Applewood

Game Details

Title: Applewood
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Garrett Thompson
Publisher: Garrett Thompson
Release Date: 23 Sep, 2019
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1107470/Applewood/

About This Game

Applewood is a fruit-centric, nutrient-rich imp-ing game featuring Ringo the Imp! He’s not very strong. He doesn’t have magic powers or a sword that vanquishes darkness. He can fly! … But only for a few seconds at a time. He’s a pale and squishy little guy who isn’t even that good at the one thing that makes him special. Yet, in spite of all of this, he’s about to go on an incredible adventure, see and do some amazing things, and overcome his weaknesses through clever-thinking, compassion, and a stick-to-it attitude like no other!

• Thoughtful, resource-management-based platforming
• You can fly!
• A totally-interconnected, hand-crafted 2D world
• You CAN’T attack directly (that’s rude)
• Figure out clever ways to deal with conflict
• Use items found in the environment to solve problems
• A bundle of optional side-content!
• You can ride an octopus
• Hats! Steam users like hats, right?
• There are other collectibles, too!

It was made basically entirely by one guy! Is that impressive? Maybe? I guess you’ll just have to play the game to find out!

– How long is it?
It usually takes a person around 4-6 hours to complete their first run of the main story. 100% completion takes a bit longer than that, and currently seems to require around 9-10 hours.

– This looks cute, but I’m terrible at platformers…
Actually, I designed the game to be approachable by players of all skill levels! There are no instant deaths, most of the challenge comes from thinky puzzles instead of twitchy action, and you can correct any mistakes you make midair using Ringo’s hover ability! It’s super accommodating! Just like how I responded to this bullet point, even though it’s not technically a question. See? Accommodating!

– Is this a Metroidvania?
Not really! There isn’t much of a focus on backtracking, and Ringo doesn’t acquire new abilities as you play. It’s a story about inner growth! You gotta maximize your potential without relying on character upgrades.

– If Ringo doesn’t get new abilities, how does the gameplay stay interesting for 6 hours?
Applewood’s all about using items you find in the environment to your advantage! There are a ton of different item types, each with unique characteristics. Couple those with Ringo’s surprisingly nuanced movement mechanics, and you’ve got yourself a game full of super-diverse gameplay! Plus, there’s also the whole "story" aspect… Oh, look, a relevant question!

– Is there a story-focus?
Yes! And I cried while writing it. Many times…

System Requirements

Minimum:

OS:

Windows 7

Processor:

2.2 GHz

Memory:

2 GB RAM

Graphics:

Intel UHD Graphics 620 (the lowest-end I’ve tested on thus far)

DirectX:

Version 9.0

Storage:

155 MB available space

Additional Notes:

If you can get it running with less, let me know (It ought to work on any reasonably modern PC).

Screenshots