A lot of indie developers utilize their creative freedom to explore topics often untouched by AAA releases. Fall of Porcupine follows Finley, a new doctor in the town of Porcupine who will soon realize how ineffective and stressful a healthcare system can be. It seems like an odd area to explore in a game populated by cute animals, but there are moments in this release from Assemble Entertainment that strike the intended emotional chords. Those moments, however, are fleeting.

In Fall of Porcupine, Finley is the newest doctor at St. Ursula’s Hospital. With dreams of making a difference and helping others, our adorable pigeon doctor quickly is tested by everyone from his boss to patients and other peers at the hospital. As the 2D side-scroller paints us a picture of the impact for-profit healthcare systems can have on all involved, the juxtaposition of the game’s brush-drawn art style and topics that aren’t quite penetrated to their peak efficacy left me feeling a sense of confusion.

Beyond some light platforming, much of this narrative game is driven by text and minigames that break up your time in the hospital. None of the minigames are all that complicated but do a nice job of diversifying what you’re doing day-to-day. The bulk of the player’s journey will take place in conversations between Finley and the other residents of Porcupine. While it’s clear what the developers are aiming to say about the healthcare system and all of its incongruencies, there is not a major moment in this game where it feels like the serious topic sticks its landing.

While I commend the dev team for taking on this discourse, I don’t feel as if you’re left with a lasting impression by its ending. After 10 hours, I completed the game and largely felt like the commentary the game offered didn’t add to the discussions already taking place. Post-pandemic, we are fully aware that healthcare workers are overworked and at the mercy of a for-profit system in the United States that prioritizes profits over the people its meant to serve.

While Fall of Porcupine intends to drive home these points, it simply reiterates them with a cartoonish art style and characters that don’t infantilize the issue but also don’t represent the seriousness of the issue. The art style, with that said, is gorgeous and this game is a true beauty in nearly every scene. Its visuals just aren’t enough to distract from a missed attempt to tackle healthcare injustices and gameplay that veers toward busy work rather than enticing gameplay.

Fall of Porcupine is an average game in all of the best ways and is also the most disappointing. There’s a lot of promise in an indie title that seeks to take on issues that many mainstream games won’t, but the execution in this case just isn’t compelling. Let us know in the comments if you get a chance to check this one out!

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Fall of Porcupine

$19.99

5

Score

5.0/10

Pros

• Great visual art style
• A noble attempt at providing commentary on healthcare system injustices

Cons

• Fails to meet the mark a true social commentary game needs
• Minigames are underwhelming in between a so-so narrative
• So much more room here to nail the topic's intricacies