George Orwell’s short story Animal Farm is a classic allegorical story that has greatly influenced modern culture. It is not surprising, especially at a time when American politics is more ardent than ever, that this story has been adapted into a video game. As someone who grew up with the classics, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this reproduction of the book and see how I could control the fate of animals and the laws of animalism.
The Gameplay of Orwell’s Animal Farm is a very simple Point-and-Click procedure. Although there are no instructions for navigating this world, there really is no need, because the mechanics are intuitive and The riddle of the impact of your choices on the characters becomes even greater. One thing I liked about the game is that the designers keep the feel of the original novel, so by diving into a game, it behaves more like a visual novel. There was no time limit when I had to make a choice like letting the rats stay on the farm or banishing them and redefining the rules of animalism. This gives you time to think, although my goal was to see how quickly I could cause Manor Farm to fall.
To change the rules of animalism, I had to choose how the animals would react to each situation. There are well-known characters that I have met, such as Old Major, Snowball and Boxer, but there are others who do not appear in the original story and who still have a significant impact on the outcome of each decision. Sometimes I forced the animals to fully obey the pigs and enjoy every moment of their tyranny. Other times, I would choose an animal to defy the pigs’ orders and publicly question their claims. This would often lead to the disappearance of an animal from the farm.
As I moved from one year to the next, new challenges would arise, such as building a windmill, but I would have to determine if this structure is a priority or if more energy is needed to harvest food. While the overall pace of the game is slow, the story has never been flawed as animal society is constantly evolving. In addition, the hand-drawn artwork is reminiscent of the English landscape and changes every season to bring the world to life. I like the way the tones and colors change during battles or when the animals lose a comrade, reflecting the dark feelings of the characters.
While each main character in Orwell’s Animal Farm has their own personality, there are some aspects of the game that felt very one-dimensional. For example, the action scenes do not look like battles. There is no blood, there is no action, only decisions that I had to make, and the final results show who survived and who did not. In addition, there is a lack of narration, where only the narrator records the events, and there is no audio dialogue between the characters. Despite this lack of richness, the game retains many tropics found in the Literary Version of the game, and the plot continues to develop with each choice.
I was hoping for a slightly more dynamic game, but Orwell’s Animal Farm stays true to the original story and allows players to explore the fate of each animal. In addition, several successes must be achieved, which is not an easy task. If you are not particularly interested in something political, this game does a great job of introducing people of all ages to ideas that want to become more educated or have an open discussion about communist or socialist ideologies. Animal Farm Fans will really appreciate this adaptation. For gamers who are looking for something action-packed, this may not be the right game for them, but I suggest getting out of their comfort zone. You may find something insightful in this game that challenges your perspective on society and how your own decisions affect the real world.