A game’s story is at its best when the player can take away a meaningful message or idea. We can relate to the characters and their problems. A writer always has something special to share. They want you to feel a certain emotion during the story.
The Milkmaid of the Milky Way is point and click adventure game. You won’t see much of this genre now, as visual novels seem to be more popular. The limitations in gameplay ensure that the story has to be excellent. Otherwise, why bother?
This story begins on a farm, where a lone woman is tending to her cows. Her name is Ruth. Ruth lives a standard life on her farm. She milks her cows and makes butter and cheese to sell. In her spare time, Ruth enjoys reading.
The set up for the story is beautiful. Milkmaid of the Milky Way allows the player to ease into the story. You get a feel for the main character and her simple life. This calm beginning makes a lot of sense. How can you appreciate something you never knew?
One day, Ruth receives some out-of-this-world visitors. A strange floating ship arrives and proceeds to carry out a funny cliché. Ruth’s simple farm life is no more. She must focus her wits is she is to survive on an alien ship.
Milkmaid of the Milky Way tells an excellent story of stepping into the unknown. Ruth’s worldly perspective is no longer the same. She must come to terms with concepts well beyond her routine existence.
This story makes you think. About life and death. How the fire of youth withers away into the ashes of old age. It makes you appreciate certain aspects of life. Aspects you may not have thought about before.
Milkmaid of the Milky Way accomplishes these feats in a mere 2 to 3 hours. The brevity of this game can leave you wanting a bit more. At the same time, the short length helps keep the focus on storytelling. There are no fillers or pointless actions. Everything has a purpose.
The main form of gameplay is solving puzzles. The puzzles are easy and won’t take you long to complete. Most of them are in the vein of collecting an item and find the correct usage. More variety, such as riddles or math puzzles, would add to the experience. It’s clear that the entire focus is on the story and atmosphere.
An interesting quirk of Milkmaid of the Milky Way is the writing. The entire script is in rhyme. You can set aside any scepticism, as it works well. It adds an extra layer of flavour to an experience that is already unique.
Another feature of the script is the humour. More games should understand that a serious plot should not be devoid of laughter. The Milkmaid of the Milky Way touches on interesting concepts. Yet, it doesn’t present a bleak world lacking in humour. There are moments of lighter tone and the story benefits from this.
The art style of this game is gorgeous. It combines hand-painting with pixel art to provide pleasure to your eyes. The use of colour is fantastic as certain locations have a ‘pop’ to them. Using a wide range of colours is an appreciable effort. The world feels alive because of it.
The music carries itself and provides a backdrop for the atmosphere. Even the music on the farm as elements of sci-fi themes. A foreshadowing of what is to come. Don’t let the relaxing tracks fool you. When the situation turns, so does the music. The tense music amplifies the rush you get during such moments.
The Milkmaid of the Milky Way achieves its goal. It presents the players with a thought-provoking and lasting story. Yes, there are a few stumbles. The puzzles are easy and lack variety. The game opts to challenge your brain through dialogue, rather than gameplay. The accessibility ensures that anyone can enjoy this title. You don’t have to be a fan of adventure-style games to fall in love with Milkmaid of the Milky Way. All you need is 2 hours of your time.
REVIEW CODE: A FREE PC code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.
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