Mushroom 11 (PC) Review

A lot of people say that it's lazy to explain something by comparing it to other things, but Mushroom 11 definitely begs for it, at least in the art department. It combines the paper-esque, DIY art style of And Yet it Moves with a simple, gritty beauty like that found in Machinarium. Okay, comparison hour is over.

Regardless, it's beautiful. The fluid animation is absolutely gorgeous, and the levels are dripping with an eerie aesthetic that showcases the world perfectly, a world that is clearly in the middle of a cataclysmic event that is leaving it in a shambles, and the art is ideal for that.

Playing Mushroom 11 is fairly simple: using the mouse, parts of the titular mushroom must be erased, effectively causing it to grow in the opposite direction. It's hard to deny that it's fun, at first. Watching the mushroom move forward is magically mysterious and is one of, arguably, the most interesting game mechanics to grace the genre in a while.

This, of course, adds to the puzzle aspect. Figuring out how to manipulate the mushroom is clearly the intention, and it's where the game starts to lose some of its charm. While this definitely falls into the "sublimely fun to figure out once it's solved" category of puzzlers, the answer is often too trial-and-error to be enjoyable. Quickly dashing across rooftops is exhilarating, yet it comes to a point where moving isn't as simple as erasing the mushroom. There's clearly a formula at play, and it seems a bit too easy to miss, and, frankly, hard to predict, in order to continue being a blast.

The soundtrack is pretty simple, yet not in a bad or good way. The sci-fi, almost small, orchestral soundtrack is pleasing, but it does little to jump out and strike the senses. As interesting as the gameplay can be, and as brilliant as the artwork is, this music aspect does merely falls flat.

Where does this leave Mushroom 11, then? It's stunning in the art department and very interesting, if not cumbersome, in the gameplay stakes. The music is never bad, nor is it stand-out. The controls are definitely amusing, but the random movements the mushroom tends to make really detracts from the fun. Mushroom 11 isn't a chore to play, so much as it's frustrating trying to get to the moments of excitement. While some will find enjoyment in slowly figuring out the gameplay on the fly, it can often feel too random to really grow on many others.