Woodo Review (Switch 2)

Lowkey makes me miss the time I lived in the countryside

Sometimes, you just need a cozy game and man, I sure needed it. I didn’t know it yet, but little did I know that September would cause me to become really stressed. So, Woodo actually ended up coming out at a great time as it, spoiler alert, was able to successfully take my mind off of it. Anyway, I’ve been looking forward to Woodo since all we had was the teaser trailer *checks* wow five years ago. And of course I was looking forward to it more after playing the demo. So, how is the full game? Looks like it’s time to dive into my review for Woodo!

Woodo takes place in a world where everyone are animals and here, we follow a young fox named Foxy during one faithful summer. Foxy is a city girl who is glued to the various tech that her parents get her. She’s on the internet so much, she didn’t even consider it totally accurate that she lived in the city as she more lived online as she barely left her room. However, she was suddenly brought back into the real world as she was sent to the countryside to spend the summer on her distant relative’s farm due to her parents being even more busy than normal. Foxy absolutely did not want to do, especially since there wouldn’t be WiFi for her to go online or talk to her online friends, but alas she still had to. And her first day went horribly as she was practically tormented by the geese gang and goat; while having to be careful around the dog and bull. She understandably spends the beginning of her summer inside, hanging onto the last remnants of her comfort zone as she’s focused on everything negative, but slowly that changes. It all starts with her meeting her distant relative, a frog named Ben, who gets her curious about him and what he’s doing. Slowly, but surely, that curiosity gets her outside. Maybe summer in the countryside isn’t so bad after all.

I quite liked Woodo’s story. While it doesn’t weave into the gameplay well, it’s a really cute story that was a delight to listen to while I was playing. I really liked how the game is framed as Foxy retelling her summer and I especially liked the growth that she went through. She starts off sticking to her devices that she could still use without wi-fi and not at all wanting to be there, which considering how it started I don’t blame her, but she slowly does come out. This is also the perfect time to mention that I really liked how Foxy and her relationship with the other characters progressed over the summer too. Ben is the one that the game focuses on and I just adore the way he went about things. It was so sweet and nice of him to be so patient with Foxy, which did help and encourage her to start coming out, and I love how he was so happy when Foxy finally came out and started to enjoy her time there. He definitely gives off older relative vibes who probably interacts with a lot of children. I really liked the chapters where Foxy was really enjoying her time in the countryside, especially since it didn’t seem like she even realized it, and how wild her imagination was. Not to mention that without even realizing it her relationship with the other characters got better, like the geese started out tormenting her but then they’re hanging out and having fun.

I’m also definitely proud of Foxy. It would have been really easy for her to sulk and stay inside the whole time (whether she didn’t want to step away from her comfort zone or she was too embarrassed to show she was actually interested in whatever Ben was doing), but she ended up taking those first small steps. Her summer may have started horribly, but it eventually turned into an unforgettable summer full of fun and adventure. I really hope Foxy was able to visit the farm again, especially with how wistful the ending was. Or I at least hope her and Ben kept in contact with one another (he definitely seems like a guy that would prefer writing letters haha).

So, yeah, the story here was so cute and a delight to listen to and see happen.

Gameplay here is pretty simple! Each level features a nice wooden diorama that’s been started, but is missing a lot of pieces. Your goal is to complete them all by simply finding the correct place for every wooden piece. If there was any way to describe how the gameplay is here, it’s like if coloring books and hidden object games had a baby. You’ll see ghost outlines wherever there are missing pieces of the diorama and you have an inventory of wooden pieces of which you can see three at a time. You can approach most levels any way you want. You can just look for where the top three pieces go, you can focus on one area at a time and scroll through your inventory looking for whatever matches the ghost silhouette, or maybe a combination of both where you stay in an area until you hit a wall, move to another area, and then when you spot a piece in your inventory have a “oh I know where that goes!” moment. Woodo is, of course, a 3D game so you can move around the diorama, zooming in/out and moving your camera, which will also move the pieces in your inventory which is pretty helpful. In addition, when you take the pieces out, the size of it will be relative to where you’re at. When you successfully find the correct spot, the piece will click in, possibly filling in the other repeat objects, bringing color to the diorama not only through placing the piece but also through the surrounding area being colored in once you place everything for that spot. Most pieces also have some interactivity in it, some have animations to go with it which activate when clicking or brushing against it with the cursor; while others have a more tactile feel to it like splashing the water or sweeping your hands against grass and flowers.

Don’t worry though, as the game does shake things up so it stays fresh. There are smaller dioramas inside the level diorama where you’ll be able to zoom into an object or a specific section (usually it’s just an object). Depending on the level, it can be you putting it together using various pieces rather than putting down a single piece or putting a whole new scene together. In addition, this also allows you to see more details, like how in the beginning you see what Foxy had in her backpack. As you progress through the game, you’ll come across missing pieces that you’ll find within these smaller dioramas, you’ll get more dynamic levels where instead of staying at the same diorama you’re constantly moving or the scene changes, the way you get the wooden pieces change, and even how you put them down changes. The dioramas also become more complex as you progress, going from pretty manageable ones with few little pieces, to big dioramas with lots of details that feel intimidating when you start but slowly turn out to be manageable.

If you get stuck and can’t seem to find where a piece could go, don’t worry as Woodo has a hint system! You just have to activate it, hold the piece you need help with, and it’ll zoom into the area that it needs to be placed in. If you’re also having difficulty finding a wooden piece, it’ll also highlight them all and focus on one. You’ll also be able to see your progress with the diorama (the level diorama doesn’t seem to count the smaller dioramas in its completion percentage or if so it’s too small to notice) and of course the story gets fed to you once you place enough pieces to activate it.

There are even some optional stuff that you can do if you want to! For one, if you look at the in-game achievements you’ll see there are some specific photos it’ll ask you to take with the in-game camera that becomes available once you complete a level. You can actually pet the various characters here by rubbing or tapping them for a little bit and they’ll emit a little heart or other emojis that correlate with the mood that they’re experiencing in the level. You can also find a walkie-talkie in a couple levels which actually has someone talking through it when you interact with it (just make sure to interact with it a couple times to get all of the lines and thus the achievement). There’s also Tiny Monks, which are super tiny hidden little wooden figures. These are in most levels and they are very well hidden. I was only able to find one when I was playing through the story and I just happened to be curious enough to look where it was at. You can go back into any completed level to take any pictures or interact with the completed version of the diorama. You can replay any level if you want to (especially if you want to experience the dynamic levels again). Lastly, with each completed level you get a storybook entry about some of the minor characters and you can read what was said if you don’t want to replay the level.

I quite liked the gameplay here as well. I already knew I enjoyed the gameplay here and the full game was more of what I liked. I was quite surprised once I got out of the beginning levels as it goes from bite-sized feeling levels (which I remember mentioning in my demo impression) to big levels where you have the entire diorama to deal with from the beginning. It does seem overwhelming and intimidating at first, but as you place more pieces that feeling soon dissolves and it goes back to being relaxing and you go into a flow state. It certainly feels great and rewarding as you watch the diorama fill up and especially when you spot a piece in your inventory and remember where you saw the ghost outline at. I really liked how the game mixes things up as they do make for some great levels that I really don’t want to spoil. I’ll just say that it gets quite creative and it will certainly be a happy surprise.

As for the hint system, I also liked it. It really helps when you find yourself stuck and while I’m sure some people won’t like how much it zooms in or would prefer if it takes you to the general area, I did appreciate it as there are some pretty small pieces here. The cooldown is quick as well, but all you have to do is just not overuse it. Personally, the quick cooldown worked for me as my playstyle had the last few pieces I had left to place were the ones I couldn’t find where they went. While for the level shake ups, I did my best and only used the hint system when I couldn’t find where to place it, didn’t know what was a piece I didn’t place yet, or I was just having difficulty placing it due to where the piece is and where its correct spot is (yeah I’m talking about a specific level here haha). There was also one time where I thought the game spawned in fireflies after completing a small diorama, but then it turned out to be the fairy light bulbs haha.

As for difficulty, I’d say Woodo is easy, but the easy that leans a bit towards medium. As long as you keep chipping away at it, you’ll be fine as it all builds up. The only thing you’ll probably have trouble with are the really small pieces, the few pieces that have some tricky spots, and the last level.

For negatives, I do have one. While I wanted to play Woodo on Switch and it did have touchscreen controls like I was hoping, playing with a mouse is definitely the best way to play this game. The controls for both controller and touchscreen was a constant annoyance for me as it was a struggle moving the camera, especially since it often zooms in when you’re trying to move it. There is also one late-game level that will be harder if you primarily use touchscreen. Basically, you will fight the camera the whole time you’re playing. Mouse Mode sadly isn’t available yet, but it is planned to be patched in if you want to wait for that. The story can also at times be a bit distracting, especially since sometimes it specifically mentions something that you might not be working on, or it can be pretty easy to tune out as you’re focused on finding the right spots for all of the pieces.

To tie this all up in a bow, the visuals and sound here absolutely pulls it all together. I absolutely love the wooden dioramas as they’re so cute and detailed. I love how each diorama, even the smaller ones inside the level diorama, tells a story. The ghost outlines/silhouettes was a great idea and I really liked how the pieces in your inventory move along with the camera so it matches with the view you have, as well as how it matches the size. The game also does something quite clever with one level that did trip me up until I realized it haha. There are also some really pretty visuals here if you can believe it. It’s hard for me to really choose which level was my favorite as everytime I go “oh I liked this level a lot” or “I liked this part of the level a lot”, I remember all of the other levels. I really loved the animations here too, especially the tactile ones as it makes it so fun and pleasant to move your move over the level. Oh, almost forgot that I also love how the level select map gets colored in as you complete levels (just like the dioramas do as you complete them) and I liked the storybook art style. I like the wooden art style more, but the storybook illustrations are quite cute and it does allow for the characters to be more expressive (like there’s this really cute illustration of Foxy).

The sound design here is also perfect. Every piece clicks in nicely, which gives that diorama feel to it, and the sound effects they do when you mouse over them is so nice. It still has that wooden feel to it, but still keeping a wooden aspect to it if that makes sense. The music is also so relaxing here, even during the level where some conflict comes into play. The music pairs really well with the various sound effects (or maybe it’s the other way around?) and I loved the moments where the characters join the music once you complete them. Again, I can’t help but think of a certain level that I don’t want to spoil haha. Lastly, the voice acting is great here. To go along with a cozy, relaxing game you need a voice that also brings in that cozy vibe, and Woodo certainly does that. Foxy’s voice is so soothing and it does give off vibes of someone reading a book to kids in a library. It also makes it clear that Fozy is looking back with fond memories. Sure, it wasn’t all good and she has her own complaints, but if she went back in time she would do it all over again.

Verdict

Woodo was such a delightful and cozy little game. Even though I had to battle the camera the whole time, I had a great time with the game. I liked the story of Foxy and her unforgettable summer out in the countryside, I quite enjoyed the gameplay, the game was just as cozy as I thought it would be when I played the demo, there are some great surprises here, it’s super cute, and I loved the wooden and storybook aesthetic the game took on. Not to mention that the cozy vibes are sealed with its relaxing sound effects and voice acting. I’d say if you find Woodo interesting and like this version of a hidden object game where you find where an object goes rather than where it is, check it out! Though, if you’re planning on getting it on the Switch 2 keep an eye out for when Mouse Mode gets patched in.