The Sundew Critic Reviews

Ultimately, the only flaw was the sensation of wanting more of The Sundew. While its length can feel underwhelming, it is still an achievement since it’s developed by one person, which is even more admirable after seeing the quality of the final product. The fact that the game left me craving for more adventures like this speaks volumes of the developer’s dedication, as well as a testament to the beautifully presented cyberpunk adventure of The Sundew.

The Sundew isn’t perfect; every so often I ended up shaking my fist at its list of tasks, mocking me with its empty boxes, knowing full well some of them were entirely dependent on others. But this pixel-based point-and-click adventure still had me hooked to the end. All the more remarkable for being a solo effort, The Sundew is a real treat for adventure fans, cyberpunk aficionados or anyone who’s sick of being a chirpy chosen one.

Many of the puzzles are unintuitive and the writing is all over the place. Also, playing almost the entire game without soundtrack (because there isn’t one) doesn’t really help with immersion at all. The Sundew is a rather short experience (3-4 hours), but not an enjoyable one, that’s for sure.

The Sundew is what we call "wasted potential". Without being in any way bad and providing a remarkable artistic approach, it promises much more than it ultimately delivers, and its good ideas get lost in the general mediocrity that pervades it.

Passion is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you have a spirited, ambitious attempt to create the next sweeping epic the likes people can latch onto and discuss for years to come. On the other, you have a relatively short game that does not afford the story time to develop to get to that emotional boiling point. While a pretty solid Point & Click adventure with intuitive puzzles and a neat I Spy side-hunt, The Sundew will always be marred by its own insistence with telling a five-hour story in two hours. I appreciate the attempt; it just didn't land as intended.

Playing The Sundew is much like eating at a fancy boutique restaurant. You’ll be served something that’s beautifully presented only to then find the meal isn’t nearly substantial enough to fill your belly, and you’ll be aghast at the bill for it. The story flies by before it’s even had a chance to begin, and even though there are multiple endings, they only add a little sliver of extra playtime. Though there’s a little fun to be had in exploring the lovingly rendered pixel art scenery, this cyberpunk outing is sadly destined to wash away from your memory – like tears in The Sundew.

The Sundew is very nice to look at and attempts to use its cyberpunk setting to cover intriguing thematic ground, but its story, gameplay and presentation come up short in just about every other way that matters.