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ebonysplendor · 4 months

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Mushroom Oasis (Demo) Review 🍄

TL;DR: Mychael deadass wants to be MYchael, and it gets to a point where you're so wrapped up in the wholesome, you actively ignore the red flags. Also, there's butterflies and chickens. No, we don't forage those for food.

Game Link: https://deerspherestudios.itch.io/mushroom-oasis

Notable Features: Gender Neutral MC, Reader insert, Yandere LI Spiciness: O/5 -- very wholesome, no explicit content LI Red Flags: 2/5 -- Manipulative, gaslighter

Want to know more? Well let's get into it!

Where do I start with this?

I am so overwhelmed with how good this game is. Let's get into the general aesthetics of the game. When I tell you that it's so satisfyingly pretty, I don't think you really get it. The art style is so captivating like...I can't explain it, but you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. It's something straight out of a children's storybook. It's so whimsical and so cozy and so...like look at this.

LOOK AT THIS.

These are the woods that we get lost in. I understand that we were supposed to be nervous for our life in this frame, but look at the scenery! And if you think that looks pretty, just look at this man Mychael's HOUSE.

He really said that this could be us all day, everyday. He done made his house into a home. And don't get me started on his garden area.

Ugh, I could literally go on and on about how much I loved the art style in this game. I am literally obsessed. Enough about that though, let's get into the real deal: the game.

I'm really excited about the development of this game, so bear with me. I'm going to give as much detail without giving away the story because I NEED you to play this for yourself, and I don't want to take its charm away by telling you exactly what happened. Trust me, it's so worth it! Remember though: it's just a demo.

So, boom, this whole thing kicks off because we lost our cat.

Obviously, we have to go looking for our family, so we take off one day and pretty much raw-dog it in these woods, but we had a little bit of sense -- we brought a compass. It proves to be useless though because, tell me why, as soon as we get lost, it gets lost, too. Like lmao what?

It's no big deal though because this kind stranger comes along and takes care of us. This stranger's name is Mychael. Say "hey" to the bae, everybody.

Hey, boo~!

All right, so we're chilling in his house, and he makes us some bomb food with some tea but...things get a little awkward at dinner. We basically find out that the spelling of Mychael's name isn't the only thing about him that's different -- it's actually him that's different, too. This is bae though, so, we just accept him for who he is because the man is so sweet ... then again, I'm not entirely sure if these are our own thoughts right now, but he does feel safe, and he isn't exactly treating us bad. Like, the man gave us his bed to sleep in while he just made camp on the floor. Talk about a gentleman.

So, the next day comes along, and he's pretty excited because, not only are we here to enjoy the next day with him, he has a surprise for us. Okay bet! We get ready in a, surprisingly, nice bathroom with some more than decent plumbing, enjoy some bomb food once again (courtesy of Mychael, thanks bae), and head on out. We see his garden and, oh my gosh, he has chickens!! Look at this cutie with his chicken.

LOOK AT HIM

But as cute as he is ... we still haven't found our cat. Unfortunately, we kind've had to remind him we had to go home because at the end of the day, he hasn't put a ring on it, we have a whole job, and yeah, gots to go. Of course, he's sad about this, and he's like "Well, let me just show you this one other thing, and I promise, I'll take you straight home!" Mychael is literally as wholesome as they come at this point -- how could one refuse? Then again, are we even able to refuse him...?

So, yeah, we go with him, and it is so worth it because where he took us was so magical! There are no words to describe the beauty of where he took us. I'm so tempted to show you guys, but I don't want to ruin more than I already have. I won't leave you hanging though! Just picture this clearing with all these butterflies and flowers and just the absolutely perfect amount of sunlight to set the whole "this place is amazing!" mood and just the right amount of shade to enjoy it all in. If you're picturing it correctly, that scenery should be on point, and you should feel an instant sense of calm and awe mixed into one.

Aside from that though, as nice as this was, we still had to get home. So, we remind him -- for, like, the third time -- "Hey, I really need to head out", because granted, the man knows this forest, but we still didn't want to run the risk of it getting dark and us walking around in it for however long it takes us to get back. Here's where it starts to get weird...

If it wasn't obvious, Mychael is laying down the rizz somewhat thick. He may not understand the concept of cosplay or family or even how it's "mama mia" and not "maummer mee-ya", but he knows how to woo a person! or at least manipulate them Like, he is putting in work to be MYchael, you feel me? So much so, he just brushes off that whole speech about us needing to go home, and instead, just tells us to relax. I don't know what it is about that man, but ooh, his voice. You just can't say "no" sometimes! So, we do. We relax, and frankly, feel kind've sleepy because we are so relaxed. Mychael seizes opportunity and starts showing off his musical skillz. Man's literally serenading -- well, more specifically lulling -- us, playing the most calmest of tunes on his little instrument. Everything just feels so nice, relaxing, and safe... oh shit!

We snap awake. We done fell asleep on this man, which is cute and all, but we have to get home neow! Mychael stops playing games finally, and for real, for real starts to take us home. Before we get too far though, we stop at a creek so we can freshen up. We catch a glimpse of Mychael in our reflection, and he catches a glimpse of us which makes him look at himself, and...the reaction was so heartbreaking yet so relateable.

You know how sometimes when you look in the mirror, all you see is your flaws, and it gives you (hopefully, only) a brief sense of ick? Well, his was past that. It was completely self-loathing in that look, and nu-uh, we do not support Mychael slander in this household! So, now it's our time to turn on the charm, and...we may have laid it too thick and too well because now he's blushing, we're blushing, and then he whispers something to himself, and now Mr. Righteous comes out.

Now, he's determined to try to find our cat (...lmao), but he's like "That means you've gotta stay for another day, though!" with this really intense look on his face. Once again -- and for like the fifth time now! The man is sweet, but he has a poor concept of "no means no" -- we're like "That's sweet, but I gots to go". Boom. We start feeling sick, real sick. Like, we had this weird feeling before while we had been hanging out with him, but now it's intense, and it literally takes us down. Mychael had to catch us or else we were gonna hit the ground. So, now, we don't have a choice. We had to go back with Mychael. We's in the thick of it now bois ... AND THEN THE DEMO ENDED!! AUGH!!

DEVESTATED. I. was. DEVESTATED. Lol it was getting so good! Like, you know how you know the demo is coming to the end, but you're hoping there's just a touch more afterwards? That's how I was feeling. It was getting so good, and I wanted to see more! Hell, it IS good, and I WANT to see more!

So far, so great! I'm really excited to see what Day 3 brings us! I understand that Mychael is toxic or whatever, but he's just lonely and a little weird looking. I can fix him!

Honestly speaking though, with how sweet he is, you genuinely don't even feel like he's "ugly" or "scary" looking anymore. His gentle personality and literal down-to-earth nature completely overtakes his looks. He honestly isn't even bad looking! He really is cute in that other-worldly, fantasy being kind of way. But if I saw him in real life, there's a good chance I probably would've freaked out and get the bad ending lol

But, no, seriously, this game is fantastic! This is such a fun experience so far, and the story is really captivating! Just a little tip from me, be sure that when you play through, you pay attention to those text color changes! It helps bring some understanding/context to the story as to what's going on/happening around you.

Fair warning, the "yandere" element isn't showing too much yet, but you can tell that it's just a pacing thing, of which I think is being executed just right! I guess you could consider this to be a slow burn type of story, but because it's so fitting, it doesn't feel like slow pacing at all. If you were planning to jump right into the psycho, crazy Mychael as soon as you were at home with him and made it aware you wanted to leave, it's going to seem slow, but if you don't mind the build up to the plot, even prefer it, this will be great to you. For me, the build up is doing the story justice as there's not really a dull moment. The pace that the dev is going is purposeful, and it's not just slow for the sake of being slow.

That being said, I think I'll end my raving here! Really anticipating what the developer is coming out with next, and I can't wait to see just how far Mychael is willing to go for the sake of companionship. If you're contemplating trying this game out, stop contemplating and just play it! It is so worth it, and you will find yourself just as excited as I am for the full release! Be sure to leave your comments on the dev's page if you feel like they're doing a good job, and you want to give them that extra reassurance. Of course, donations are always helpful to them as well! Like mentioned at the top, here is the link to the game if you'd like to try it out yourself! I highly recommend that you do. It really is a great game.

That's all from me! Drink water, don't be dumb, and hope to see you around! Until next time~!

Mushroom Oasis Game Link and Page

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