Orwell's Animal Farm

 PC
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Hey Poor Player
    Jan 25, 2021
    80
    After playing Orwell’s Animal Farm, I found myself gobbling up every analysis I could find on the original work and ultimately settling into bed with a copy of the book found online. From the subversion of politics through the subversion of language and logic to reducing complex ideals to meaningless catchphrases, it was truly eye-opening just how Orwellian the past few years have been — although not the way in which the word has been thrown around after January 6th. The team’s unique history with totalitarianism made them competent candidates for the game version of this compelling allegorical tale, and I find myself still trying to wrap my head around the experience with these additional layers of context. If you’re looking for an incredibly memorable and surprisingly emotional refresher on this all-too important story, look no further than Orwell’s Animal Farm.
  2. Adventure Gamers
    Jan 20, 2021
    80
    Orwell’s Animal Farm is a very good reimagining of the famous novel, staying true to the spirit of the dystopic Republic of the Animals. Though it lacks the kind of puzzles and gameplay to make it a full-fledged adventure, it’s a must-play for those who would enjoy a well-executed exploration of a classic novel.
  3. GameSkinny
    Dec 10, 2020
    80
    Orwell's Animal Farm faithfully recreates and even reinvents the classic allegory at a time when it's never been more relevant for some players.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 2 out of 6
  1. iseeall
    Mar 20, 2021
    3
    An attempt at a tycoon game while also forcing the player to fail to fit the book's plot.

    Good: - well, at least it may be a way to get    An attempt at a tycoon game while also forcing the player to fail to fit the book's plot.

    Good:
    - well, at least it may be a way to get the younger generation learn about the Orwell's book "Animal Farm".

    So-so:
    - the graphics and the music are okay. Nothing spectacular though

    Bad:
    - it may look like a tycoon game to you at first, where you need to optimize your decisions and strive to keep the food supply sufficient, the mood high etc. However, by year 5 the farm just falls apart through no fault of yours. And by year 6 there are no available actions left apart form "sing" and "cheer". I had to drop the game when, in year 6, the game literally showed no available actions. That's effectively game end.
    - the game totally fails to deliver the book's message, or any message at all. E.g. I've managed to build the windmill but then human neighbors attacked the farm, and destroyed the windmill. Given that story, one would have to say that the USSR was a great country and only failed because the evil West attacked it or at least strangled it with sanctions and the nuclear threat. Ridiculous. Similarly, by day 5 there were simply no animals remaining who would want to do any work. Hens, sheep, cows - these all just weren't on the yard anymore and couldn't be assigned tasks. The last animal to do any work (planting seeds) was actually a pig! Which totally contradicts the book's idea that pigs became lazy and never did any work
    - animals are constantly "tired'. This begs the question: "if they are constantly tired now when they don't need to feed a human, how didn't they get mortally tired when a human was exploiting them?"
    - there are plot inconsistencies. E.g. I let the dogs run away on day 3. Still, on day 6 the story mentions dogs arresting the Clower horse.
    - for many actions, the result is unclear, and the action itself is just one word. I didn't bother to reload and just tried those actions out to see what they do. This all made the gameplay feel random and meaningless.

    I'd say that the designers of this game took an impossible task: to take a political book with a linear story and turn it into something that, at least to a gamer, looks like a tycoon or farm management game. The thing is, tycoon games ARE about central planning, just on a scale of a single company (run authoritatively by a CEO, in an environment of a free market economy). But this game has to "prove that communism is bad" by cheating against the player and forcing him to fail.

    Oh yeah, and just to be clear: I'm a Russian, and I still remember the USSR as a child. And I've read the "Animal Farm" book a few times: first time at school and then a couple times in English as an adult. And I hate communism. And I run my own business and hate all the leftist madness that's plaguing the West right now.

    Gee, what a mess of a game.    … Full Review »
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