I think moths are great. Their hardiness, fuzzy little bodies, and the fact that I relate to their obsession with bright lights;I too find them fascinating. Unfortunately, other than the Scalloped Oak and the Puss Moth, I've not been able to see many of the 2,500 species of moths recorded to be in the British Isles, which is why I've now turned to Mothkeep's demo to take the edge off my lack of moth finding.
Mothkeep is all about finding and documenting native species of moths, in woodlands, rolling green fields, overgrown pastures, and even inside homes—you know, moth places. The full game is releasing in just a few days and it's not expected to be very long, clocking in at just a couple of hours. But that doesn't detract from the peaceful and cozy practice of listening to calming music while searching around for some cool moths.
I spent most of my time sat in an overgrown mossy woodland waiting for the Four-Dotted Footman and the Garden Tiger moth to turn up. I waited so long for the latter that I actually had to go to the shop and spend some of the coins I'd collected from spotting moths on a bunch of leaf litter, which I could pile up in the woodland to attract the attention of the Garden Tiger moth. Luckily that one coin paid off and I soon added the Tiger to my list.
But it's not just about appreciating moths while in their Imago stage (when they get their colours and wings), you need to find instances of moths during every stage of their life: eggs, larva, and pupa as well. You can use their preferred native plants to attract these stages also.
It's a pretty basic game, but sometimes those are the best. It's nice to have something where the stakes and stress are low, it certainly balances out all the horror and competitive FPS games I play.
Mothkeep is whimsical, chill, and the perfect game to play if you want to wind down or just see some cool critters in the woods. It's also just a great way to find out a little bit more about the 160,000 species of moth we share the planet with.
