Rhi Axtell – Writer

I am drawn back to my blog because the Welsh weather is doing that Welsh weather thing again.

When I am inside, the sky is blue and the sun is shining and the world is perfect. By the time I have reached my front door, however, the sky is grey and it is raining and there is a possibility that the apocalypse might be just around the corner. I return inside gloomily, and guess what? The sun is back. The world is perfect and I’ve just taken off my shoes.

Anyway, I have failed to do that golden blogging rule of ‘get to the point in the first paragraph’. I assume most of you have left by now so I can write about anything without judgement.

Let’s talk about my current favourite game of the moment:

Assemble with Care

Assemble with Care sometimes feels less like a game, and more like being hugged and having someone tell you a story before bed.

To summerise, the game is a short puzzle/story game where you play as Maria, an antique restorer, who has arrived in the town of Bellariva to ply her trade. Maria meets some of the towns residents and learns about their stories as she fixes a variety of objects – without once having to buy a part from Amazon. Impressive.

Each puzzle – where you repair an object – is spaced between short artistic scenes where Maria and the characters talk to each other. The poignant and heartfelt story moves forward over fixed, painted scenes. The voice acting is perfect to close your eyes and listen to (although if you do, you’ll miss the beautiful painted scenes so KEEP THOSE EYES OPEN).

Clocking in at a whopping 2 hours in length*, this story is short and sweet. I do, however, encourage everyone to play the game slowly. Really relish those puzzles. Unscrew each screw with purpose. Attach every wire with gusto. Clip every – you get the idea.

*about as long as my afternoon nap.

I will admit that the controls are a bit fiddly. It can range between a passable annoyance to a frustrating effort. I only found myself grumping out once because I kept putting the object down instead of spinning it but it was enough to make me want to stop playing for a little while.

I also played this on my computer, by the way. It might handle better on a phone – Assemble with Care is also on Apple Arcade if you use that.

I found that the best time to play was when I was feeling a bit anxious, or the world felt a bit out of control. One level at a time, with the soft soundtrack, and simple puzzles just helped put everything back into the right place.

If only fixing things was so easy in real life.

Although, I admit, I’m looking at my old gameboy colour now and wondering to myself… could I fix that?

Even the Welsh weather cannot dampen my spirits with this cosy game around. Playing Assemble with Care felt like a breath of fresh air – even if it was a really small breath.