Smile for this moment

I have one of the most special indie games you'll ever play to talk about today, chums, so invite some animal pals over and let's play Woodo.

Just like in nearly all our reviews, you can watch A.J. play Woodo below so you can judge accordingly. ▶️

Ben is busy working but also... happy? Meet Foxy

Woodo stars Foxy who's initially reluctant after being sent to a cozy village for summer. She's so used to being online and doesn't enjoy being outside and even the locals at this place don't make things easy for her as they seem mean-spirited at the start. The first thing you'll notice about this delightful game world is just how wonderfully it's presented with wooden diorama stages that not only look superb, they feel exceptionally tactile with detailed visuals and satisfying effects as well as lovely camera work that makes every scene pop no matter how you point the camera. Speaking of which, you have full control of the camera and it's downright mesmerising as you pan and rotate it all around the smallest intimate scenes to the most elaborate larger set pieces. What a beautiful and imaginative game world! 🖼️ v1d30chumz tzyzvvyztxyzvw

There's a lot of fun to be had hanging out with animal friends Foxy meets Ben

Although not enjoying her time at first, Foxy soon meets Ben who's a local and loves hard work, being outside, and enjoying life's little moments. Of course, she doesn't understand him at first but his unwavering positive attitude even in the face of potential mockery makes her look up to him in a profound way. As all of these story beats come together, the narrator of Woodo ties it all together in a personal way that feels much more impactful than some sort of story time for kids. Plus, the music is excellent with a lot of motifs that'll gently dance around in your head even after you stop playing. It certainly helps that some of the characters occasionally hum or sing along to the tunes. 🎵

I'm so happy that all our chums went on this hike with us Put the pieces together

So, how do you play Woodo? It's simple, chum, and there's more than you'd expect! The basics have you select objects from a list then you place them within the diorama right on top of the colourless version of that object. As you rotate the stage, the objects in your list will rotate, too, which makes things super-intuitive as the challenge merely relies on dragging the objects over so you don't need to do anything tricky like rotate them separately. Sure, this sounds easy but there are so many objects in most stages that it's amazing and things get complicated as well but we'll discuss that later. As you place objects, you can drag the cursor around the stage and things will react once you brush past them which offers so much personality and charm to the atmosphere that it's really quite brilliant. For example, you can interact with a worm on a boat and a fish who's peeking out of the water and if you time it just right, you can get them to kiss! Isn't that adorable?! 🐟

This may be the cutest frog in any game ever! Take your time

With so much painstaking attention to detail, it's very clear how much passion the developers poured into every bit of Woodo. From super-cute animations that play once you complete certain object groups to stand-out moments and hidden secrets that are always a treat to uncover, taking your time with Woodo will make it a much more fulfilling experience than if you merely try to finish it without experimenting with each and every diorama. I love that you're given all the time in the world in order to do so and this laidback nature ties in with all of these hidden delights to match the story themes perfectly as you're encouraged to relax and enjoy the small moments which is exactly what Foxy learns. 🐸

Foxy's about to catch tomorrow's breakfast Enjoy every moment

There are so many segments within Woodo that really stand out as distinct and some of which are even fantastical in nature so you'll really be captivated and eagerly await whatever good times are ahead. When it comes to variety, you'll find hidden items that are revealed after accomplishing certain tasks, be able to enter certain stage objects to complete more intimate dioramas such as Foxy and Ben fishing together, and you'll even have to wait for some uncoloured objects as they may float on by in the water, for example. 🌺

Now, I must admit that some moments are a bit tedious and I wish these were streamlined more such as when you have to fill in every tile on a roof as they're scattered all over the floor. The good news is that most of the campaign is streamlined in that you usually only have to move one object of a particular type then more of that type will automatically fill-in which is great. 🏆

This little town on a flower is one of the most mysterious things in all of Woodo Say farewell but not goodbye

I should share some final thoughts before wrapping this up so you'll have plenty to discover on your own. I just can't stress enough how impressed I am by the amount of variety that the developers thought of whether it's through piecing character fragments together, trying to assemble a diorama based on a reflection, being forced to place one specific object at a time at parts, and one of my favourites has you place fish into a pond one type at a time which is mesmerising. These moments really highlight the message of enjoying life in all of its wonders and that it's okay to be hesitant at first; once you open your heart to experience these sorts of treasures, things really become magical. ❤️

We'll have one last snack together but then I have to go; okay, Ben?

Woodo is an absolutely incredible game that'll make you appreciate life's little moments as you literally piece together memories and learn to love those around you even when you have your reservations at first. It's such a beautiful game and in so many special ways.

Watch A.J. play Woodo 14:45

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Filed under: Reviews › PlayStation 5.