Forager

Forager is one of those games that tries to imitate the Minecraft grind. I remember spotting the title screen somewhere in the December 2018 Monthly release. Grabbing the game in the $12 bundle makes the game at least worthwhile. $20 on Steam is a bit steep for a game I never "finished". The whole point of the game is to unlock certain achievements. There really isn't a story to it besides meeting a few characters. This isn't like Stardew Valley... and that game is $15! At certain intervals in the game, you are merely waiting for numbers to reach a designated point. Kind of sounds like an idle game, doesn't it?

The mystery behind the mechanics of the game is what kept me playing. Unlocking your skills, land, quests, and dungeons were all nice in itself. It was around the time I got my 3 hour achievement "Addicted" that I wondered why the pace started to falter. The main reason was I didn't have any accessories to increase swing speed or experience. A lot of tools were not worth the investment in skill points. I also think the game incorporates Automation in the equation with Mining Rods that do all the work for you.

I did notice some little details of the game. With all the available buttons on the controller, there wasn't an option to open directly to any of the side menus. Non-resources do not become inflamed when hit and automatically heal over time. Leather becomes a necessity and chokes your early game. It is entirely possible to build items on bridges. Not having the option to back out of pressing the "bad boon" button is probably intentional. You can choose to create half of the maximum possible at craft stations but you can't buy or sell half of your stack. There is a sign on one of the islands that is so far north that my experience bar covers over it. I must have played the game for 5 hours before I realized you can roll with the right analog stick and attack with the right trigger.

Summary: I had unlocked every island and spent about 9 hours in the game. Then I encountered a character who required 500 poop that I had to ask myself "What am I doing with my life?" It just wasn't worth playing anymore. It is up to you if you want to give this game a shot. For all you know it is probably already in your library. But if you are like me, you probably won't find it fun after a couple hours.

 

5-6-2019