There are video games, knocking out of the general mass and, as it were, apart from all sorts of trends and fashion trends. For them, as if there are no rules, frameworks, marketing tricks with the help of which large publishers receive huge profits. At the same time, some of them can be called without a twinge of conscience real works of art. Take at least the games of the independent Czech studio Amanita Design ("amanita" - fly agaric), which gave us amazing quests Machinarium, Botanicula and the trilogy Samorost . Today I will tell you about the new game of this studio, called CHUCHEL.
Game: CHUCHEL
Platform: Windows, Mac OS
Genre: Adventure
Release date: March 7, 2018
Developer: Amanita Design
Publisher: Amanita Design
Founded in 2003 by the Czech designer Jakub Dvorsky, the Amanita Design studio has become a haven for talented artists and animators. And let in the walls of the studio today, no more than a dozen people work, and new games do not come out very often, each of these works forever remains in the hearts of millions of players around the world. It all started with the Flash-game Samorost and its sequel, released two years later. The story of a tiny space traveler received a warm welcome from critics and players. But Yakub Dvorsky has always dreamed of making a full-scale big game, which eventually became Machinarium (2009).
Machinarium gained wide popularity and won a huge number of prestigious awards at a number of gaming exhibitions. The game talked about the adventures of a small robot Josef, who overcomes many obstacles in his path, in order to save the beloved from the clutches of the villain. Unusual design, wonderful animation of characters, careful study of the smallest details, fascinating puzzles and great musical accompaniment made the game a real national hit. Following Machinarium studio released another unusual game Botanicula (2012).
Botanicula became the author's project of one of the artists of the studio Amanita Design - Jaromir Plahi. In it, players were told the story of five unusual creatures living on a tree and trying to save the last surviving seed from parasites. Work on the game was conducted for two and a half years. Immediately after Botanicula went on sale, Jaromir Plaha began to think over his next game, about which I am today and would like to tell you. СHUCHEL - the fourth large game of Amanita Design studio (Flash-works in calculation we do not take) and, perhaps, the most ridiculous and mad of all.
The main hero of the game is a tiny shaggy creature called Chuchel (consonant with the Russian word "effigy", which is not at all surprising), resembling a black acorn with a bright orange cap. The whole story is built around the chase for the cherry, which is the favorite treat of Scarecrows. But cherries are loved not only by him, but also by his eternal rival Kekel. The crusade behind the cherry is somewhat reminiscent of the misadventures of the famous squirrel from the "Ice Age", which, like an obsessive one, rushes with its nut. Not only that the evil rock constantly prevents two heroes from enjoying a delicious berry, so on their way still there is a giant giant god-like creature whose giant hand now and again intervenes in the unfolding events on the screen.
The game is a set of levels, each of which is a kind of puzzle. Having solved the task assigned to them, the heroes get access to the next level and so on. Almost every puzzle begins with the fact that the cherry falls somewhere, from where it is not so easy to get it. Therefore, our heroes have nothing else but to cooperate in order to get to the desired fruit. Sometimes Kekel gets to the cherry first and starts to run / fly away / leave from the Scarecrow, using any improvised means. But gradually from sworn enemies, the characters turn into bosom friends. Even in such a superficial video game at first glance, there is a place for personal growth and some kind of morality.
Puzzles are extremely unobtrusive, but at the same time fascinating and hilariously funny. For example, you have to beat a cherry in the living false teeth, which are not only evil as a dog, but also keep the defense inside a glass beaker. At another time, you will have to eat fruit that changes your shape to deceive the bear-music lover and take away his cherry. You will take part in the street races, using not entirely honest methods, to arrange robots battles and even play a kind of legendary video games Tetris, Space Invaders and Pac-Man. The world of CHUCHEL is inhabited by amazing characters, which are absurdly reminiscent of the works of the famous Russian animator Ivan Maximov (who in his time painted an elephant for the Dendy logo). Each of the heroes you meet is unique and charming in its own way. There is some special magic in this. To create such unusual and at the same time memorable heroes - the task is not from the lungs.
If you can not go through this or that puzzle for a long time, the game tactfully gives you hints. A sign with a question mark appears on the screen, clicking on which you will see a step-by-step instruction in the pictures. So you can go through the current level and get to the next screen. Almost all previous Amanita Design games have always had a similar system. In Machinarium, for example, if you remember, there was a book with clues. True, here it was possible to open it, only after passing an uncomplicated mini-game. At this step, the developers went so that the players did not have the desire to look at the prompts every 30 seconds.
CHUCHEL - a game filled with wonderful Czech humor. Yes, there are some elements of absurdity and even insanity in it, but for the most part, this kindness humor will make even the foulest player smile. It is impossible to remain indifferent, watching the misadventures of Scarecrows and Kekel, who with enviable constancy fall into completely ridiculous situations, and then climb out of the skin to get out of the water. We passed the game together with my wife, who is also a big fan of the creativity of the Amanita Design studio. The most powerful charge of positive received from this process both, so during the rest of the day off we just walked and smiled at each other, being impressed by the experiences of the past.
During the game there is a constant feeling that Amanita Design employees are smoking something very boring, but this is what attracts the most in their games. After all, such a kind of madness in the modern gaming industry, built "on serious schach," is very much lacking. Around the pathos, shooting, unbeaten superheroes, and Amanita Design has the kindest games about charming robots, talking mushrooms and angry stuffed animals. When you play in them - it is almost impossible to predict what will happen in the next few minutes. The game over and over again throws out such tricks with your ears, which is simply amazing. And how can you not like such works in general? Just look at the screenshots!
Visually, the game looks just wonderful. Drawed by hand, like the rest of the studio, she breathes life and perfectly conveys the unrestrained fantasy of developers through unusual images and quality animation. But even more than the visual component, the sound and magnificent music from the Czech group DVA (OST can be purchased separately on Steam) are amazing. All characters speak the language invented by the developers, and the sound palette CHUCHEL is so diverse that you constantly hear in the cartoon world something new, something you just did not notice before. Music and sound engineering create a unique atmosphere of joy and true adventure, which only adds to the game of individuality.
Pros:
- An amazing and strange world inhabited by unusual creatures.
- Charming characters with a pronounced personality.
- The atmosphere of unrestrained fun and joy, tons of jokes and humor!
- Outstanding design and remarkable in all respects animation.
- Puzzles that are really interesting to solve.
- A hint system in case you are suddenly stuck.
- Elegant musical accompaniment and voice acting.
Minuses:
- The light madness of what is happening on the screen can embarrass someone.
- The game takes place literally in a couple of hours.
CHUCHEL is by no means trying to sound like a serious AAA project with a multi-million dollar budget, but this game is capable of creating a wonderful mood in the players. And this, you must agree, is worth a lot. The adventures of the little Scarecrow in a strange world where anything can happen will be a great entertainment for adults and children. Even considering the fact that the game can be easily passed in just two or three hours, it costs every ruble spent on it (on Steam it can be purchased for ridiculous 299 rubles!). Received from the passage of CHUCHEL positives you will be enough to smile for several days. But many of us do not have enough joy in life. Here is an effective and inexpensive recipe for a good mood from the Czech Republic. The game receives 9 points out of 10 from me.
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