I don't think I have anything profound to say about this game.
it's gentle, it's cozy, it's not particularly fiddly with what it asks of you. it's a soft touch, a rest stop reminding you to breathe for a bit. I found myself hitting the credits and being more or less satisfied with what I had, before realizing there was, in fact, another extra area to explore and help other little critters out in. it's nice.
I think I needed this breather to keep from spiraling even harder than I was going to this week. it's not nothing. some part of me wants to talk, here, about the pushback against cozy games, the insistence that games that are not trying to have an edge are somehow inherently worth demeaning for it. the orientalism of placing these games in japanese settings or with japanese aesthetics, regardless of the developer's origins, sure, that's worth talking about, but I have the misfortune of being aware that some dumb motherfucker out there with an amount of clout greater than zero has stated he thinks cozy games are fascist, somehow.
I don't know. the glut of people who wish for a mote of escapism and push it while designing their small cute games are understandable. games are art, and art communicates things. sometimes that communication isn't a coherent theme, or a driving thought, but the energy of wanting to give someone else a moment of respite. this game is a hug and a moment of peace from the developer, and from the friend who suggested I play it. and I wanna hug them both back for the thought. sometimes it's just the little things of being a social species that you forget about amongst the capitalist hellscape we're making efforts to survive, and sometimes you need a reminder about that.
also, this game is very cute and I enjoy the music.