My wife's new favorite game!

Absolutely loved the game and really hope the developers make this into a series of games with different animals!

I really thought I was going to like this game, and for the most part I do. But the things that bother me make the game virtually unplayable for me.

First is the map. None of the icons on the map are explained in any way, and it doesn't tell me were I am on it when I open it. This isn't MapQuest, I should be able to glance at the map for no longer than 5 seconds to figure out where I am on a map that small.

Second is the scent tracking. 85% of the time it's cool and enjoyable, however sometimes it will guide me to a barrier I can't get through yet and because I can't ignore that scent without cataloging it, it's impossible to find anything else because I can't focus properly and it just keeps bringing me back to the barrier over and over again.

Third is trying to find your sister Belle. (SPOILER) You're lead to a broken beehive on the ground and it isn't like when you find different plants, where once you catalog them it stops leading you to them - you are still lead back to the same place over and over again, and it makes trying to find any of your other siblings almost impossible.

Forth, the system of getting unstuck is the worst because it respawns you where you start the game. Without a working map it makes it very hard to figure out where you were when you got stuck. Maybe put an icon on the map where the player gets stuck?

I even had a Let's Play open to try and figure things out, but even with a narrator they sure don't tell you much that will actually help. Look, I'm not very good at video games. I love them, it's my favorite form of media, but some of us need it spelled out for us and giving us a useless map is so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ annoying.

Do I recommend this game in its current state? No.

Do I think that the game has the potential to get better with a few updates and tweaks? Yes, absolutely.

Fix the map and make it actually usable, or AT LEAST give us an index explaining the icons. Fix the scent tracking so it doesn't lead places that aren't accessible yet with the amount of boars you have. Fix the beehive so it doesn't bring you back there every time you try to scent out one of your siblings. Fix the "unstuck" system or make it easier to find where you were when you got stuck.

Graphics? 10/10
Premise? 10/10
Atmosphere? 10/10
Map? 0/10
Scent tracking? 4/10
Steam Deck capability? 9/10

This game has a lot of potential if they actually fix the issues it has. I'm willing to give it another chance after it's gotten a few updates. But as-is I won't be recommending it to anyone.