Caring for animals can be a thankless task. You must clean them, feed them, and offer them shelter. Occasionally, they’ll reward you with love and affection. However, they can be aloof and unsociable. Fortunately, Bunny Park takes away all the hassle of having animals, as all you must do is make their environment attractive, cute, and cosy.
Developed by Cozy Bee Games and published by SOEDESCO, this is a chilled-out park building title. Its laid-back approach lets players relax as time ticks away. Consequently, you’ll waste hours cleaning, renovating, and attracting each of the runaway rabbits. Thankfully, it requires little skill, and accordingly, it can be enjoyed by a whole range of players.
Bunny Park has no story.
Unlike other simulation/park-building games, Bunny Park has no story! As such, you are free to go about your business with few limitations. Now, this may seem pointless, but its lack of direction was refreshing. Instead of having to respond to multiple requests, you decide your own goals and when you wish to complete them.
Though no demands are made of you, there is a goal to aim towards. You are given a small piece of land that once housed 25 rabbits. Unfortunately, this place is now rundown, and the bunnies have fled. With a little care and a watchful eye, you can attract each creature back to its rightful home. To do this, all you must do is clean up, plant food, and place attractive structures.
Relax and watch the world go by.
The early game is a little frustrating. Money is hard to come by and your rabbits demand plenty of snacks. As such, this isn’t relaxing, and it feels a bit of a grind. Yet, once you overcome the early hurdles, the rest of the game is a breeze. You see, money is awarded by cleaning up debris, or collecting golden rings that are found by each resident. If you clean up enough junk or collect enough rings, you can expand the park, buy some decorations, or invest in butterflies.
The butterflies are a clever way to incorporate automation into this cute and simple title. If you don’t invest wisely, Bunny Park will become tedious and dull. However, if you utilise the butterflies correctly, they will clean your grounds and collect every ring going. This was phenomenal, as it allows you to focus on improving the cute and cosy levels.
By placing decorative items, food, trees, and more, you will make your park more desirable. In turn, this will attract more rabbits, and you’ll earn more cash. Subsequently, it’s a win-win, albeit a bit of a time-sink, nonetheless. If you so wish, you can leave your park running in the background. With no elements of risk or danger, the only rewards are masses of gold and the introduction of new bunnies to the fold.
A disappointing glitch.
One of the key components of Bunny Park is its seasonal approach. As the game drags on, the seasons are supposed to change. Now, this may seem minor, but it isn’t. The developers created this mechanic to add more variety to the action. Furthermore, the decorative items reflect the season you are in. Accordingly, my game was stuck in Autumn, so my park was awash with season-specific decor.
It was disappointing that this issue ruined the gameplay. Without a larger variety of items to purchase, I lost interest very quickly. Consequently, my decorating skills look haphazard at best, and eye-wateringly bad at worse. I’m sure this is a simple fix and the developers will patch the problem out ASAP.
Bunny Park looks cute as a button.
Thanks to the soft pastel tones and simple sprites, Bunny Park is nice to look at. What’s more, the lack of danger, fire, or blood made for a refreshing change of pace. I adored the presentation as it was as cute as a button. However, the janky camera angle occasionally spoiled the moment. Unfortunately, it was difficult to view your entire park, and this led to jerky and nauseating moments.
If you can cope with the visuals, you’ll live to enjoy some wholesome music. Bunny Park creates a beautiful atmosphere with his rich and touching audio. Like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, you’ll enjoy a non-offensive soundtrack with a laid-back touch. This is then complemented by some excellent but unobtrusive sound effects.
Slow and clumsy controls.
Bunny Park has been ported from PC and it shows. Sadly, the controls didn’t work particularly well with a controller, and this was annoying. The cursor is slow and arduous, collecting the rings is hit and miss, and the cursor is too big and lacks accuracy. In short, it is a pig to operate, but this matters not. Fortunately, the slow and laid-back gameplay enables you to take your time, and this was lucky. Subsequently, it won’t frustrate you too much, though it should have been better.
The early gaming moments are by far the most challenging. Once this is overcome, the action flows by itself with minor issues. As such, both the longevity and replay value are reduced. Furthermore, the lack of additional seasons impacts your design choices. As a consequence, once you finish the game, you won’t return for more.
Bunny Park is a relaxing time sink.
Bunny Park appeals to your creative side with its relaxing approach. Accordingly, the lack of decorations undermines its full potential. If the developers can patch this problem, the game will be vastly improved. In its current state, it is nice to play, but it lacks depth. However, I still enjoyed it and I recommend you buy it here! Can you improve your park and rescue the rabbits? Clean up, invest, and plant some tasty vegetables.
