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0 Back in October of last year, I wrote a review for the PC launch of Fruitbus and gave it our Gold Award. The game has now released on consoles so I decided to hop back in the driver’s seat of Krillbite Studios’ game to see what changes had been made. Fruitbus is now available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S & X as well as Steam. Today I’m taking a look at the PS5 version.
Fruit really does grow on trees! And bushes! And in the dirt!
Fruitbus is currently on the PlayStation store for £13.49 if you’re a PS Plus member or £14.99 for non-members. But just how does the console version play? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
Fruitbus is still a game about meeting characters from your Grandma’s life, foraging for fruit and creating delicious recipes for your customers. When I played the game originally, I was using my mouse and keyboard and sometimes felt like I got a bit caught up in the keys. That being said, Fruitbus runs so much better with a controller. Picking things up, managing your bag and chopping ingredients has never been so fast!
Progression is done through the journal which is the most direction you get besides trophies. It’s still a really fun way to understand NPCs and decide which way you want to go. Driving is also a lot easier but I still made the most of the unstuck button! It’s a small feature added in to save people like me who often find themselves rolling down cliffs or falling in volcanos.
Bugs & Fixes
In my original review I mentioned a couple of bugs regarding pink stars and losing my equipment. I am very very happy to say that my experience with the console release was bug free. It’s clear that Krillbite is working hard to make this game perfect.
However, I have noticed a few little things such as the names for characters being wrong. The main character’s mother was called Tourist more than she was mother. It’s not a major issue. In fact it was the only issue that I had the entire time and it was so minor that I forgot about it as I was playing. There is nothing – at least that I’ve experienced – that is damaging to the gameplay!
Graphics and Audio
In my original review I said the graphics and audio of Fruitbus were unforgettable and the point still stands. Honestly, the art style is one of the biggest selling points about this game. Moving over to the PS5, there were a couple of frame rate issues however this was only when I was trying to do too much at once and spamming buttons.
There were a few moments where the game felt a bit empty but that also could have
Longevity
With a PS Platinum trophy to collect and more fun to be had, I am still playing Fruitbus. I’ve sunk so many hours into it on the PC and now I get to do it all over again with the PlayStation. Honestly this might be my Stardew Valley. There are plenty of characters to meet, recipes to uncover and plenty of island to explore. Time in game and in real life passes quickly because it just sucks you in. It’s such a chill little adventure, the only time you ever feel stressed is when you run out of garlic.
Final Thoughts
The only reason I gave Fruitbus a Thumb Culture Gold Award last time was because of how aggravating it was having to rebuy a shovel over and over again. I’m a console girl at heart so maybe that was why I enjoyed Fruitbus even more this time around? It was so much fun getting back into my little bus and meeting all the NPCs again.
Because of the improvements the dev has made, it seems only right that this time Fruitbus receives the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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