Astronook Reviews
Without my son, I wouldn’t have ever bought Astronook, and I certainly would not have powered through the last handful of puzzles. The game is cute, for sure, but the puzzle difficulty and clunky controller controls begin to betray the coziness at times. My son probably gives this game a 10/10, and we have revisited it many times since beating it. I love it because I love seeing him happy, but I am mostly hoping that we move on to something new soon.
Astronook is a fun, casual puzzle game that is more challenging than it seems. You get to play as if you are a real astronomer in a cozy room filled with memories. The story is very emotional and relatable, about a person who grew out of a childhood dream to pursue a different career. Connecting stars seems plain, but each constellation poses its own difficulty and makes the game more engaging. The art, the sound design, and the ambience are relaxing, and the gameplay is satisfying. Completing the scrapbook feels more like a personal collection of favorite things than a challenge, and it’s very enjoyable. If you get stuck on a puzzle, a few hints will pop up from time to time to help you find the solution. Anyone who is interested in astronomy would very much enjoy this game because searching for planets and other wonders of space feels like using a real-life telescope, and the constellations are quite beautiful. It’s also very gratifying to fill your star map with all the available constellations and see your astronomical collection grow. It’s a quiet and solitary adventure filled with the company of the stars and memories of the past — a nostalgia for the simpler, purer days of childhood.