Feeling Down? Play Chuchel Right NOW!

Let’s face it, these are tough times.  We see violent acts that leave us shaken and saddened on a regular basis.  Depending on your political ideology, life in America is either getting much much worse or getting better much too slowly.  The stock market fluctuates wildly and unpredictably, like James Franco’s career.  Tyrion is still a year away from returning while Negan appears to be in no hurry to go away.  And, despite the unending hype, one of our summer movies will inevitably be a deep disappointment.  It makes complete sense to feel a mixture of dread and depression and disconsolation as we head into the dog days of summer.  Well, I have one piece of advice for you: play Chuchel.  Play Chuchel right now.

What’s about to happen here is not what you think is about to happen.

Chuchel is the latest game from Amanita Designs, the makers of Machinarium and Samorost.  For my money, their best work is still Botanicula, but all of their titles are must-play titles for fans of cute, thoughtful, point-and-click adventures.  Chuchel is the story of the insanely cute titular hero as he tries to retrieve a large cherry through a variety of different environments situations.  Most levels begin with Chuchel arriving in a bizarre situation and having to puzzle his way through to retrieve the cherry only to have the cherry snatched away again by an unseen antagonist.  Levels are extremely varied; one had me solving a Pacman simulator while another led me to quiet some screaming children by turning into a spider and yet another had me traveling through time to outsmart an evil snowman…..look, I sound kind of nuts describing it but, trust me, this game is a blast to play.

I found myself very curious here about what Chuchel had done to get this babysitting sloth to make that very specific sign.

Amanita Designs makes games that look and play unlike anything else, and they succeed here yet again.  Chuchel is probably my favorite protagonist of theirs so far; he’s hyper aggressive and ridiculously impulsive.  His opponent (his pet who also wants the cherry) is so much more adorable and sympathetic that I half hoped he’d be the one to retrieve the cherry.  Each level is fun and uplifting and there is an amazing amount of variety.  One level simply involves you turning a light switch on and off.  Others involve consuming fruit or pills that cause you to shapeshift.  Puzzles are tricky but never unfair and never too exceedingly difficult.  And, like Bring You Home, this game passed my test: more than once, I beat a puzzle and immediately wanted everyone in my immediate surroundings to play the game so they could see it too.

Gimme the $%&*ing cherry you adorable dog-like thing!

I may be alone in this, but I spend a lot of time wondering if I need to start avoiding games with guns in them.  I don’t think guns cause violence but I think the presence of guns in games may promote a culture where violence is more possible.  There are just days where I want a game that’s fun and silly but smart and innovative.  And that’s where Chuchel fits right in.  The game has smart puzzles, funny cutscenes, an adorable protagonist (and antagonist), and upbeat music.  Chuchel is the perfect antidote to 2018.

The Best Parts:

The hero and the cute puzzles are great.  I also enjoyed how the thirty-or-so self-contained scenes played through in easy portions.

The Worst Parts:

It’s a cute puzzle game, which means that the replay value may be a little low and the cuteness may not work for you.

OVERALL: BUY IT

These are tough days.  We need all the light, fun happiness we can get, and Chuchel delivers.  For me, I’ll buy anything Amanita Designs puts out.  But even if you haven’t played one of their games before, this is one you should check out.