The Spirit and the Mouse

I just bought this today, mostly based on the launch trailer and the description - I hadn't heard of it before. Firstly, the positive. It's a really charming game, with an endearing graphical style and a learning curve that is just about right. I grew up with the Monkey Island games, and this is - so far - a lot easier, but without feeling patronising or dumbed-down. The music and characterisation give it a distinct Studio Ghibli feel - definite shades of "Howl's Moving Castle" I think! The game auto-saves frequently, so no losing progress if you have to quit for any reason. On a less happy note, I think I've run into a bug in the game. I've posted a ticket in the community support forum, but given that this is such a new release I haven't been able to find any resolution. At a certain fairly early part in the game you get asked to solve a riddle. The answer is easy to find, but - for me at least - I cannot get the game UI to accept my response. So I'm stuck at that point, and have marked the game down by a star accordingly. I'm confident that one way or another my issue will get resolved soon, so I'm happy to recommend this game to anyone looking for a gentle, whimsical point-and-click adventure.

Upfront comment - I have this game on another platform and I got it free. But I'm about 95% finished with it and as soon as I can, I am buying it here in order to get the devs something they are due and I am going to buy the soundtrack as well to support the artist. Review time: Graphics: 8 Music: 10 (I'm a sucker for this kind of French music) Fun Factor: 10 Replayability: For me - 10, someone else - varies. Is it perfect, no, but what it lacks in visual perfection, it makes up for in HEART. A mouse, that wants to help a world that ignores her. And through little ingenious actions, you do just that, and help a local village. Every time she does something that helps another, and receives the rewards for her work, she sees/absorbs the happiness and that in turn makes her smile. She squeaks, she has costumes and the interactions are adorable. Everything is solvable, whether you need a video or you spend the time figuring it out. Even my 3 year old son just sits entranced by the video segments when the mouse smiles. It's a reminder that size does not matter; if a little mouse can make a difference, so can anyone else. (Also a reminder that a game doesn't need to be 120gb installed to be awesome either.)

I met Alex Strook, the director of this game, through a Ponyo (Studio Ghibli) documentary translation project and learned he had created a game with Ghibli inspiration! I can confirm upon completion of "The Spirit and the Mouse" that it's filled with humor and heart. While the gameplay may be for children, it has a wise and optimistic soul in its themes. It's a story about the power of genuine kindness and care. And even includes some pertinent environmental themes I think would make Miyazaki proud. In ways it hearkened back to the simplicity of a 90s educational adventure game from my childhood "Mixed Up Mother Goose" where you need to help each member of a storybook town. Any young child (old enough to use a controller) would adore this game. And it's perfect for a family play-together and Ghibli fans in general. You'll laugh, you'll squeak, your heart will be warmed!

This game is very good in my opinion, but it certainly has a target audience. As long as you are part of that audience I can really recommend the game, otherwise not so much (unless it is on sale). Pros: - Squeak-Button - You play as a cute mouse - Good visuals - Amazing atmosphere, including music Cons: - Some textures are really bad, even with max settings - Gameplay gets repetitive - Short playtime for the price - Gameplay/Dialogue is sometimes clunky and breaks the flow/atmosphere Overall I really enjoyed the game though