Teacup | PS4 Review

Publishers: Whitethorn Digital

Developers: Smarto Club
PS4 Review

Happy New Year everyone, I took a little break to get my thoughts and self together whilst writing drafts in the process, if you want to keep up with me you can find me over on The Klys Selkie now back to the gaming stuff!! This is a game I held off on buying, when I saw it was in the New Year sale I picked it up for £5.15 reduced from £7.39 (not much of a price difference) I was trying to not buy anymore games as I have so many to play, I couldn't help myself and here we are now. 

 

Tea lovers like myself know the heartbreak when you run out of tea and have to get more when it was the last thing you wanted to do that day. Today's review is for a game called Teacup which is about a little green frog called Teacup has the same issue, she thought she was all set for her tea party but alas her stock was empty, not only does Teacup need the tea leaves for her party but she also needs to add them to her tea encyclopedia which is for party essentials (it's full of real recipes) and leaving the house is her only option now. 

From what I gather Teacup doesn't get out that often so when her neighbours and friends see her out it's a little bit of a surprise to them. They're more than willing to help her on her tea adventure in return for some help. Her first stop is where we pick up a map of Teacups cute little town called Little Pond, it's emptier than she would like and will have to make her way around the whole map to unlock locations.

Teacup's venture leads her to meeting the likes of different characters from owls to mice each have their own story to tell who are happy to tell Teacup all about themselves, this wholesome world lets players experience a cosy and comforting story. We find some parts of the map won't let us progress further until we meet and help certain townsfolk, it can make you feel as if you're going back and forth and can be very rewarding. The focus on anxiety/being shy is very obvious, Teacup does all she can to face it, given a lot of us have more anxiety these days especially having to go out whilst we are still in a pandemic players may find Teacup to be very relatable. 

Having to help other townsfolk is necessary to progress in the game, they consist of mini games which are puzzles and races some of which are QTE (quick time events) I struggle with QTE especially when I have to remember button combinations one of which was a theatre mini game that left me red faced as it was so simplistic yet I struggled remembering them and was left a bit red faced. The controls themselves are very simple to use, on some mini games you will have to use the controllers in a new way but it's explained before you proceed. Making the mini games a little more challenging at times help the game last a little longer, with Teacup it becomes a lot more than just a narrative game it becomes a lot more effortful, They are also very forgiving and let you keep trying, I guess this is mostly because it's meant to be a cosy game they didn't want players to get frustrated.

This game added to my love of frogs, I somehow have developed an obsession with them over these past few years because they're such adorable little creatures, Teacup is no exception to this. Her cute dress and cottage care home is something I would love to have. Seeing her face her fears to put on the perfect tea party was very beneficial for me, I often shy away from doing things because of anxieties. Teacup is a great way to showcase how some people may feel and how she gets through her mission to get tea. Speaking of which, if it had been a case of Teacup going to the shop and coming home with the tea we would have had a whole different experience, by turning the story into a linear game we get an adventure game with a rewarding ending. 

I played Teacup on the Playstation 4 and had no issues whatsoever, the game run smoothly which helped me get through it fairly fast that and it's a short game anyways. The music is calming and helps players absorb Little Pond in all its glory, this helps set the tone that the developers want a positive and relaxing environment for Teacup to be in to help ease her anxiety and shyness even though we can clearly see from the way she holds herself how uncomfortable she is. The compelling environments Teacup walks into remind me of The Wind in the Willows, as a child i used to read the books and watch the shows and Teacup instantly transported me back to that time in my life. The came is around 1hour 30minutes to play but can be longer if you struggle on the puzzles, if you're having a bad Mental Health day this is a great game to get lost in for a little while. 

Have a cosy day

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