The hint is in the name:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria

Now, it's quite uncommon that people beside neo-shamans use this particular "shroom", so my guess is that it's a placeholder for any kind of psilocybe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psylocibe) or even any kind of naturally occurring strong hallucinogenic agents similar in effect to LSD.

So if you want some and know where you can get it... there's lots you can choose from.

(Please note that the purchase, possession and use of these natural, yet powerful drugs is prohibited in most jurisdictions as far as I know (although why I cannot say)).

Well muscimol would certainly explain the dreamlike qualities of the game, in addition to a number of other substances.


I think Botanicula so far is a better experience than Machinarium. I liked Machinarium (not quite a top 20 game) but from what I remember there was some degree of backtracking in Machinarium and Botanicula doesn't have a lot of that. Beine concise is, for me, an admirable quality in games, especially when we have a truckload of adventure games centred around traversing from one scene to another and back again apparently just to prolong the game.

I couldn't resist and I played it all night long :D

Very good game, much different than any other game. Funny and innocent, it gave me a wonderful feeling. Near the end, some parts (with the "trampoline") were tiresome.

For me Machinarium is a little better in puzzle design and story. Also, sounds/soundtrack of Machinarium are superior.

400.000$ in less than 2 days :)

How much?!?

Where is that reported?

Here. http://www.humblebundle.com/
Plus the GOG sales.

You're probably right as a game. But I think the imagination involved Botanicula is simply incredible. You really feel sucked into the world because it seems so real, yet it's very alien.

Impressive!

the beauty, imagination and the sound design and music.

its all insanely good. i love these guys, machinarium was a massive game for getting me into this genre. this is just as good.

finished, short and sweet.. and definitely an experience. The soundtrack very much reminds me of sigur ros, and im sure thats what they were going for :D
Anyone know....

Spoiler:

what you unlock for getting all of the cards? I got 112, thiiink il hold off on completing them..

Or they're just imaginitive, creative individuals. People who lack those qualities always seem to believe that others must get it from drugs.

Actually, the game can (and i'm sure has been) created simply through observation (there's nothing stranger, that we can conceive, than nature, and the things it creates) and an artistic sensibility. Plus meticulous care of course.

I've been playing for a few hours and the game is fantastic. A masterpiece. I'm struggling to find areas where i wouldn't score it 5 out of 5. As people have noted, it's somewhere between Samorost and Machinarium, and probably better than both in terms of its overall realization. There really has been some fantastic games released the last few years, though I guess those who think every point and click game should be a carbon copy of a Lucas Arts game fail to notice.

The way amanita are selling the game shows that they have a real business nous too. They are becoming the Lucas Arts of the 2010s; easily the most exciting AG dveloper right now, alongside Frictional Games.

hmm i think it is hard to compare machinarium and botanicula. maybe some people will think one is better because of their individual taste or because their not quite the same genre. but for me this is the same jewel polished in a different way. I loved every aspect of machinarium (and i enjoyed it more than samorost) now i'm playing botanicula, the concept is different but i feel the same kind of joy while playing. it's not the puzzles but the atmosphere which amanita manages to create in their unique way - characters, music, sound design.... in a short, i don't feel like playing an adventure game, i feel like playing amanita game.

I am delighted with this game. It's not hard to play but have that something :) Now I can say that this game is one of my favorite!

I was playing through a bit of this last night and I think it's a wonderful little adventure game. I can't explain the visual style exactly, but it seems reminiscent of many contemporary children's books I've seen and an Australian series called Lift-Off. It's like Bad Mojo meets Graeme Base.

One of the best games of the year for me.

Speaking of the visual style, you know what alot of the animations remind me of? (especially at the end) The monty phythons flying circus animations :P

Started playing this yesterday. Really funny, and had me laughing more than once. The crew of characters you control is really the most hilarious bunch.

From first impressions, I'd say the gameplay is more like an expanded version of Samorost than Machinarium.

well at first I thought so, but later on the game evolves in it's own style. There are certain puzzles which aren't related to neither samorost nor machinarium. Some of them kind of remind me of find the star game

It sure gets noticeably more difficult in the second half - frustratingly so at times!

I liked the first parts best. The roots were one big frustrating maze for me and that map wasn't much help. It had some nice puzzles though. And I actually hated the last part in the darkness, with the red-eyed monsters.

I have 115 cards out of 123 and received 3 gifts. I clicked on just about eveything, so I have no idea where to find the other eight cards.

I didn't mind the dark sequences at all once I figured out how to get into each area. At first I cringed when I discovered the arcade sequence, but since it's very forgiving and has a set pattern, I was able to get through it after several tries.

I'm going through the game again and found a wonderful spot I had missed

Spoiler:

at the bottom of the water ladles under the frog quartet.

I just downloaded Botanicula and will start right away! :)