Out and About Review
Release Date: August 7, 2025 (Early Access)
Developer: Yaldi Games
Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)
Price: $17.99
In the crowded genre of "cozy games," where farming sims and cottage-core management titles are a dime a dozen, it takes a specific kind of hook to stand out nowadays. Usually, that hook is magical—fairies, spirits, or talking animals. Out and About, the debut title from Yaldi Games, takes a bolder, stranger approach: it tries to teach you something real.
Part adventure game, part interactive encyclopedia, Out and About promises to teach players how to identify local flora, forage sustainably, and cook real-world recipes. It’s a noble goal, but does it actually make for a compelling game? After spending a dozen hours wandering the digital woods of Portobello, the answer is a resounding "mostly"—provided you have the patience of a saint.
The premise is simple and familiar: A storm has ravaged the quiet community of Portobello, and it’s up to you to help the townsfolk rebuild. But rather than chopping wood and mining ore in a traditional fashion like most within the genre, you are tasked with understanding the local ecosystem instead. This ease of introduction by teaching awareness over what could inevitably become mundane routine was a welcome surprise when beginning Out and About.
Without a doubt, though, to me, the game’s strongest asset is its commitment to botanical accuracy. When you find a plant, you don't just press 'E' to collect. You enter an identification mini-game where you examine the leaf shape, stem structure, and flower type to verify what you’re looking at. Is that Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard)? Or just a generic weed? You’ll find out soon enough!
For a certain type of player—the kind who stops on a hike to poke at moss to pique their curiosity—this loop is genuinely addictive. There is a tangible thrill in learning to spot Dead Nettles or identifying the difference between safe and poisonous fungi. The game rewards your attention to detail, and the knowledge you gain feels transferable to the real world, which is a rare feat for games (though not entirely unheard of). To add to it, one of the most refreshing mechanics is the "Sustainability" system. Unlike the usual templates derived from the titans of Minecraft or Stardew Valley, where you are encouraged to strip-mine the land for resources, Out and About actually punishes you for over-harvesting - so no hoarding!
It’s the subtle changes in the atmosphere that really add that layer of depth and creativity that you can’t help but appreciate. For example, if you were to pick a patch of mushrooms clean, the ambient music shifts from melodic and serene to discordant and jarring. It’s an effective piece of sound design that trains you to take only what you need. It turns foraging into a thoughtful exercise rather than a loot-vacuuming spree. Not limited to the foraging, the cooking system echoes this attention to detail. The recipes you unlock are real, so the game walks you through the steps of making, say, herbal remedies or pine needle tea, providing instructions that you could technically take into your own real-life kitchen.
Out and About has its heart in the right place and does a lot of things in such a unique panache, however, as an Early Access title, the game still has some significant issues that need to be weeded out. The pacing, for starters, can be glacial. While "cozy" implies a slow pace, the initial tutorial hours feel hand-holdy to a fault. The game is terrified you might miss a mechanic, stopping you frequently for dialogue that lacks the snap and charm of genre leaders like Animal Crossing or, more recently, Fields of Mistria.
Furthermore, the exploration—while visually pleasant in a soft, low-poly art style—can feel somewhat empty. You are wandering large vistas of forests and meadows, and while the plants are detailed, the world in between them can feel rather dull. The movement speed is leisurely, which fits the vibe but clashes with the fetch-quest structure of the narrative. If I need to bring someone a specific herb, walking across the entire map at a snail's pace stops feeling meditative and starts feeling like a commute.
Technically, the game is stable but unpolished. I encountered the occasional blurry texture and some camera jitter that required tweaking the sensitivity settings to avoid motion sickness—a known issue the developers have been actively patching since the August launch. There are occasional crashes as well, which are the demotivating kind where you can lose upwards of an hour of progress due to its save system.
I’d argue that Out and About is an "Edutainment" game before anything else, but the good news is that it doesn’t feel like homework, which is a massive compliment. It successfully bridges the gap between a foraging simulator and a cozy adventure. However, this is not a game for those that need constant dopamine hits or complex management systems—it is a slow, methodical experience designed for people who want to take a breather. If you have ever wanted more from your games like the ability to learn the names of the flora you pass by in your everyday life (or even at your own home), this game is a delightful companion, though if you’re looking for the next deep farming sim, you might find that Out and About could be mindlessly wandering like its name suggests.
PROS:
- Genuinely educational plant identification mechanics.
- "Sustainability" audio cues are a brilliant design choice.
- Relaxing, low-pressure atmosphere.
- Real-world recipes are a unique unlockable.
CONS:
- Pacing is incredibly slow, even for the genre.
- The world can feel static and empty between foraging spots.
- Early Access jank (camera issues, texture pop-in).
A huge thank you to Yaldi Games for providing us a copy of Out and About for the purposes of this review!