Experience the struggles of trying to run a household with imbalance responsibilities in A Comfortable Burden.
Format: PC via Steam
First playthrough time: 22 minutes
Cost: 2.99 USD
Released Jan 21st, 2021 by OtterWays
Quick Overview
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Character without a list trying to find all the remaining tasks
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In-Depth Review
A Comfortable Burden is a short time-management game. It features cute graphics of two otters moving around their house to complete chores. Players will navigate the otters through timed levels, either with a set list of chores to accomplish or trying to discover everything that needs doing as they go. The game can be easily completed in less than 30 minutes.
Failing a level gives common unhelpful comments from the other character
The story in A Comfortable Burden focuses on an imbalance of responsibility between the two otters. In the beginning, one otter always has a set list of chores while the other has to do everything else that requires doing. Unsurprisingly, this imbalance eventually topples down and the two otters must learn to share responsibilities more evenly. As the “responsible one” in my household, I very much identify with this story and the stress of trying to manage things when every new issue that comes up is automatically assigned to you.
Working together
I had some difficulty with the controls in A Comfortable Burden. To navigate the characters around, players use the arrow keys to move around the isometric grid. This, unfortunately, didn’t work well for me as the mapping of arrow keys to the isometric grid was 90 degrees off from what my brain wanted, causing me to frequently run off in the wrong direction after finishing a task. This frustration was further exacerbated by the time pressure on each level. I found myself often internally repeating which key I needed to press to go the right way when I finished a task. As far as I could tell, there was no way to rebind the keys.
The control scheme
Recommendation
Overall, I enjoyed A Comfortable Burden, mostly for the story and message it offered. I wish I could have some of my household members play it, but I’m not sure it would be as impactful for someone who hasn’t experienced the same sort of situation. The gameplay itself was fun, though I struggled with the controls and the game is pretty short. Regardless, I recommend A Comfortable Burden for players that can sympathize with the burden of imbalance responsibilities.
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Categories: Desktop games, Video game reviews
Cthulhu's Critiques 