Quench

The graphics, of course, are beautiful. The storyline is also very pretty and is founded on a basic respect for life, so as someone who doesn't like combat or dark grittiness too much, it was pretty nice to play through. It's also very impressive how the designers make such diverse levels out of the same basic mechanics and as part of the same overall story. I liked the puzzle-solving aspects a lot as well, and the learning curve is very approachable as it introduces mechanics one by one during the story.

There were a couple of things that frustrated me. In particular, the commitment to "story-driven" was so strong that in a handful of levels it wasn't really clear what you were supposed to do. The objective would be given in story terms, not mechanical terms. Since many of those were the timed levels, that led to a lot of failed run-throughs that didn't really feel fair, because the objectives weren't clear, and then that also made the graphics feel busy and distracting as I struggled to figure out the rules of the level before I failed again. So I got annoyed on at least three or four levels with stuff like this.

It would have helped a lot to have the chance to scroll around and explore the level visually before having to start playing it. I know technically you can do that when you have selected a weather power, but just to have the chance to look around freely, before clicking a "start level" button to start the timer, would have made the timed levels much less overwhelming and frustrating.

I should note that I don't think the game counts failures or even assigns any kind of score, and that does help reduce (but not eliminate) the anxiety that the confusing objectives cause.

Overall I enjoyed the game a lot, it was very pretty, and I'm glad I picked it up. But I was frustrated by a few little things that kept coming up.

the gui and controls are kinda klunky making for a somewhat annoying experience, you usually have several different powers u can use as well as many different groups you can control but u do not have hot keys for it, you have to click each of the things individually, there is also a lack of a mini map or a way to view the entire map forcing u to scroll around to get a good view which is a pain in the ass considering this is a puzzle game

the final level seems quite buggy as well, me having been stuck on it for 3 out of the 6hrs ive played this game with issues such as the screen going red, the game randomly failing me even though i clearly have not failed and the boss glitching out and just never getting to a spot where i could attack it

the art style and music are pretty good though and the mechanics are somewhat interesting, i liked it enough to play through to the end, though i would not recommend it at its current pricetag, ide say this game would be worth buying if it had a $5 pricetag, not the 18.50 its currently asking for

This week I decided, against my better judgement, to play a puzzle game. Puzzle games at the end of the day make me feel stupid. I don't like it but I do it anyway because I figure what game can be more difficult than Baba is You? So I delved into this weeks game thinking that I would only be playing for a few hours, then it turned into, at least, a five hours. This week I become the avatar in life and, through puzzle solving, lead tribes of wild animals to safety. This week I played Quench.

Quench is a top-down puzzle game developed and published by Axon Interactive Inc. The game released in August of 2019, is on PC and the Switch and still retails for a hot $20.

Quench follows the story of Shaman, a young elephant and her pilgrimage. It is known that each generation makes this pilgrimage and this year Shaman is beset on convincing all of the tribes to tag along. The overarching thing here is that the East and West Elder Trees are dying because of an ancient evil that came to life because of greed. An entity known only as Smokebeasts roam the land and destroy anything in their wake, even life. It is up to you to reshape the land and assist the tribes on their pilgrimage to save their homes.

Gameplay consists of puzzle solving and navigating the animals around the map with pre-destined routes. Being the Shepard, you have complete control of the elements and you use these abilities to help the tribes on their journey. Rain dampens enemies and revitalizes the tribes, Wind alters terrain and speeds up the animals movement, Quakes stuns enemies and opens waterways and Lightning revives the fallen and destroys the baddies.

The tribes have their own icon that the player can select to quick move the camera towards them. The camera doesn't attach itself to the tribe so it is up to you to monitor them as need be. There is an objective that usually consists of getting the animals across a certain area. There are times that the objective is different but most of the time it is the same so it does get boring.

Elements are given at the beginning of the puzzle and are also scattered throughout the area. Most of the time you will have to utilize all of the elements to complete the level, so there is barely any room for error.

Each level consists of a set of objectives that the player needs to abide by to also pass the level. Sometimes the objectives are too easy and sometimes they are really damn difficult, regardless they add a reasonable amount of difficulty.

The game looks great. The low polygon style of the animals and environment are very colorful and just a joy to look at.

Music has a really great tone and it always fits the feelings that are trying to be portrayed at the time.

It sucks that Quench sat in my Steam for so long, it really is a decent game. The top-down perspective makes it easy to glide around the map and assess the situation. The speed of the camera is atrocious but it works, I guess. The game was not long, I clocked it at four and a half hours and it really just flew by. The story was overall decent, I was invested for a majority of time until the end where it did, in fact, began to drag.

One big gripe I have is that when you fail a level you ALWAYS go back to beginning, even before the cutscene/dialogue moments. I just takes up so much time forcing myself to watch a three minute cutscene. It really put me off.

I really like the look of the game and the music is incredible.

Overall, Quench is a good time and would advise to at least buy it when it is on sale.

This is a game I like to play when I want to do something calm and clever.
There are well designed paths and simple player mechanisms that still allow for a challenge.

You play as a spirit who helps several tribes of animals travel across great distances. You're able to use magic to help them move without getting attacked, by healing injured, and by removing the obstacles.
It's about timing, clever use of limited resources, and a touching story. Definitely worth what I paid for it.

Noice:
Super cute, enjoyable story, novel, puzzled me adequately. Worth a run through especially at sale price. Very chill.

Less noice:
Sometimes quests take a few runs as they're slightly unclear (prob just me tho eh)

Beautiful and relaxing game with great visuals and interesting story.
9/10

Love the story and puzzles. The lack of hints later on can be frustrating but I think it is a part of the charm!

The game is lovely with a beautiful story. The gameplay reminds me of From Dust in that you are using elements to solve puzzles and create safe areas for your tribes.

Guiding animals through the wasteland has never been so fun and challenging! I was worried this game might be easy but I'm not even to the baboons and it is kicking my butt! I even restarted a level because ONE elephant died right at the last river crossing and I couldn't bear to move on knowing if I just redid the level I could easily prevent it and move on with all of them.

This is a cool looking puzzle and strategy game with a unique art style.

It is a linear, narrative based game that reminds me of a board game where you can move pieces. As the shepherd, you guide animal herds and restore the land. Each level is formed like a puzzle that you need to solve to move on to the next one.
Player experience is very nice and relaxing, with great looking visuals and soothing soundtrack - I enjoyed playing through the well designed levels with the richly animated characters where every piece fits each other. The game feels really slick with a high production value.
Kudos to the developers for creating a coherent and consistent experience with a lot of heart.

One thing to note is that there is a lot of text to read. I for one, don't have the patience to go through it all, and prefer the TLDR version - but that's just my preference, and it doesn't get in the way of enjoying the game.

Overall a great little game, definitely worth its price. Highly recommended!

Quench is an absolutely gorgeous game. The papercraft style is unique and modern, and yet blends seamlessly into the tone and setting of the game. The music completes the sensory experience and each track selected perfectly suits the challenges.

Personally I found the puzzles to be just the right difficulty; I could pass through the vast majority of them the first time, but despite this I never felt like a level was too easy for me. Each still required thought and perception to be able to complete. The real draw is the story, however, which has a beautiful message of preservation and respect for nature without being overt and in-your-face.

However, this is a relatively short game. Quench took me around 4-5 hours to complete the first time. As there are no achievements at the moment I am not sure what the replay value is for finding additional secrets or different ways of completing challenges. I feel that the game would benefit from a 'points' system for each challenge to determine how 'well' it was completed, e.g. keeping all of the animals alive for the highest score, completing within a certain time, and so on. With more replay value, I feel that Quench will earn it's price tag.