I’ve studied game design and reviewed games for the past few years. For over three years of my life I programmed; I learned the fine details of theory and design, and all of the important magical stuff that makes a polygon cylinder into Duke Nukem. For these three years or so, I learned a game is an interaction between player and media, where players are set to goals and rules (mechanics), and a game world which holds logic and structure. Now, many designers have tried to break away from traditional methods of game design in order to create new experiences. Lovely Weather We’re Having is an example of such a game, and an odd creature to say the least. Or is it a game at all?
To be perfectly honest, I don’t feel like I can review this title in the same manner I can review Tomb Raider, Battlefield, or even any other major or indie release. To my understanding, this is a journey, and one of exploration and learning. This isn’t aimed at a certain age group, but I feel it’s strongly aimed at younger audiences–It teaches its players about the importance of exploration, philosophy, and self-worth. There is no story so to speak. Lovely Weather We’re Having presents a blue guy with funky hair and a pet dog in a colourful, polygonal world. Players will aimlessly explore a small town filled with different, colourful characters for no other reason than for the sake of finding what the world has to show. There are no goals, side quests, QTEs, or narrative to follow. You only to explore and interact.
The look and feel of the game is very childish and simple, yet beautifully colourful and warm. Without any textures or a multitude of tones, the game world is extremely simple in design. However, it looks very pretty and refreshing, considering the high end graphics we’re forced to like these days. There is little information to digest and, for that matter, there’s little feedback and few hints of any kind. It’s all down to using the directional keys to move and the Enter key for interacting; Everything else is non-existent. This concept can be neat if you’re a keen explorer, but others might find it difficult to grasp or fear they’re missing out an important mechanic the game hadn’t told them about. Navigating is confusing to say the least.
Sadly, there isn’t enough to fulfill much playtime in Lovely Weather We’re Having due to its limited interactivity. It’s a game best played in small doses as it becomes fairly repetitive, and it’s hard to force yourself to play for more than 20 minutes. While it may lack in interactivity, it’s better to leave the game alone for a while and come back later on just to see how the weather changes, altering the perception of the game world. The weather decides on the overall mood, colour, and atmosphere of the game world, depending on if it’s warm, cold, raining, or if you’re in the middle of a heatwave.
It was nice to see the game world changing every time I entered it, but it wasn’t enough to make me feel invested or immersed. This is definitely a mood piece rather than a game changer. It’s something that Gus Van Sant would create in order to convey an emotional set piece. It’s simple in sound, with no music and only a few sound effects when passing through grass, kicking rocks, and splashing through water.
The little interactions like knocking down trees or kicking around tiny houses create a sense of surrealism that’s kind of unknown to most players. These concepts would be more engaging if the game had a stronger focus on conscience or cause and effect. But restarting the game makes sure everything is put back into place and nothing is mentioned again. It has no impact whatsoever.
Wandering characters give strange performances that only add to oddness of the world. Their identities aren’t fascinating, but what they do convey are symbolic representations for emotions such as depression and joy, and ideals such as knowledge, greed, or loneliness. You can interact and choose dialogue options while speaking with these characters, often prompting them to display anger, joy, or a random philosophy depending on your choice of words. These encounters don’t normally go anywhere apart from some minor information about a monster that lives in the mountains to the west. No, it’s not a boss encounter–At least, to me it isn’t, but to others it may be.
There’s not much else I can say about this “game,” if I can even call it that. It is a game in many respects, but it lacks the rules and concepts a traditional game holds. Lovely Weather We’re Having is an interesting, interactive piece that’s best catered for smaller, younger gamers to convey emotions and understanding of exploration. Yet it lacks any true values of commitment and immersion, leading to short play times and an overwhelming sense of confusion. It would have been nice to see elements of cause and effect or more actions that held meaning in the world, developing character relationships or even a bond with the world. It looks pretty even with the very simple design and can hold some emotional value, but this game is about exploration and sadly doesn’t hold enough to dive into the world often or make you care very much.
That said, this is not a bad or good “game,” but rather an enjoyable look at what games can do for young people or those who don’t know their own path. However, it could have developed these concepts a little more to avoid any confusion or lack of commitment to the players. That said, my score reflects Lovely Weather We’re Having as a game, not as tool to understanding exploration. I won’t love this game because it’s different, nor would I hate it for that same reason. Try it and see for yourself–it does make for a nice change from Call of Duty.
A PC code for Lovely Weather We’re Having was provided by Glanderco for the purpose of this review