Hey there, folks!
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I have to admit, I'm a bit guilty of being an early adopter of Tiny Bunny. Luckily, I didn't write a review for the incomplete project, because the ending totally changed my perspective! If I were to rate it on December 4th, I'd give it 5 out of 5, but on December 5th, after the finale, I felt a bit embarrassed for the creators, and here's why...
Tiny Bunny (Зайчик)Where to download? Get it on Steam
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Story:
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The late 90s, a family moves to a remote village.
My protagonist, Anton, is 12 years old, has a younger sister Olya, and parents on the brink of divorce. In the new school, he's not exactly welcomed, and to make things worse, children start disappearing one by one.
It's during this time that he meets a mysterious fox and other magical forest dwellers, who call him the new Bunny. But what lies beneath these events?
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My take:
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Let's get real, Tiny Bunny isn't even a visual novel, as there's barely any interaction, and often, it's a choice without a choice (my personal favorite, though). However, we fell in love with the game for its atmosphere, its creepy yet lo-fi story about Russian North, the 90s, and so on.
I really enjoyed Tiny Bunny, but you know why I waited for the finale and didn't write a glowing review like many others? The game has a certain charm, but it's not without its flaws.
At first, I fell in love with this game, just like many others. It's a body horror game with 90s references: Dandy, Turbo, the poverty of Russian North... That already sends shivers down your spine.
The story expertly balances the line between being lo-fi and creepy. We're watching VHS tapes, playing skrimer... You name it. The story really drew me in, wondering if it's a serial killer, some kind of mysticism, or if the boy has mental issues. Fans were building theories, and they were pretty complex.And the text sometimes felt like it was referencing Siberian mythology, which is really unique. In short, the project had huge potential.
But even when I started playing, I had my doubts... This is basically a long-term project! The game was being developed for almost 10 years, and we're still only on episode 5 with minimal choices...And the final part was made over 2 years ago... Think about it!
But they were actively selling merchandise all this time 🤨
So, what's the end result?
Everyone was waiting for answers: the detective part, the backstory of the creatures, what happened to Hariton, Grandma Anton, and a bunch of other mysteries.
And in the end, we got 20 different endings! But they're so bizarre and illogical, it's just ridiculous (sorry, can't spoil it, but it's just madness with no setup). I wanted to know the backstory of Hariton's puppet theater? - oh, forgot about that, oops. And it's like that with everythingBut what we do get is a whole lot of trash and gore for the sake of gore. I'm not opposed to mature themes in a game, but... In my opinion, the trash in the final part should be connected somehow
And also, visual novels by definition are meant to be a journey... and there's no real progression here. I mean, I was playing as Alice, and when I reached the final part, she was just gone (later I replayed the whole thing, and often there's no logic in the story)
In an attempt to make the game more gruesome, the authors went over the edge of sanity imho. They introduced a saga involving a dog named Zhulya, which is just a single, non-graphic scene lasting about half a minute... Apparently, the authors forgot that Alice loved this dog.Oh, and they also forgot about the promise of a Katya storyline, even released a manga, and then just dropped it. And they also promised a bunch of mini-games, yeah sure now.And what was in the story? Sorry, but it was like a fever dream with a 40°C temperature. And the writing? Forget about it, it's like they just threw it together in a rush, with plenty of grammatical errors and awkward sentence structures.
I've got to say something about the animation in episode 5. I'm no commentator from Ira's Podcast, so I won't make any claims about it. But the style is all over the place, there are plenty of weird moments, whether it's intentional or just the author's style, I don't know. Some scenes look strange, some look like a mess, and it really sticks out from the rest of the episodes.
Adult Olya is completely face-palming me
Zaychik 5 series That's why all this is in a story that players loved for its atmosphere. I'm not even going to comment on how they messed up the plot, I'm just in shock... And the authors' responses to criticism really got to me... 'you're playing it wrong'
PS: On December 8th, the authors acknowledged their mistakes and promised to fix many of the issues. I can only commend them for their courage, and I'm waiting for the revised version
✅ Atmosphere
✅ Nostalgia for the 90s
✅ Concept
✅ Beautiful illustration style
✅ Episodes 1-4
❌ Episode 5 - the finale
❌ Failed to close their own story arcs
❌ Abrupt change in art style
❌ My dog's sleep and gibberish at 40 degrees
❌ Weird, fetishized violence. I don't mind horror, but what was in episode 5 is something you have to read for yourself to understand the feeling that they were up to some weird stuff while describing certain moments, it reads like a cringeworthy sensation
Verdict:
That's how it goes sometimes. Overhyped. But I can't give the game a good score when the authors failed to wrap up their own storyline.
I'm glad I waited for the finale before funding the creators again
Thanks for reading