Open-world sandbox RPGs are nothing new to gamers. But what if you were a mouse, owl, or otter? Hawthorn takes the genre and puts a twist on it that seems unlikely, creating something interesting and new. I spent some time playing with the proof-of-concept demo, and it was enough to give me some thoughts.
Hawthorn will be coming to Steam, but the release date hasn’t been announced. NEARstudios is a small indie developer, and it’s exciting to see an ambitious game like Hawthorn in development completely under their team. You can wishlist the game now, and they have crowdfunding available. Keep reading for those details.
What is Hawthorn?
Hawthorn is an open-world RPG that puts you in the fur or feathers of a critter. In the demo, you can choose a mouse, otter, or owl. You live in a village, Windermere, by a lake. You can play alone or in co-op with friends to build the village. There are also a number of NPCs to recruit to help you. More on that in a minute. Oh, and if you’re the owl… your friend can ride on you.
First Impressions of Hawthorn
As I played the demo, I had to frequently remind myself that this was a proof of concept, not the final game. It lacks any kind of tutorial or intro to the story. You start out with things already in progress, and several NPCs are ready to help out.
The Good
Running around as an otter was enchanting! I enjoyed the art style, the animation, and the unique speech bubbles. Each time a character speaks, their speech bubble displays their name and a font specific to them. Placing furniture and building the pieces was intuitive. I was able to figure out what to do fairly easily. I also love the idea of having houses for yourself, your friends, and even NPCs.
Each animal has unique abilities. Otters and mice have “hands.” Otters can swim well and catch fish. And owls can fly and carry a friend. Oh, and hats. You can wear hats.
The Rough
Once again, remembering that this is a very early demo, there were some things missing that I would hope to see in a final build. A mini map and a full map would help a lot. Also, the story wasn’t clear in this demo. I’d love to know more about the lore and the storyline. To build an object, you have to click once for each material component. For example, if it uses 12 sticks, you click 12 times to add them.
And a bit of a tutorial on what you’re looking for when you’re sent out to gather materials would be nice. I spent some time trying to cut down nearby plants that I could not interact with at all before discovering the sticks on the ground a bit farther away.
Is Hawthorn Worth Following?
Absolutely, yes. Although the demo is lacking some things from the start, it runs very smoothly. The animation and art style are beautiful. The premise is original. And it breathes new life into the open-world genre of games without swords or zombies (at least so far).
The game is part of Steam’s Next Fest, which runs through June 22, 2026. And, if you can support them financially with a pre-order, head to their crowdfunding page!
Hawthorn is staying on my wishlist, and I’ll be following their progress closely. Speaking of following, don’t miss out on gaming, entertainment, and lifestyles news! Follow us on https://totalapexentertainment.com/.
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