Very Pink Game

Very Pink Game review

Although you probably already knew that.

Pre-warning: beware -- may contain spoilers or spoiler-esque comments. pls be warned

What Is It, Though?

Very Pink Game is a very short (5-15min) adventure game centred around a heroine named Ivy. The art-and-story driven game follows Ivy both requesting and being denied access into a local park. So she has to ask around the town for items that can help her get into the park. She has to collect these items and complete tasks in order to meet with a dear friend, from whom she has received a letter in the prologue of the game. The game includes a forest of ghosts who ask you profound (or not) riddles. It is a collecting game, with the surroundings of pixel art and 8-bit music.



Story & Concept

The story is simple, and the concept is simpler. A girl must gain entrance into a park where her friend is waiting. She must collect a number of various items to give to various people so that she may gain entrance. She meets a slew of different characters. They usually say one-liners in a charming way. This game has a lot of charm to it, and the simple things that characters say are often supposed to reflect this. Yet I cannot doubt that a little more insight into the characters' lives could prove for a more affecting tale. Granted, this is meant to be a simple and consequence-less game, however sometimes I just wanted a little bit more depth to what I was playing.

The game's pacing is good, and it finishes very quickly. You collect a few items, and just as quickly as it begins - it ends. It ends on a lingering shot of nature that is beautiful, but I still believe that it lacks closure. I know that it seems petty to give critique on how short a game is on a game like this, but I am. I usually like short games, and games that end abruptly, but this was a little too abrupt for my tastes. Yes, you got to see everyone in one place, enjoying the park (relatively - they weren't even in it), but there needed to be more closure concerning consequences of the bully.



Audiovisual & Presentation

The strength of this game lies in its art. It's a pink/black/white aesthetic (for the most part). The simple houses and 2D trees comprise the charm of Very Pink Game. The trees feel very flat, and as you pass behind them, it's as if they are made of paper. There is a degree of whimsy lent to the game by this art style.

The audio is made of 8-bit (I think) music that trods along at a stately pace. Mostly calming, with the exception of a repetitive loop that plays whenever you are in the interior of a building. Yes, it's short and sweet, but it gets annoying even for the short duration that you spend indoors. Mostly the music choice is charming, though.



Gameplay
The simple nature of collection tasks is calming in Very Pink Game. Much like the feeling of sliding candy in Candy Crush or jewels in Bejeweled, there is an essence of zen present in doing small chores for simple-minded people. You feel useful for once in your life. You can fully understand everyone, because they are one-dimensional and have only one need. So when you do things for them, and deliver items to them, then there is the zen moment of having been useful to that person (even if it's only imaginary).



Conclusion
Very Pink Game succeeds on strength of its art style and music selection, with a simple story and simple tasks. It is a very short game, but during that duration it never bores. Although if it was to go for longer it couldn't have bored, since there was a peace regarding doing simple chores for simple people.

I could probably live here for a while.

Thanks for reading.