We can browse through our collection anytime, which is simply fun. For each discovered secret we get a collectible – a special animated and voiced “character card”. Nobody forces us to click on the frogs bathing in the pond, but if we do it, we will be rewarded with their cheerful song. What is, in fact, the best feature of Botanicula is that the lion’s share of the things that we can do here is not obligatory. You will also encounter some tasks demanding the usage of abilities of a specific hero from our brave group to save the day. Occasionally, you can test yourself in simple mini-games, which diversify the gameplay a bit. Finding the right order of clicking stuff on the screen is a path to victory. To give an example: we can move a leaf, find some kind of bug beneath and then click on it to stress the poor creature out.

In each location we see lots of places that can be tempered with. It is true, that you do pick up certain objects like keys to open a padlock, but the core of the gameplay lies with manipulating the surrounding. For instance, you don’t collect here tons of various items, which is quite characteristic to the genre. All that admiration is well deserved, but what is Botanicula anyway? Well, it’s obviously an adventure game, but an adventure game made by Amanita Design, so it differs from typical point’n’click games. However, if you possess a Jedi Masters’ patience you may linger a while longer. What are you even doing still reading this text? Go and play it yourselves! I could just now copy-paste the whole entry “wonderful” from any thesaurus and still I wouldn’t give the game the justice it deserves. Starting with absolutely charming main heroes, through great audio-visuals and ending with unbelievable creativity of the authors while designing the levels. The game enchants us with almost everything. That’s right, Botanicula is the best antidepressant that you can get without a doctor’s prescription. Well, the thought will never even cross you mind, because you’ll be too busy grinning to yourself from ear to ear. I can guarantee you though, that while playing you won’t be upset by this plot simplicity. We play as a group of tiny, plant-like creatures who have to save the last seed of their hometree from the evil legs of big spiders, who plan to destroy the whole of nature. The story in Botanicula isn’t very sophisticated. So let’s not waste any more time, shall we? The fantastical-botanical-bugical adventure awaits! The opportunity presents itself quite conveniently, since the newest game from the team, Botanicula, made its debut just a few days ago. But if you happened to be raised under a rock somewhere near the North Pole and you never ever heard before about those brilliant Czechs, it’s high time to amend this scandalous oversight. The developers at Amanita Design are totally ingenious beings and they keep proving it over and over again.

Botanicula first level