Forest Doesn’t Care Review (PC)

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the future of Unreal Engine is in the heart of hand-picking fungi for fun, apparently. This is, as a way of showing the visual effects in motion and evolutionary prowess of the suite, Forest Doesn’t Care, in a nutshell: an excuse to reveal the true colors of an advanced development tool that, while not necessarily equipped to radically alter the gameplay of a traditional walking simulator, can still make things appear spectacularly complex and aesthetically pleasing to the naked eye.

Forest Doesn’t Care isn’t a game. Or at least, not in the traditional sense of the word. Matter of fact, if I had to call it anything at all, I’d label it as a showcase for Unreal Engine 5—a masterclass in woodland lore and therapeutic storytelling. I say that because, if you were to remove the brief interactive tidbits that allow you to manually pick mushrooms from a forest, you would, in all honesty, have a cinematic experience with little more than a trove of photorealistic gorges and idyllic panoramas to carve through. But that isn’t an issue here, as Forest Doesn’t Care doesn’t actively coerce you into thinking that it’s anything more than a lonesome affair with a handful of aesthetic touches.

Forest Doesn’t Care is a short experience, I’ll say that much. It’s short, though not too short — by which I mean that, as a brief adventure that pours all of its heart and soul into orbiting just the one aspect, it isn’t an experience that needs to overstay its welcome to convey a hearty message. The question is, is it a good message? Better yet, is a message that’s worth remembering? Let’s talk about it.

Vistas & Fungi

Forest Doesn’t Care is, in short, a minimalistic foraging and exploration “game” that transports you to a HUD-less world of blooming trees and panoramic goodness. It isn’t an invigorating experience, nor is it a game that strives to achieve mechanical perfection, for that matter. But what Forest Doesn’t Care is, if it’s to be anything, is a simple, less cluttered affair—an experience that actively chooses a lack of context and a barebones UI to help elevate its image and coerce its users into riding the wave and rolling with the punches, so to speak.

The point of Forest Doesn’t Care is vague, but the idea here is that, for the sake of witnessing the outstanding beauty of the forest, you must explore at a snail-like speed and essentially pocket a few mushrooms to help bring yourself closer to the wild. Perhaps it isn’t quite as deep as that. Maybe I’m just overthinking things and neglecting the fact that, obligation to showcase nature in an enchanting light aside, Forest Doesn’t Care is just a game about collecting mushrooms. Still, I’d like to believe that there’s more to it than that.

There isn’t a goal for you to chase here, so if you’re desperate to sink your teeth into a chunky quest line with numerous twists and turns, optional activities and bottomless character arcs, then you’re probably going to be in for a surprise with just how little Forest Doesn’t Care staples to its core. But if it’s a clean stroll through a picturesque woodland that you’re looking for, then read on.

The Forest Breathes

Forest Doesn’t Care harbors more than a few fungal roots; it also features “hidden secrets” and woodland mysteries for you to discover, too. Granted, there isn’t much to unlock, so to speak, but the game does offer you an excuse to delve deeper into its locale to bathe in its surroundings and reap the benefits of its natural habitat. To add to that, it also includes a dynamic weather system and a nifty day-and-night cycle, which in turn allows you to get lost in the thick of a living, breathing environment that evolves on its own accord.

Thanks to the evolutionary changes that frequent the current installation of Unreal Engine, Forest Doesn’t Care has a lot of beautiful landmarks and points of interest to explore, including serene lakes, tranquil grottos, and a plethora of photorealistic woodlands, to list just a few of its most prominent tour spots. And it’s here, in the thick of a moving, breathing world, where you feel at home with nature. Granted, you don’t exactly play a pivotal role in its development, but you do have the luxury of being able to simply bathe in its ambiance and cascading seasonal effects, be it a horrific storm or bullet hail. And I’ll admit, just being present carries a tremendous amount of weight in itself. Although not consistently inviting, the forest itself does generate some rather intense moments, particularly during the night once that warm veil of safety has dispersed.

Verdict

Forest Doesn’t Care is more of an eccentric art piece than a full-fledged video game. Not that this is a major issue, though. In fact, it serves as a surprisingly good and, more importantly, insightful reminder that even the most inexperienced visionaries can turn small ideas into living, breathing worlds through cognitive development and practical applications. Here, it isn’t so much about advancing the traditional gameplay mechanics as it is about showcasing the aftermath of a pipe dream in a virtual form. And I think that’s just enough of an incentive to check it out — especially if you’re actively looking for inspiration to launch your own project in Unreal Engine.

To state the obvious, Forest Doesn’t Care isn’t going to scratch that itch of yours. To be more clear, if it’s a game-game that you’re looking for, or at least, an art installation that pulls on a lot of interactive elements, then you will probably be disappointed with just how little Forest Doesn’t Care brings to the table. But if you’re happy to simply marvel at some photorealistic foliage and stunning sunset vistas for a short while to help wax that cluttered soul of yours, then I’d say that there’s a good amount of beauty to be found in this short but fascinatingly beautiful ode to Unreal Engine and its revolutionary visual palette.