tldr: 3rd person explorer ONLY game, no combat. Worth ~$10, goes on sale for $5, and you'll get 8-12 hours out of it depending on how astute you are at uncovering the map and using your telescope. Fairly simple 100% achi, though it'll take a few hours.

8.5/10 for its genre, and I would buy again.


~~~~~~~~~~ this is a page-break! xD ~~~~~~~~~~


Pros:
-game IS exactly what it's billed as, and the trailers give a good idea of what you will find
-simple controls (I used kb+m; controller is also supported)
-straightforward mission/directives
-acceptable progress measure (map icons dull/pale after pickup of objectives)
-gorgeous graphics on ultra settings, but there isn't too much 'fluff' to obscure points of interest
-easy (automatic!) return to home base upon objective collection (see CON related to this point)
-mysterious aspect to certain ingame plot devices (cutscenes tell a story of their own)
-inspired blend of endearing & exciting, without being too cutesy or nagging
-aspect of how exploration games used to be, long ago, before items were marked or outlined, or glowing, or... obvious; once you're on top of them (or use spyglass to find them) they're easy to see, but until then, you are in fact searching
-cards, for those who like them
-essentially no bugs. I got stuck on a tree twice, but when I quit out and then continued the same game, it sent me back to the area where I first entered that level of the building (assume under 60 seconds lost time in all cases). Other than that, it's smooth and pretty.
-forgiving environment; if you're a parent or busy with something else, you can walk away at any time without concern of losing progress or items or time.


Cons:
-NO RUN/SPRINT. Worthy of metion because exploring buildings that have only a single, small, or partly obscured path to an objective sometimes must be traveresed more than once. The scenery is beautiful, but after a while the slow-run can become tedious.
-No hint button. You're very strictly on your own, which isn't a problem per se, but a few of the buildings have convoluted routes. Again, enjoy the scenery.
-Regarding auto-return to base upon picking up a crate: you do NOT have a choice. In other words, if you don't have all the objectives in a building when you take the crate, you'll be retruning to the building to find parts of the story. Not horrible, but worth mentioning.
-$20 price tag. Too much for this game, despite how much I liked it on every level. I'd pay $10 or $12 for sure, and when it goes on sale for $5 it's a fantastic bargain. As a rule, I do not agree with a game that does not have a dollar-per-hour return on the price. As stated, you'll get about 8-12 hours out of this game, thus, this observation. (Of my ~19 hours played, about 5-6 of that was idle time).


All in all, at the $5 price I paid, I'm very satisfied, and I'll be looking for more from Uppercut Games in the future - great job guys!