at a calm pace and before you know it you’re heavily invested in a cascade of witty, humorous, and serious writing rolled into one. The presentation of the game carried me through and the design team both in visuals and audio deserve high praise for how great this looks on the big screen. I was very confused at no achievement support whatsoever on Xbox and whilst I don’t personally care for gamerscore, this may drive people away from playing the game.

If you’re a fan of games where you can kick back with your feet up and absorb a well-versed story with not much in the way of gameplay, then this will be right up your street. Aside from a few casual mini-games and a selection of dialogue choices, there isn’t much in the way of interactivity beyond traversing the game from left to right. Don’t let this sway you away from the experience though, as I thoroughly enjoyed every second and whilst it is short, I prefer quality over quantity.