Apple Arcade review #102: Guildlings
This is actually my second attempt at reviewing Guildlings. The first time around, a week or two after starting this project, I wasn’t able to get into the game, and I felt it was unfair to review it. After all, it’s a nice game, a friendly game. It’s pretty and well-written with a distinct personality, obviously made by developers who cared a lot, and I didn’t want to write anything negative based on first impressions. So I left it for later, and now it’s much, much later, and I tried picking it up again, and—
No. No, I’m really sorry, but I don’t like playing Guildlings. I don’t know if it’s the combat system, which I found tedious, or the walking around tapping on things to see if they’ll do something, or sometimes holding my finger on something to see if that will do something, or the endless tasks I have to cross off a list like I’m running errands, and for each item I cross off another is added to the list, or the hunting for objects which are sometimes obscured by my finger as I guide my little guy around.
I haven’t gotten very far — just getting out of the house at the start of the game took a long time and was a bit of an ordeal — so I don’t know if the game changes and opens up, but I decided I’m not going to give it more time.
And I feel terrible about that! Because it is in so many ways a nice game. It’s got quirky characters and funny dialogue, and everything fits nicely together. But it’s just not enjoyable to play.
Sorry, Guildlings: I gave it a shot, two shots!, but this relationship was just not meant to be.