There could not have been a better time for an excellent family game like Born of Bread to be released since it is officially holiday season. Right from the very beginning, one can tell that there was plenty of genuine heart and soul that has been put into it, making it a cozy and fully baked gaming experience.
A major strength that Born of Bread possesses is its extremely charming and inviting art style, which looks really unique and vibrant, instantly gripping the player’s attention and very rarely letting it go.
WildArts Studio presents the world in such a stunning manner that although the story and characters may seem one-dimensional at first, Born of Bread has the ability to throw in enough twists and layers to make it a more complexly entertaining experience.
Where Born of Bread excels in the visual department, it is the masterful comedic writing that turns it into an actually hilarious game, with the humor and jokes almost always landing perfectly, even breaking the fourth wall at times by making fun of its own cliches. Even though it starts to drag just a little right in the middle, it is a really wholesome and fun time, with a wide range of characters to meet and worlds to explore.
Born of Bread was released for all major platforms on December 5, 2023.
Born of Bread Brings Back Pure Wonderful Joy to Video Games
Born of Bread takes great pride in embracing a vibrantly colorful art style that is rarely seen in the world of huge AAA video games of today, with an obvious inspiration taken directly from Nintendo’s Paper Mario that puts its own twists on the aesthetic. These include the numerous fresh forms of characters scattered all across the world, ranging from talking beavers to fantastical aliens, with each one having its own personality and something significant, and frequently amusing, to say.
Every sub-level in Born of Bread has its own unique set of characters standing around and waiting for the player to initiate a conversation, which is where the humorous aspect of the game comes in as everyone somehow has something witty or sarcastic to comment on various situations.
In Born of Bread, the player gets put in the shoes of a newly born boy called Loaf, who is made of, of course, bread, as he is immediately thrown into a crazy situation that forces him towards an extensive first adventure.
As his father, or creator, Papa Baker, gets accused of disrupting dinner, among other offenses, by the queen herself, Born of Bread introduces Loaf to other wholesome characters, such as Lint and a literal chibby dragon who saves his progress while also unexpectedly handling his social media.
The character design may look very childish on the surface, but with the sheer quantity of just how many different types of NPCs and playable characters are approachable, Born of Bread almost always keeps things interesting as hints of the game’s lore and the subtle references to the past and current political situations are cleverly explained with nothing more than a line or two.
The main storyline of Born of Bread starts off quite simple, with Papa Baker accidentally creating Loaf while working in the royal palace’s kitchen for the queen, but things quickly go south as the castle is attacked by yet another unique gang of fantastical aliens with their own motives to take over the kingdom.
Papa Baker gets arrested by the frequently funny royal guards on several charges, with witchcraft, thievery, and arson being the minor offenses but disrupting dinner being an absolute no-go, and Born of Bread sees Loaf, together with Lint, trying to prove his father’s innocence by going out into a surprisingly detailed world and finding enough wacky evidence.
Upon his expedition, Loaf visits plenty of different types of terrain, including the deepest parts of a forest, a huge cottage owned by extremely rich people in the snowy mountains, or the peak of a hill to participate in an annual tournament, and not a single level feels like a copy of the previous one in Born of Bread, with each place having its own aesthetic and vibe.
To keep the player on their toes, Born of Bread constantly comes up with great light puzzles personalized for each part of the world, which actually require a little bit of thinking to get around, so things very rarely get dull. The game also does not like to repeat enemies that were found in the previous area for the next, and there is always someone different to confront as Loaf visits a brand new stage.
Born of Bread also ensures that it tackles the potential repetitiveness that could come with a game like this by throwing in fresh and fun mini games, fast-paced turn-based combat, and proper role-playing elements while pitting Loaf and the squad against bosses that add their own flavor to every level, as the scale of the story actually keeps getting larger as it progresses and more mysteries are uncovered.
There is always something to do in Born of Bread, even if one does not only focus on the main storyline or missions, as the aforementioned colorful set of NPCs are not just present to stand around, with many of them asking their own favors of Loaf, which act as the side missions and quests in the game.
These include a female beaver who wants to become an actor but has lost her diary in the depths of a crystal mine and a group of scientists and explorers who misplaced their camera right in the middle of a horrifying forest.
On his adventures, Loaf can smash barrels and other objects to find clovers, which act as the in-game currency in Born of Bread, while also coming across various power-ups to use in preparation for or during battles.
The Turn-Based Battles in Born of Bread Bring Plenty of Options
Born of Bread makes the smart choice of combining two different forms of gameplay for its battles, with clever turn-based combat seemingly interwoven with simple real-time mini games that always provide plenty of ways in which players can approach a fight.
There are various options for attacking, ranging from basic moves to special ones specific to each character; defending if one chooses to prepare for the opponent’s next move instead of mindless offense; using items for health or other types of powers; and running away if the circumstances don’t allow for Loaf to engage.
Different characters have different mini games that accompany their special moves in Born of Bread, with players having to timely press buttons on the screen as Yogi or rapidly move their controller’s left stick to unleash Loaf’s unique move, so the combat never really feels stale.
Born of Bread also gives the option of choosing to avoid most of the combat altogether, which is only initiated once Loaf literally runs into an enemy or vice versa, so one can quickly get through levels and the story without fighting much, but since the battles reward the player with various power-ups, it kind of becomes necessary to fight every once in a while.
The RPG elements enter the scene again with Loaf’s backpack having limited but upgradeable space, so he has to decide what items and weapons to keep and which ones to say goodbye to.
The combat in Born of Bread introduces yet another element called the Battle Broadcast, which grants the player even more bonuses as an audience watches the fights on Loaf’s social media, so keeping them pleased might be a good idea, as their number actually decreases if Loaf runs away from too many battles.
Born of Bread: Final Thoughts
Born of Bread doesn’t just cater to one audience, as it puts an extremely wholesome twist on both the family game genre and turn-based RPGs, keeping things fun almost all the way through. With vibrant and colorful 2.5D graphics, the stunning art style and varied set of characters work nearly perfectly together to bring this wonderful and fantastical world to life, and it always feels fresh as Loaf visits different parts of the kingdom.
The comedic writing in Born of Bread is handled really cleverly, with each unique NPC on every level having something amusing, witty, or downright hilarious to say, as the game sometimes also makes jokes about its own plot elements by breaking the fourth wall.
Imagine going to a restaurant and ordering an extravagant three-course meal, knowing that the chef has put their heart and soul into creating delicious dishes to satisfy with each bite, accompanied by a wide range of side items to add deeper layers to the culinary experience. That is honestly the best way to describe Born of Bread, as it takes the player on a cozy and inviting adventure that becomes memorable right from the very first frame.
Loaf, Papa Baker, and the rest of the gang are accompanied by fast-paced gameplay and combat, numerous types of aesthetic landscapes, entertaining mini games, and multilayered level design, making Born of Bread an appetizing and tasty game that is clearly fully baked with love and care.
8/10
Born of Bread was played on PlayStation 5 and reviewed on a code supplied by Plan of Attack.
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