Great God Grove by LimboLane
I knew I’d fall in love with the quirky atmosphere and characters in Great God Grove within the first five minutes of gameplay. The whimsical dialogue and visual montage of 2D and 3D environments charmed me off my feet.
Your encounters are so lighthearted and comedic your encounters, you don’t even realize that your purpose is delaying the end of the world.
Developed by LimboLane, Great God Grove’s eccentricity works on all levels of gameplay mechanics. You take on the role of the Godpoke: the assistant to the gods.
Communication Breakdown
As the Godpoke, you’re equipped with the Megapon, a device able to consume a hodge-podge of conversation bits and objects. While the objective isn’t made clear immediately, I realized after floundering a bit that I needed to eject certain words out of the Megapon to specific characters to flourish as the Godpoke.
For some bizarre reason, the destined ruler of the gods, King, has lost his marbles. He’s insensitive and erratic, and the other gods are utterly distraught. Exposing the history of the titular grove and utilizing it to harmonize the world becomes top priority for the Godpoke.
The creative narrative method does not disappoint. Some riddles are more elementary than others, but rewarding nonetheless. Blasting pumpkins at frenemies or provoking other gods – and literally stealing words from their mouths – furnishes the path to uncloaking King’s intentions.
Wordy Absurdity
Amusingly enough, you can expel vacuumed dialogue at anyone lingering around the grove. Some become quite upset if you say the wrong thing, while others are simply baffled. Sometimes you’re asked to acknowledge a question by moving the camera up (for yes) and down (for no). Responding incorrectly is always a hoot, just to hear yet another peculiar response.
The absurdly delightful in-game communication through comical sound effects blends harmoniously with Great God Grove’s ambiance. Admittedly, though, the wacky noises can be irritating at times.
The Verdict:
Great God Grove is a unique standalone in the video game universe. An abundance of love and patience were poured into its creation, exemplified by the vibrancy in each environment, character, and piece of dialogue.
It’s so wonderfully silly, you can’t help but lose sight of reality in the grove.
Great God Grove is available via the Nintendo eShop, Microsoft Store, and Steam.