Review | Lumberhill

LifeisXbox’s Lumberhill review | Have you ever seen or played Overcooked, and you are looking for a game that feels the same yet different? Then you have come to the right game to check out! Today we will be taking a deeper dive into this lovely game called Lumberhill, made by the people over at 2BIGo ARP Games! It sure does look adorable, but can it live up to the crowd’s expectations? Let me tell you all about that down below!

We played Lumberhill for 6 hours on PC. This game is also available on Nintendo Switch!

What we liked!

• Co-op/remote-play | Since this is the most critical aspect in the genre, we will dive into the gameplay with friends first! And what a bit of gameplay it is. Like most similar games, this game is an absolute blast when you play it with 2 or 3 people who can communicate through voice (or IRL). I mean, where else do you shout: “I NEED MORE PANDAS!” to your significant other. That being said, the game is playable alone, but it feels 10x better with 2. Also, the game score is much more attainable when you play it with a friend since you can coordinate to move platforms, put stuff on moving objects, or just have them help carry logs you just cut. Solid co-op experience! Short notice here, if you instead be battling your friend, this option is possible too, but I find that less enjoyable in a co-op game. Also, your friends don’t even need to own the game if you invite them!
• General Gameplay | At first, the gameplay of Lumberhill felt all too familiar. Having played about 4 similar games, I could pick this up in no time. But if this would be your first entry in the genre, the gameplay is quite well explained in the mandatory tutorial! The only aspects not defined in the tutorial are the aspects you learn by playing. This being efficiency, putting ready materials, … So overall solid gameplay that actually feels like a fantastic party game!
• Music | What would a fun family party game be without some sick tunes! And I am here to tell you that Lumberhill has some great ones. Yeah, they aren’t headbangers, but they get the job done. If you ignore the music, it also just fades to the background. Which is something I can appreciate! When I am having a fantastic moment with a friend and laughing our asses off, the last thing I need is some music ruining the day! So good job here!
• Mechanics | What I actually appreciated the most was that it just isn’t a blind copy of Overcooked! Here you get more elements. For example, you can push a whole flock of pandas and sheep. If that isn’t enough, how about you can pull giant pandas with wood. If you aren’t careful, they will even eat your spoils! Oh, you need to move logs over a distance; throw them in a water stream! So many unique gameplay elements will make your gaming experience even better!
• Graphics | Here we go! Sorry, I tend to get hyped about visuals since usually, I can stand lousy game design if the game looks good. But not if the game looks terrible. Lucky for me, the game itself is excellent, and the visuals are just sublime! It even scales on ultrawide! All for that extra immersion. Now back to art; the animation and graphic style are adorable. It can look a bit childish at some moments, but that fades really quickly once you actually get into battle. And since my girlfriend requested it, you can become a sheep on the lobby screen and jump. Overall a nice visual eye candy to look at and enjoy!
• Multiplayer | Something that surprised me is that you don’t always have to have friends to have fun. You can idle in the main lobby and get notifications of other people looking for friends! Of course, you can’t shout at them this way via voice chat, but you will for sure be better off than playing alone. Not saying that isn’t fun, but I found the friend aspect more enjoyable than crunching my head on finishing tasks alone.
  

Somewhere between

• Challenges | What I found rather disappointing is the following: for each level you play, there is some extra challenge that will reward you a bonus “ax.” But most of the time, these challenges hinder your regular gameplay. And tend to be even rather impossible if you play with friends. Like, don’t use element x. That would help you. Don’t touch the water while a creek divides you and your objective. Or not build the bridge that would help you in transporting cattle over a stream. Yes, they are challenges, but they give a sour taste in your mouth when you try to complete them. So, I tend to skip these since they didn’t give that much of a bonus. And I also didn’t want to take away from my game enjoyment.

What we disliked

• Map problems | One big problem I had was related to the map Sometimes the map either felt a bit crowded, but that wasn’t the big issue. What bothered me was that I could consistently block my fellow co-player and fall off the map in certain places. Again, this is part of the challenge, but here it negatively impacted fun. Some people might enjoy these extra added challenges, but it wasn’t a positive experience for me. The getting eaten by sharks on water maps was a fun touch, though!

How long to beat the story | 8 to 10 hours (per character)
How long to achieve all achievements| 25+ hours
Similar with | Overcooked, Bake and Switch

CONCLUSION

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