Sophie has been eagerly waiting for Berry Berry Day, and it’s finally here. The citizens of Ortgaurd will celebrate their beloved community and its inception today. Every year on Berry Berry Day, the village’s children participate in the Berry Berry Harvest competition. Barry has been the reigning champion for the last four years, four long years, but this time is Sophie’s turn. She’ll finally triumph over Barry and take home the trophy. Help Sophie and the Ortgaurd’s resident to prepare for this most important festival.

Berry Berry Festival is a cute and wholesome RPG developed by StarboiHooch. You play as Sophie, a young girl from the small village of Ortgaurd. Once a year, the whole village assemble to celebrate their community, and the Ortgaurd tree. This tree is very special. The berries it produces has sustained the village since its infancy, and this tree is a strong symbol for the community that is flourishing around it. The festival is a way for people to show their gratitude. Today is all about the tree and its berries. To Sophie, Berry Berry Day is the most important event of the year.

This game’s aesthetics are cute, and almost childlike. I like the stylized hand-drawn artwork. The colors are mostly greens, and I feel it is representative of Berry Berry Day. After all what they are celebrating is the nature that sustain their village. It has a truly unique style, and is perfectly suited to this fun and playful RPG game. I love how detailed the berries are since they are the star of the show. The characters are also very detailed, and my favorite part is how expressive they are. The map is quite small, but while you are playing, you won’t feel restrained. There’s a lot you can explore despite the smaller map, and it expands as you play which helps keep it fresh throughout.

The game starts in Sophie’s house. She has just woken up and is extremely excited for Berry Berry Day. She receives her first quest when she speaks to her mother. Sophie’s mom is baking her famous pie for the festival, and needs berries. The first berries you gather for Sophie’s mother will be tallied with the subsequent ones to the berries count for the Harvest competition. The other quests includes retrieving escaped chickens for a farmer, helping Sophie’s teacher distract her girlfriend, finding the other kids, and more.

The developers have found a clever way to block the map so you access the different parts in sequence. Initially Sophie’s father blocks the way out of their yard. He is setting banners at the gates. This helps keep the game’s pace relaxed, and means that you don’t run out of things to do too quickly. After you’ve finished the first few quests, your dad will move on to the next gates and open up the map a bit, but not completely. It’s an artful utilization of the space, and means that there’s always something new to discover all the way to the end. Every time you finish a quest, another character suddenly shows up asking Sophie for help, and it goes on until the festival is ready to be celebrated.

The game is quite short. It took me around an hour to get to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was surprised at the amount of variety in such a short game. Some of the quests are pretty straightforward, like gathering berries for example, but some of them however will trigger mini-games. These introduce several different mechanics, and keep the game from getting stale. The first mini-game triggers when you meet the farmer. His chicken have escaped, and you must bring them back to the coop. When you get close to them they’ll run away, so you have to herd them back to the coop by “pushing” them to go just the right way. It’s harder than it seems due to all the obstacle between the chickens and their destination. In addition some times they’ll go in an unexpected place. It was a fun challenge. There’s also a card memory game, a dance battle, and more. Despite the short length, it didn’t feel reductive, and the variety is impressive and unexpected. I love that the creators have still taken the time to create a map for their game even if they probably could have forgone it. It’s a nice touch, and make the game feel polished.

I did not expect so much content to be packed in such a small package. Besides the mini-games and the charming artwork, the ending is rather impressive. When the last quest is finalized you are asked if you are ready to enter the festival. If you want to explore a little more, or continue looking for berries, you can simply stay. Once you completed everything or are ready to finish the game, you just enter the town, and the festival will begin. As soon as you enter the town, a cutscene immediately triggers. It shows the celebration. You’ll see the different characters, and the part they play in the festival. Of course the winner of the Berry Berry Harvest competition is revealed. There’s even an original track being played. I was quite impressed that the developers have taken the time to create an original song for this ending, and the song is great. I love the ending, and the original song was an unexpected addition.

Berry Berry Festival is a great little game. It’s a fun game for everyone, but will especially appeal to a younger audience. The mini-games are enjoyable, and offer some extra challenges. You are not punished for not succeeding, and can continue on playing without repeating it, which is perfect for younger players. The story is simple, yet still interesting. The atmosphere is very relaxed, and the characters are adorable. The art is nicely stylized, unique, and the soundtrack even features an original song. If you are looking for a cozy game that will keep you entertained for an evening, Berry Berry Festival might just be the game for you.

Positives

• Cozy and relaxing
• Several varied mini-games
• Cute and expressive characters

Negatives

• Might be too easy for some players
• No achievements