For most gamers, exploring the open air and outdoors may not be considered the most fun you could have. Fortunately for them, Lumberhill, by developer 2BIGo and Publisher All in! Games, kindly delivers the raw Woodsman experience right to your local console, with the added bonus of exploring diverse woodland landscapes that may not be within your local Park Ranger’s jurisdiction.
Lumberhill is a puzzle-platforming game that sees your lumberjack of choice chopping wood, escorting wildlife, putting out fires, and other such simple tasks. The gameplay loop is simple to learn but difficult to master: Using infinitely respawning axes, trees, and wildlife, your lumberjack of choice completes different tasks to earn points and complete the level. Your character can only hold one item at a time, so it becomes strategic very quickly: it may be more efficient to fell multiple trees before bringing the logs back to the chipper, and it might save a few precious seconds to corral sheep and rams by herd instead of by hand. The player is given up to two goals at a time that they must complete within a short timeframe. Fortunately, making any progress at all on a goal extends their timer, meaning that the player can strategically decide whether to deliver a part of their workload immediately or wait until they can quickly complete the goal in its entirety.
As mentioned, the goals can include herding wildlife and delivering chopped pieces of wood. These are done by bringing the appropriate items or creatures to a specific building on the map. Each map is composed of angular islands reminiscent of Bastion, dangerously floating in the air and challenging the player not to fall off. Some floating islands have bridges to construct for ease of passage, requiring additional wood to be chopped in exchange for faster and safer travel. Other islands do not have the luxury of a bridge, requiring the player to leap over to them. The player is also capable of throwing their held items to send them across gaps, meaning that occasionally tossing a Sheep or Ram across a bottomless pit is encouraged for speed.
As the level’s main timer ticks down, each goal completed rewards the player with a set amount of points based on how difficult it was to complete, with the average quest giving 50 points. These points are calculated at the end of the level to determine the number of stars the player is rewarded with, which are used to unlock additional levels and costumes for your lumberjack and their surroundings. Similarly, each level contains a bonus challenge, such as avoiding water or completing every goal without letting a single one expire. Completing these rewards the player with a shining Diamond Axe, which is displayed proudly above the completed level.
The platforming of Lumberhill is satisfying and straightforward. The player’s movement options are limited to only walking, running, and jumping, but this simplicity works to the game’s betterment. This simplicity leads to a greater understanding and precision with the controls. Knowing this, some levels are brutally difficult in their bonus challenges, testing the player for their mastery of movement. For example, one early level features a bonus challenge to keep your lumberjack’s feet dry while a river cuts one of your platforms in half. Quickly dash-jumping and throwing resources to the other side is necessary to complete your goal, as one small slip up will result in a wet checkerboard jacket. There are other intricacies to the game to explore as well: accidentally whacking a sheep with an axe will launch them a small distance without consequence, but a ram will respond in kind by lunging at you. This lunge can knock your lumberjack off the map if you aren’t careful, but it can also instantly fell a tree if it gets in the way.
The game also features multiple costumes for both your lumberjack and the different animals you encounter throughout your chopping journey. The game features typically masculine and feminine designs for their characters in multiple different outfits across a variety of themes from traditional outdoorsy fits to Halloween costumes, Christmas getups, and even early Greek civilization togas. (My personal favorite is the Greek toga, which I nicknamed SocraTrees)
Overall, Lumberhill is a beautiful game dripping with charm while providing a similar level of challenge and style of gameplay as an outdoors-y Overcooked. The levels are punishing but fair, and success is rewarding thanks to frequent additional costumes and new modes. Each world features a unique theme that affects every item on the map, from the trees to the animals and even the ever-present axes. Each world also offers unique gimmicks, such as China’s adult Pandas requiring you to chop a piece of bamboo to lure them to their pen. It also features local and online co-op, as well as a dedicated and highly competitive PVP mode for frenemies both nearby and around the globe. In the end, I highly recommend checking out Lumberhill on a console you feel confident controlling: you’ll need to master your movement if you want to get every Diamond Axe!
If, after all of that, you still aren’t sold, I have one last little treat for you: When the levels load in, animals load before the trees sprout up. If you quickly ready-up for the level to begin, these trees can absolutely LAUNCH the local wildlife into the stratosphere. That alone is worth the price of admission, in my humble opinion.
8/10
For more information, visit: https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/lumberhill-switch/
Related: LUMBERHILL Chopping Pandemonium Begins Today via Steam
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Gaming is a passion that I, like many other people, hold near and dear to my heart. As an aspiring Game Writer and general Storyteller, I enjoy looking into the vast worlds and deep stories of every game I can. Then again, sometimes bad guys just need a good pummeling, and I am more than happy to provide!
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