The Good Life Reviews
An odd mix of a lot of exploring, taking photos, and trying to solve a variety of pretty unusual mysteries in a rural town
Like any other game by Hidetaka Suehiro, The Good Life is a unique experience with simple yet engaging gameplay and solid story telling, offering a few hours of pure meditation.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The Good Life isn't for everyone in the same way that Swery65 himself isn't for a lot of people. But I encourage you to ask if it's for you and go find out. When you give a game like this a chance, you just might sink into the oddities and fall in love with a world of animorphing British folk who ask absurd tasks of you. Undoubtedly, you'll find yourself upset with more than a few decisions made by Swery and his team at White Owls. But amidst the hodgepodge, you also might find something golden that fits you like a glove.
Despite an interesting setting, tedious gameplay and poor performance makes The Good Life a disappointing outing for Swery.
The Good Life makes for a nice getaway, but don't plan on staying for too long.
Good life with dogs and cats... but how long? Game is boring too soon.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
The Good Life is a grotesque experience with a weird story that a chosen audience might like.
Review in German | Read full review
The Good Life is a charming and unique "debt-repayment RPG" that sets itself apart with its humor and character, but its lackluster gameplay, bizarre tonality, and overall lack of polish make that charm wear off quickly.
Swery retests the patience of all those we love by delivering yet another poorly made result that like the previous ones had the makings for something much better. The Good Life is exclusively for the fanatics who will be rewarded by the special moments of the script but will get tired along the way.
Review in Greek | Read full review
If you love unorthodox japanese games, you should probably try The Good Life, especially given its low price point. Just be aware that's plenty of shortcoming here.
Review in Russian | Read full review
To enjoy The Good Life, you will need to be a big fan of Swery, and be able to inflict all the faults of the game on yourself to glimpse any semblance of truth!
Review in French | Read full review
The Good Life is a strange mix of photography-game and life-sim, and while it's not perfect, its flaws are covered by a weirdly charming premise.
There is scope for the humour to work, but factoring in fighting with the camera and struggling with the controls the whole experience is just not worthwhile. In a self-fulling prophecy, Naomi points out a lot of faults in games that The Good Life just blithely repeats itself.
If you’re familiar with SWERY games and enjoy them, definitely check this out. If you’re not, and you can’t stomach games that aren’t polished, maybe watch a play through online instead.
The Good Life is a chaotic game, for better or worse you find so many elements that it can be overwhelming to keep up. If you are looking for a lightweight game that does not ask you questions, this is not the best option. In fact, the best thing you can do with The Good Life is to let yourself be dragged along.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
But on the off chance you don't touch the things, are reading this, and have ever uttered or read the word "cottagecore" earnestly: this game is for you. Find the nearest friend, family member, or partner who is always talking about what a great deal Game Pass is and force them to download it for you. If you're already acquainted with interactive media, The Good Life is an unpredictable yet satisfying experience that seems to always be throwing the player some new curveball to keep things fresh-much like life itself.
The Good Life is another flawed yet fascinating gem from Swery65. It's a weird world full of unforgettable characters, and even when the gameplay grows a bit tiring or repetitive, it's worth all the photo quests and fetch missions in the world to see that next bonkers twist in the story.
While there is a lot to love about The Good Life, the slow pace, lack of action and the gameplay loop comprised of fetch quests isn't going to be for everyone. It's a lot more niche than it initially seems. The Good Life is a recommendation for fans of the more "punk" titles from directors such as Swery, Suda 51, and Onion Games/Love-de-lic. Those who enjoyed the quirky and obscure Simple Series of PS2 will likely enjoy it too. Its archaic formula may not be for all, but it has more heart than all of the AAA games combined.
The Good Life can be summed up as one of the more polished SWERY experiences. For some, that explains all they need to know; for everyone else, it’s like a fun, repetitive, sweet and sour mixture between Little Dragons Cafe, Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, Pokemon Snap, No More Heroes III, and Katamari Damacy. So few games leave me at a loss for words like The Good Life did, yet this is somehow one of my longest articles. As a gamedev and reviewer, I’m confused. As a gamer, I’m content.
The Good Life is more about the journey than the destination, though. It may not directly explain what it takes to live a good life, but it’s a playful and unique exploration of some possible answers to that question.