The Wholesome Direct back in June of 2022 provided a lot of games to be excited for. One that was on my radar was Bilkins’ Folly. It stuck in the back of my head thanks to its charming pixel aesthetic and seafaring vibes that looked like a great time. Now, more than a year later, the game is ready and raring to go after a lengthy development from Webbysoft. Can this game capture the heart and whimsy of its inspirations like Monkey Island, or is it a bust?

In Bilkins’ Folly, you take on the role of treasure hunter Percy, who is going solo after the loss of his mother. He has inherited the family dog Drayton who plays a bigger part than just being a loyal, faithful, lovable pet that you can interact with (and pet). Very quickly, you’re shipwrecked after a massive storm and are forced to navigate a desolate island where you’ll need to put your treasure-hunting skills to use just to survive. Luckily, Percy’s intuition and the wide variety of tools in his arsenal make this a cinch if you have a keen eye and a knack for adventure.

If you want to solve the puzzles that Bilkins’ Folly presents, you’re going to wrack your brain if you’re not making use of every little tip and trick Bilkins’ Folly gives you. You can review cryptic treasure maps with the C key, take a look at the entire map (with a well-scouted legend) with the M key, and navigate lengthy notes within the journal with the J key. You’ll also be digging a lot, usually with the help of Drayton’s inquisitive nose that can sniff out little trinkets and other goodies. All in all, the treasure-hunting system in Bilkins’ Folly is sound and well put together.

It’s a shame, then, that the puzzles in Bilkins’ Folly are so painfully dumbfounding that the gameplay becomes tedious and unfulfilling in no time. You can ask for help at various points, but the “help” is so painstakingly obvious and not actually helpful that the puzzles are hard stops in the fun unless you want to consult a walkthrough or a guide.

As you can imagine, this completely defeats the purpose of puzzle-solving. With such sparse context clues and no guidance toward the end goal, the “aha!” moments are few and far in-between, whereas in other puzzlers they’re abundant and rewarding.

It doesn’t take much for a puzzle game to win over fans. All it takes is to stump the player and require them to utilize every tool and think outside the box to solve them. It’s sad to report that for a baseline player, this isn’t realized within Bilkins’ Folly. The foundation is perfectly set and the aesthetic is nailed.

However, if the core gameplay is as much of a slog as it is here, it’s not going to win over many players who get irrevocably stuck within the 2-hour refund window. The lack of accessibility options is also a baffling decision while being marketed to wholesome gamers. Overall Bilkins’ Folly gets the hard pass.

A PC review code for Bilkins’ Folly was provided by Armor Games Studios for the purpose of our review.

Bilkins' Folly

19.99

5

Score

5.0/10

Pros

• Harmonious Soundtrack
• Delightful Pixel Art

Cons

• Baffling Puzzles
• Severe Lack of Guidance
• No Accessibility