Woven - A World of Wool and Thread | Nintendo Switch Review

Publisher: StickyLock Studios

Developer: Alterego Games

Nintendo Switch Review

*Disclaimer: I was sent the code for this game in return for a review, all opinions are mine and mine alone. 

Woven came to life thanks to the indie developers Alterego Games, as I waited for it to installed I sat and watched the trailer again to try and get a feel of what the game was about and from that it seemed like a laid back adorable world full of exploration. Once Woven had installed I was pleasantly taken back by how freaking cute the main character Stuffy was, from the moment I started playing you could tell his character wanted to explore and discover but still had fears that he was trying to face. Pretty soon into the game, Stuffy comes across a little robot called Glitch, this adorable flying sidekick helps Stuffy make his way across the world and helps him face his fears.

I began to get Little Big Planet vibes as I made my way across the world full of wool and different fabrics but Woven is far from being like Little Big Planet, yes they both have a narrator that explains the plot and what is taking place as well as being based around fabrics but Woven is a much more laid back game with a calmer environment. The narrator does a great job of helping us understand Stuffy's emotions and how he will face obstacles in order to get to his final destination, Glitch is always there at hand to help Stuffy and encourage him. I love a good sidekick and there was something very unique about Stuffy and Glitch's friendship that stood out to me.

Whilst you explore and make your away across vast amounts of land there are metal machines that Stuffy and Glitch use together in order to customise how he looks. in order for them to be added to the machine, you need to search the land and solve a musical puzzle which I wasn't very good at first of all but now I can do them perfectly. The musical puzzle unlocks different moved and appearances for Stuffy which helps him get around any obstacles in his way, for example, if he needs to make a jump he will need the jumping ability equipped which you can add by using the metal customisation machine but there is one big problem, you won't be able to equip all your abilities at the same time, luckily these metal customisation machines are scattered around the world and you can use them whenever you need to.

As you may notice, Woven is a very simplistic 3D puzzle game but has a beautiful charismatic world that made me say "awww" a lot! especially when I was able to turn Stuffy into a cat. Woven is more so for kids than adults as it's repetitiveness will tire adults easily although I didn't mind it because I wanted to see where Stuffy and Glitch's journey would end. I spent a lot of my time walking around making sure I didn't miss anything, it was pretty easy to work out where to go and I would say the hardest part of the game I came across was figuring out how to get fireflies to a frog so it would move and I could get past it.

When you get further into the game you come across these small metal objects that Glitch can interact with, these objects tell you more about the metal robots plaguing the lands and more about Glitch's memories making glitch a big part of the game, he is just as important as Stuffy in this woven stitched up world. Talking of the world the patterns and colours that Stuffy and Glitch collect and uncover on their journey can be used in a very clever way, sometimes to get past an NPC and other times to blend in with your surroundings so you're not seen.

Because I played this mostly in handheld mode the graphics looked blurred on screen, it wasn't until I used the docking station where they were clearer and more precise on the tv screen so I do recommend that if anyone gets this on Nintendo Switch use the dock. The controls were ok, sometimes they would be hit and miss depending on which way Stuffy was facing, usually, Glitch would signal which ability Stuffy would need to use in order to open a flower or move a giant box.

The music is what brought the game to life, it had a very laid back and playful vibe about it which fits perfectly with Stuffy and Glitch's characteristics and keeps replaying in my head ever since I played Woven. Personally, I think this game is aimed more at kids but would be something good for parents and children to experience together, I would have happily played this with my parents when I was younger as it's a game that helps you learn by solving puzzles. 

There are a few issues I have with the game such as those with hand-eye coordination issues will find this game difficult to play due to the musical puzzle you have to solve and it would be cool if you could change the colours around you or possibly be able to use a colour filter for those who are colour blind as usually they won't be able to identify the right pattern or colour to use in the game. I understand it can be hard to implement these settings when a game is dependent on the use of colour but would be interesting to see how it could be done. Other than that I enjoyed playing through Woven, Stuffy and Glitch are a great team and Alterego Games have managed to capture them in the most adorable way, if you want a game to play with your kids this Christmas check Woven out for £17.99.