Photographer Naomi Hayward feels out of place as she visits the little community of Rainy Woods. As a native and self-proclaimed New Yorker, she is anxious about her mounting costs and employment opportunities, but she often accompanies her anxiety with an ironic smile. The Good Life, a new release from White Owls Inc. and Hidetaka Suehiro, or SWERY, is rife with contradiction and contrast, and it’s consistent with his prior work, while seeming noticeably constrained on the Nintendo Switch.
The town has a lot of peculiar individuals, such as the hotel manager who is haunted by the angel of death, the anthropomorphizing camera technician, and the punk bartender who works at the local pub. Every character in The Good Life has well-developed daily routines and schedules to analyse, and no one lacks a twist or wrinkle to disarm any superficial cliche. Naomi may utilise these parts to solve a number of picture challenges and tasks, as well as the murder mystery that emerges in the game’s opening quarter.
In contrast to her surroundings, Naomi has a propensity to slip into vulgarity, but she frequently reacts with a simple sunny disposition that does not appear to be sarcastic. The Good Life has more in common with Twin Peaks than with Deadly Premonition due to its sporadic dread, pop culture connections, and unattractive visuals.
The aesthetic design of The Good Life is dated. Naomi’s control over the action is hampered by her rigidity in both her animal and human forms, and the lighting is horrible. Several game elements rely on her ability to morph into a dog or cat at any moment, which she earned at an early age.
The technical features of The Good Life are never compromised to a significant degree. Food and medication will be required to restore Naomi’s supply of hunger, rest, health, and endurance bars, among others. Failure to complete this assignment may result in her “death,” which must be resurrected at the animal hospital in Rainy Woods for a significant charge. These life-simulation aspects may be a delightful distraction, but they may also hinder quest progress. As with most life simulations, things become simpler as the game progresses, and early distractions such as gardening or hunting in cat form evolve into techniques to master Naomi’s dwindling numbers.
Although cameras and modifications such as additional lenses break down, the photography component has the potential to be an attractive touch and becomes the primary source of income. It is unclear if the makers of The Good Life want for players to follow the multiple narrative threads as they unfold, or whether they intend to annoy them with fetch quests and “deaths,” janky controls, and poor run speeds. To suggest that the game has a speed problem is to question the game’s core structure; for instance, missions may only be undertaken one at a time, necessitating several returns to previously unresolved objective locations.
As long as everything is going smoothly in The Good Life, it has the feel of Animal Crossing combined with delightful yet irreverent British pastoral television, all while evoking a murder investigation. Although loading periods are often brief, their frequent presence significantly disturbs the flow. Despite this, it appears that the Switch’s harsher edges are intrinsic to the Switch itself. The inhabitants of Rainy Woods and the daily duties of small-town life are comfortingly familiar, but the game’s awkward controls and cluttered visual make it tough to settle into a rhythm.
