One particular type of game that has swept gamers by storm is the “cozy” variety. This genre aims to eliminate the stress and urgency that most games possess making for a relaxing way to simmer down or remove the anxiety that the real world has. My partner even watched a “Wholesome Direct” last month chock-full of these games. One such title was Flutter Away, which immediately sealed the deal for me when I saw a capybara I could interact with. Getting to take photos of butterflies was just the icing on the cake. How does this cozy game fare?

I’m all for short-form games. They tend to stick in my head more than a 50-hour open-world checklist. That’s why when the press kit told me Flutter Away takes an hour to complete, I knew I’d be able to capture everything it had to offer. Growing up with Pokemon Snap and recently playing Pupperazzi, I knew taking some pics would be a breeze. I was able to take the game at a nice, easy pace on a boring Sunday. This game takes place across 5 days where you are tasked with discovering 3 new species of butterfly each day, as well as tracking down some flora, wildlife, and other things to progress.

There are three main trails to explore within Flutter Away, but they don’t take up too much space. I don’t mind this condensed rainforest, as it meant I didn’t spend too much time wondering where to go when I was stuck on a single task. It was particularly hard to navigate the rainstorm on day 4 though. There were no graphics options to fiddle with and the world was a little too dark for me. Nevertheless, it’s not a particularly demanding title since it opts to go easy on the eyes with vibrant colors and simple graphics.

Learning about the butterflies in Flutter Away was a treat. The 15 different species were logged in the journal and the game actually requires you to lure them to get an up-close look. While a lot of textures in the game are a bit pixel-y, the wings of the butterflies were neat to inspect. The highlight of Flutter Away was interacting with the capybara, though. The camaraderie with one of the cutest animals in the world was the driving force from start to finish and I was thrilled to see it pay off in day 5 with a special surprise.

Spending $13 for a one-hour game might not sound appealing, but the obvious counterpoint is that you can pet the capybara in Flutter Away. In all seriousness, this is a solid cozy game that lacks some polish but accomplishes what it needs to for low-key players to have a great time. I can picture this game dropping below $10 on a sale and that might be when the price is right. In the meantime, Flutter Away has enough going for it that it wouldn’t be regrettable at full price if you were as keen to play it as I was at first sight.

A PC review copy of Flutter Away was provided by Runaway Play for this review.

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Flutter Away

12.99

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Great Environment
• No Stress
• Capybara Steals the Show

Cons

• Over In a Flash
• Finnicky Controls
• No Graphics Options