REVIEW

Forever Forest Switch Review

by Jake Stewart, March 11th, 2019

The concept of an endlessly replayable game has become somewhat of a trope in the gaming industry as of late, more particularly within the indie scene. While a game that lasts precisely as long as the player would like is an inviting concept, there tend to be sacrifices made within other areas to make this a possibility. Forever Forest is a perfect example for the good and the bad that comes with this quest for never-ending content.

Part of me wants to love Forever Forest, but the rest of me just can’t. The world carries a gorgeous aesthetic, offering a very natural looking environment, interesting creature design, and a beautiful range of dark greens and blues in its color palette. If the rest of the game carried this level of wonder, it might’ve stuck with me much longer. However, the intrigue offered by the visuals is not matched by the story of the game, nor lore of the world. Both of which, are completely missing in the final product.

There lacks a certain rhyme or reason to the world that you explore, the creatures that you find, and the actions you perform. The player takes control of a little bi-pedal mask-wearing creature, seeking to activate the Temples of Light around the world to push the darkness back. However, there isn’t much understanding of the world beyond this. The forest is filled with creatures, some friendly, some foe, most of which wearing fantastical bone masks, bringing together an interesting-creepy aesthetic. But there isn’t any rhyme or reason to their existence or the balance between light and dark in the world. What is the lore-significance of the creatures all wearing masks? Why is there ancient light temples? Where is the darkness coming from? If you’re seeking out a story in your switch title, there isn’t one to be found here, lacking even so much as a motivation beyond “dark bad, light good.”

Killing these mask-wearing animals grants you the mask that they wear, which can be taken and used to upgrade your abilities through crafting a new mask for your character. In theory, The mechanic is interesting enough, as only one mask can be worn at a time, so some planning has to made regarding what bonuses to build onto your character. However, the depth of this particular mechanic to somewhat shallow in execution, as the only bonuses offered are regarding little stat changes rather than a new attack or skill, something that would be much more game-changing and interesting.

Without any other types of abilities or skills, the combat system boils down to attacking, walking in a circle around your enemy until the cooldown ends, attacking again, etc. I wouldn’t necessarily call combat a chore, but I never found myself looking forward to the next encounter, as there wasn’t anything I hadn’t already seen in a previous fight. Additional to the combat is a “hunting” mechanic, providing a hunger meter that must be monitored while the player explores the forest. Unfortunately, this manages to be rather shallow as well, as the meter is refilled upon pouncing on one of the small, mask-less enemies roaming the forest, leading me to wonder why this mechanic even made it into the game.

The gameplay cycle ultimately ends up being a short and unsatisfying one. Kill some animals to get a new mask, effectively doing exactly what the old mask did, search for a new Temple of Light to unlock a new procedurally generated area, rinse and repeat. The presentation of Forever Forest makes me want to love the game, as it is truly pleasing to look at, but once you stop looking and start playing, the pleasure quickly vanishes.

Forever Forest is a pretty face with nothing else to offer. The combat is the bare minimum, the story is non-existent, and progression doesn't exist. An interesting idea, and a promising aesthetic that never pays out.