Fixing Yourself with Assemble with Care
Just a few days ago, I finally got my hands on the PC version of Assemble With Care by ustwo games, who is also the creator of the M.C. Escherian mobile game Monument Valley. I was quite lucky to find this game on Steam Summer Sale, and it now has a new chapter added!
Hence the title, we play as Maria, a restorer in her travel to Bellariva. There, Maria met and faced the townspeople, along with their various problem. There is Izzy, a ten years old girl with her single father — Joseph — who is also the mayor of Bellariva. There is also Carmen — the clumsy owner of a small cafe in town, and Natalie — sister of Carmen, an independent career woman with personality traits opposite of her sister’s.
When getting introduced to this game via twitter (sorry I missed the original poster), my heart was already struck by its charming visual. I don’t know if this makes sense, but it feels like illustrator aesthetics I usually liked on twitter, with the use of contrasting colors. Secondly, I’m totally into their premise of being a vintage items repairman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04i8usL2lF0&t=8s
See, the trailer is visually pleasing, and the items that are featured in-game has a personal nostalgia feeling since they came from the 80s and the 90s. See that Minato cassette player and Yokoi Pop’n’Play console? I like how the designers have successfully incorporated the product design characteristics of that era into the gameplay.
What Got Me Hooked
1. Subjectively speaking, the art direction perfectly fits my taste. The illustration and interface composition lean toward current artistic style, perhaps more popular in 2015 (in my awareness) until the present, with a lot of negative space and in-grid object placements. I also love their smooth object animation. Overall, it is very satisfying to see on screen.
2. Sounds soothing as fine… The background music and the sound of our interaction with the objects have an ASMR quality. Yes, I’m weak like that and I’m not complaining. I also love the various accents of the voice actors.
3. Interesting gameplay. Assemble with Care is a 3D puzzle game with a simple mechanism and story. As the bonus, we get to see the simplified version of the products’ interiors that we never got the chance or the courage to disassemble. Well, being able to disassemble something is not parallel to be able to reassemble it again :(
On reality check, someone told me if you were to disassemble something, you have to put the parts in an organized manner, if not chronologically. Put the screws and other small components altogether in containers so you won’t miss it when it comes to reassembling. Memorize and understand the component layout to avoid misplacement and the hassle of redoing the process all over again. I attached a video of me fixing the Yokoi Pop’n’Play, in which I forgot the component placement and wiring, so it was not a stellar run, but it was fun! It could get worse in real life though hahaha.
The Pop’n’Play was also one of my favorite items. Other than it follows the form of a Gameboy advance SP, we also got to experience the Forest Adventure game cartridge. Very neat! Kudos to the dev team.
4. Wholesome key messages about human relations. It’s like you’re watching a Netflix’s heartwarming family holiday drama.
Space for Improvement
I suppose this is not a bad game at all, but there were things that I wish could be improved.
1. Playing in PC format, I feel this game lost some of its complexity. And the puzzle itself is not challenging at all. Maybe it makes more sense in a mobile game format, with a smaller and compact screen. I also saw the behind the scene of Assemble with Care mobile game, and I think it proved my point. It looks fun and more tactile when you directly touch the screen and adjust the components.
2. In line with the first point, I kind of expected the game has more complicated objects with difficulty as minimum as the epilogue. I think the machinery has the highest complexity in the game.
3. I WISH IT LASTS LONGER~
Aftertaste
Mindsoothing. I liked all the objects and the story behind; it clearly shows how human memories and emotions are easily manifesting within objects. The title Assemble with Care itself is an excellent fit to the story, since we didn’t only fix objects, but also human relationship.
Although I (20-something years old) would prefer a more complicated puzzle, I’d love to play this game with my kids/nephew/niece around Izzy’s age, for I feel its empowering story would also be suitable for pre-teens.
Overall, this game is a fun experience, and to my surprise, it came with a bundle of relaxing sounds. Consider the simplicity is a detox to your senses after playing an intense, graphics-heavy game.
Lastly, maybe it’s time to dial the number and make that call to your loved ones.
Play Assemble with Care on PC: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1202900/Assemble_with_Care/
Listen to Assemble with Care OST on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/2kUGOiwLdwn8oLpyRidnkP?si=BV6DCuocQseh50jIXTUxCw
