Reviewing "Burdock" by Butterfly Rocket Studios
I am fucking obsessed.
Okay, fine, "obsessed" is a strong word, but this game hit all the notes for my macabre-loving brain and made me salivate over the art, character traits, voice acting, and the constant feeling of unease vining around my spine.
This game feels right at home with the old Scandinavian fairy tales, which I love dearly, and I appreciate the grown-up tone of this game that's similar to those tales as well.
I am by no means a professional reviewer, or even a novice one, so I won't pretend to know what I'm talking about other than vomiting glitter and praise all over this game.
~ 𝐹𝐸𝒜𝒯𝒰𝑅𝐸𝒮 ~
Nameable Protagonist (gender left undefined)
24,000 words (roughly 1-3 hours playtime)
Four Full Endings—and multiple Bad Ones
Original Soundtrack
Fully Voiced Characters (Winter 2024 update!)
~ 𝒞𝒪𝒩𝒯𝐸𝒩𝒯 𝒲𝒜𝑅𝒩𝐼𝒩𝒢 ~
"Violence, blood, spiders, and potentially disturbing imagery and sound effects. There are no intended jump scares, and no animals are harmed—though the same cannot be promised of the protagonist!"
~ 𝒜𝑅𝒯 ~
First of all, the art style is absolutely beautiful. From the characters to the environment to the choices of colors, there is this stunning mix of brightness that lifts your spirit as you make your way through the game, inspiring hope that you won't get eaten or fall into a trap, only to rapidly shift the mood when the colors darken and you know you're in danger.
Also, I'm not going to lie about simping over both The Fairy and Her Majesty the Deer. I'm a slut for charming royalty and powerhouse women.
~ 𝒲𝑅𝐼𝒯𝐼𝒩𝒢 ~
I have nothing bad to say about the writing. It's put onto 'paper' in a way that helps visualize each emotion the MC is going through, the anxiety and cluelessness, and the fear before each trial. As someone with English as a second language, the writing is a bit advanced for me to understand compared to regular, day-to-day English, but it's hardly a downside, except for anyone forced to hear my attempts to pronounce any of it.
~ 𝒢𝒜𝑀𝐸𝒫𝐿𝒜𝒴 ~
All the choices were clear, and I never ended up in a scene where I didn't understand what was going on or what I was supposed to do to progress (into death or otherwise). There are many choices for each section of the game that make you feel in charge, and there was never a dull moment that I wanted to skip through.
~ 𝒱𝒪𝐼𝒞𝐸 𝒜𝒞𝒯𝐼𝒩𝒢 ~
Glorious. Fantastic. Gorgeous. Each character had the perfect voice and the perfect tone, from sultry charm to quipping annoyance. All the voice actors did such an amazing job, and I'm so happy they updated the game with voices; it added so much personality to all the characters and really helped their traits come through.
~ 𝑀𝒴 𝐹𝒜𝒱𝒪𝑅𝐼𝒯𝐸𝒮 ~
If I can bring anything out from this game to the physical world, it would be The Wisp. I'll wrap them into a little burrito and carry them around with me in my pocket, feeding them little lightning snacks and biting back cuteness-aggression each time they smile that proud smile.
Thank you Butterfly Rocket Studios for this amazing experience and the thrills, wonders, and chills that this wonderful story brought, and I can't wait to set my claws into another one of your games soon!
The mists are full of secrets and the woods are full of fae–so do not go a-wandering, and do not go astray!
GO PLAY IT GODDAMMIT!