Oh, words cannot express how amazingly feel-good it is to play Flutter Away. This short nature exploration game is the perfect blend of education, visual treasure, and calming narrative. I want to curl up in the game and simply sit with its beauty. In a world filled with high-action/adventure games, I am so happy to see the appreciation for soothing gameplay as well. There has always been room for games like this, but the popularity has grown post-COVID Lockdowns. It’s almost as if we finally surpassed the social roadblock about video games and realised the diverse usefulness of all kinds of games. If you loved the storytelling in Unpacking and the gentle quests of Cozy Grove, then grab your camera for a five-day camping trip (or 30-minute gameplay) of Flutter Away.
What is Flutter Away?
Brand new out-of-the-box download, Flutter Away is a short first-person exploration game from Runaway Play (NZ). It’s set in the Amazon Rainforest, based on a five-day fieldwork trip to observe and record the butterflies and moths (plus other flora and fauna). It’s smooth and simple, offering up sweet moments of joy across a range of tasks. You’re into photography? Great! Your task today is to take a photo of the waterfall; make it as visually complex as you like! Curious to learn about butterflies? Fantastic! Read all about the ‘Dazzling Nightfighter’ with its cool pro wrestler name.
The primary focus is photography and observation. Each day starts with about eight (8) tasks; four (4) during the day and four (4) during the night. The tasks include documenting new butterfly or moth species by exploring further afield each day. When you discover a butterfly, you can catch it on a stick and turn it around for a full inspection. The level of detail in this action is amazing, and you can absolutely respect the amount of research collected for this game. It reminded me a lot of the tabletop game, Fluttering Souls published by Good Games Publishing.
The five-day fieldwork duration is perfectly paced, allowing a lot of exploration within the game. It is not open-world, so you will be limited to tracks and trails. However, the luxury of time in doing so is part of the peace within the game. Same for the day-night transitions. While they are triggered by certain actions, they are never forced or pushed, allowing the room to appreciate both the game and your playtime.
Take Notes: This is How You Develop A Great Game
The key feature of this game is your notebook. Every observation, every task, is noted in your diary. This is also where you learn about your character, with each entry showing a little more of their personality. It’s also a lovely place to express emotional energy with enthusiastic narrative and sweet illustrations. I’m aiming for this kind of vibe in my travel diaries.
What I really liked about the notebook is the opportunity to personalise it every so slightly. At the end of each day, you can select your fave photo to keep in the diary. To be fair, all photos are kept, but this one is the special highlight for the day. On Day 2, I fully embraced this extra feature and spent more time lining up the best shot. I almost wish there was some way to print out the diary to keep as a physical memento. And then I realised that would be a waste of paper, and I can just revisit the game again next Sunday afternoon (guess what I’m doing tomorrow).
A Learning Tool for Real-Life Research Experiences
The whole game is inspired by real fieldwork. Naturally, it has a bit of artistic licence with it, but the soul is the same. EG Sinister spent a week in July at Winter School doing fieldwork for Earth and Environmental Science. He watched me play Flutter Away but opted not to play because “it was pretty much the same thing, and I still need to debrief!” Strangely though, he seemed happy to check out my progress and share some tips at random moments. *sigh* I didn’t mind–it simply supported my view that Flutter Away is great for video gameschooling.
Science, as both a subject and a profession, is made up of a lot of observation and even more documentation. I mean, A LOT. Flutter Away has absolutely nailed this aspect perfectly and created a game to suit any science studies. For primary school age, the game allows for short snappy tasks, working with literacy and visual matching skills. Students have a given list of tasks and can learn a little bit about the environment around them at each step along the way.
High school students can benefit from a little more attention to detail. While the science benefits are still fairly apparent, Flutter Away also offers a launch pad for further research in Geography, Global Studies (years 9/10), and Earth and Environmental Science (years 11/12). The diary entries reveal facts about both flora and fauna in the area. It also rewards you for exploring a bit deeper into the environment. For example, poison dart frogs like to hide amongst the bromeliads. Capybaras like to shake the fruit from trees (and need a little help from time to time). Sometimes you have to lift a leaf to see.
On an extra note, the controls for Flutter Away are very easy to master. Younger kids will have no issue. My review copy was on the Nintendo Switch and encountered no bugs, delays, or issues. Better still, the camera element is not overly sensitive–meaning you don’t need pinpoint precision to satisfy the tasks. I also love the sound design and the soft aesthetics with imagery. There are moments when sounds are instigated from movement or time transitions, tempting you to explore further. It’s a nice touch and very realistic. The visuals are also filled with cues to catch your attention, such as gradient light transitions or shadows across paths. The general aesthetic is not too-realistic, using slightly muted colours and a softer edge to detail. I am actually quite grateful for this because I think making it too hyper-realistic would detract from the calm soothing atmosphere it was going for. You can still achieve real learning benefits without relying on overly real imagery.
This Little Game is Just Right
Flutter Away achieves everything it promises and maybe a little more. It’s a quick and peaceful game created to share a little bit of nature with you. There are no flashy action scenes or stressful puzzles to solve. There are no major consequences for your action; it is explained from the beginning with a clearly defined purpose. In fact, everything has a soothing feel to it. Maybe that is the only unrealistic element of this fieldwork: because we all know fieldwork never runs that smoothly. The only element I would change is to allow some independent note-taking during the day. An opportunity to add your own personal note about your favourite highlight. But that might hinder the reveal of your ‘character’ within the narrative. Hmmm, I’m left undecided on this point and will simply love the game in its original format.
I am really quite glad the developers didn’t try to add more or create an extra day. I think they have hit the sweet spot with both time and expectations. I can see myself revisiting this game, maybe not every day, but definitely as a chill-out zone on quiet days. I know the spawnlings will also benefit from a calmer game every now and then. Games like Flutter Away and Unpacking have a very useful place in our gaming lives. And when they get it right, it can inspire true life balance. It’s perfect.
Score: 5 out of 5 cheeky Capybaras
Flutter Away is developed by Runaway Play, an independent game developer and publisher based in New Zealand. The company is often inspired by the natural world (not surprising, considering where they are based). They enjoy working on projects to promote conservation and environmental awareness. You can check out their catalogue of games on the official website here. Flutter Away is currently available on Steam and Nintendo Switch (UPDATE: It’s on sale for AUD$10.91 until 24 Aug 2023!!).
Categories: Curriculum of Evil Gameschooling video games
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