This scratches that itch of collecting and exploring. Super cute game, with an interesting story to boot!
I played the demo for about an hour and a half before I decided to buy it; if you're still doubting, don't be afraid to play the demo first, it gives you enough content to decide whether this game is for you.

A really grindy, somewhat complex, but very rewarding game.
Mudborne is a puzzle and frog-breeding sim that’s perfect for achievement hunters and frog enthusiasts – lol.

As someone who’s both, I had a great time. Sometimes I struggled, especially at the beginning, because the game can be quite complex in parts.
But I never reached a point where it felt too difficult or made me want to stop playing.

I also connected with other players on Discord, which was a really nice bonus.

Overall: a complex, grindy game with fair achievements that makes the grind feel worth it. 8.5/10

as a huge fan of apico, i was absolutely stoked for mudborne to come out and i wasn't disappointed.

mudborne is another fantastic experience; the frog breeding is extremely satisfying, and the mechanics are different from those of apico and i believe are more beginner-friendly (so if apico's breeding system was daunting, start here!). nevertheless it was so much fun to find every breed and variant through trial and error and mashing mushrooms together. the mushroom mechanics are also an absolute joy - the maths is straightforward but sometimes i was really scratching my head to figure out combinations and having proper eureka moments when i did!

mudborne is rich with a storyline and lore, and i really enjoyed actually following the storyline all the way to it's conclusion. the goals are all clearly set out but it's not like you can make a mistake - often exploring and getting a bit lost led you to more scrapbooks, chests and goodies and little hidden parts of the maps.

the art?? absolutely beautiful. i'm a huge fan of pixel art games anyway and mudborne is visually stunning. the UIs and menus are once again, magnificent, and i played through the game using a controller and only hit a couple of snags (for example, if hopping along the lilypads and i wanted to interact with an object or machine, it wasn't really possible as the interact button (A) mapped to another lilypad, rather than the object, but controllers are less free-moving then MKB anyway). these snags were barely an issue though and it was super quick and easy to quickly change to MKB in game, then change back, so it's not really an issue and the game is definitely playable with a controller. the game is extremely polished anyway - i don't think i came across any bugs personally and i played it on release - but regardless, the developer is extremely helpful and quick and rolling bug fixes out, and is very active in the discord.

all in all, another fantastic experience and game; a perfect mix of adventure, puzzle, and a unique 'farming' aspect in the breeding and mushroom harvesting. it's cosy but it's unique from the other games usually found within this genre - i couldn't recommend it enough!