Fall of Porcupine

Review

Finley has just finished his degree in medicine and is eager to put what he learned into practice. He and his fellow graduate, Mia, have been given an opportunity to do so in the small town of Porcupine. Like all small towns, people know each other well, and like a virus, the word spreads quickly when new citizens move in. Finley hasn’t had as much time to socialise with the inhabitants of Porcupine as he would have liked to. And, to make it more difficult, he was involved in a small incident at the hospital which has seen him confined to his home for a few days to recover from a big bang on his noggin. Let’s follow the story of Finley in the Fall of Porcupine.

Fall of Porcupine is a story-driven adventure game developed by Critical Rabbit and published by Assemble Entertainment on the 23^rd of June 2023, on the Steam platform.

I am truly sitting on the fence with this game. There are some very good aspects, and there are some big misses too, probably due to the subject of the game, which is healthcare. The story is rather well-designed, well-told, and has a couple of twists. The presentation of the world, a colourful paper-style artwork, is charming; all the characters that you pass by or speak with are animals. The standout feature for me is the depth of character detail; it’s very good and keeps you wanting to know more about the various personalities. You experience a range of emotions, which you can imagine doctors and patients would go through, and it is well done.  However, the game lacks entertainment value. To be fair, the subject of health is tough. The developer's idea to have tasks in the form of mini-games to complete at the hospital on a daily basis is good, but they are easy and monotonous. I am afraid it is borderline boring! All except for the basketball mini-game that Finley and Mia play after their busy day at the ward, as well as the excursion with Pia in the woods, where you get to experience an easy platformer parkour. The game needs more upbeat moments like this.

Finley can walk through the town on his way to his day or night shift. There are two routes that both lead to the Saint Ursula hospital: the scenic route (with a view of the town) and the high street route (where shops are located). Finley will be able to talk to NPCs on the way to the hospital. He has a cell phone which provides information and keeps track of the characters he meets.  There’s also the hospital tasks application, which gives Finley the room, photos of the patients and a treatment icon (telescope, medication etc) for each shift in the form of mini-games.

As mentioned, the story is pretty good.  That is, until you arrive at the ending, which is abrupt and left me with a feeling of emptiness. Perhaps this is due to an attempt to elongate the story too much without additional variety.  I’m afraid I didn’t receive my happy pill with this one.   

The artwork is colourful and charming, and the music is pleasant throughout the game. I experienced a few bugs, such as Finley disappearing from the screen while moving forward, as well as a few crashes to the desktop which increased the points deduction on my final score.

Review written by THE CPT FROGGY for Zeepond.com

Fall of Porcupine Steam Store Page