After the start of the game, the player is received by The title screen, which offers peaceful piano music, nature sounds and a beautiful picture. Rest assured, the game is just as beautiful. From there, players can choose to launch a new game, continue, or start a campaign. It is recommended to start the campaign. When I started, I started a new game and I had no idea what I should do, but hey, the choice of dealers. The campaign allows the player to go through five chapters with different characters, and this is where the lore is presented and this is where my review begins.
It’s by no means my favorite kind of game, not even something I would play often, but it’s also a game I’ve enjoyed exploring. The main characters are small nomads called wards, and the whole plot consists in getting them from point A to point B. The player plunges into a world that requires attention to nature. In the first chapter of the campaign, the player learns that there is a huge overflow that pushes all the little travelers into one area, The Eye. As a refuge, the eye houses all the pupils. They live together until the overflow has passed and they can part again as nomads.
It is a sweet story that attracts the Player’s attention throughout the game until all the students are reunited. As for the Gameplay, it is designed in the same way as a strategy game. The Player can click on different hexagons to move the students, assign them to specific tasks such as harvesting and let them rest in specific places. Quite simple, but the challenge lies in the number of turns.
Turns keep the player busy, forcing him to use his time wisely and carefully choose tasks. The number of steps a student can take is limited and, of course, some areas take more steps, such as mountains. Strategy is the key in this game, although the campaign is usually loose because it behaves like a kind of tutorial.
The main objective of each level is to collect specific objects to build a bridge or help students move from place to place until they reach the eye. Difficult weather conditions and ailments can be other stumbling blocks that the player has to maneuver. Keeping the country and students happy and healthy is a must.
Another challenge that I personally found the most interesting was that some areas can be overexploited, in which matter the students (and the Player) will be punished to some extent. In this sense, the eye pays special attention to the fact that only what you need is harvested. Otherwise, the Earth suffers. It is also important to bring everything that is harvested or as much as possible to the next level so that nothing is wasted. If only this way of thinking could reach us here in the real world.
Students adopt animal forms for certain professions. In order for a student to harvest successfully, they take the form of the red panda. It was interesting to me because I had the impression that little boys would always be in animal shape, but this is not the matter. Students must first transform into the appropriate animal in the caravan before setting out to do their work. An interesting and also cute game mechanic.
Overall, the game is worth it to the eye, even if it’s just the campaign. The music is soothing, the Gameplay is reassuring and offers a deep and necessary message that could change some players’ views on the real world. I highly recommend it.