izigame.me

Late to the party? Hardly!
Normally, a game like this will quickly lose its shimmer after its moment in the YouTube spotlight is over, but I'm happy to say this game is different. I'd call it an evergreen title, never losing the light that made it shine even after the initial fascination has worn off.
I have a lot to say on why that is, but if you're simply here to gauge if this game is worth your time and money, I will leave a simple digest just below.
In Short
At first glance, the game may appear to be a simple or cheap gimmick. Your eyes may look to the set of striking tags such as "Psychological Horror" or "Retro RPG" and make assumptions about what other titles it could be imitating.
While the game is simple, it certainly does not feel cheap or lifeless. The game's main strengths are its unique presentation and striking pathos. It makes a point to not waste your time, and thus won't take up more than a weekend if you play it at leisure.
It's actual game play mechanics are of little relevance, since the main aim is to capture your interest of what will happen next, which is something the game consistently delivers on.
What it might not deliver on is its secondary aim of tugging at your heart strings. For lack of better expression, I'd say your chances in that department will be improved if you've enjoyed games like Undertale, One Shot, or Yume Nikki, all of which heavily inspire the overall tone and emotional delivery of the game.
For what it's worth, the game is quite competent and can deliver a fairly enjoyable gameplay experience on top of its enthralling narrative. While the game does fall short in some fundamental design elements and does not aspire to be more than what it is, that isn't necessarily a flaw. It is very comfortable to be what it is, and I find that somewhat refreshing.
If you're looking for a game to occupy your weekend that can deliver some resonant messages on the nature of friendship, attachment, and life fulfillment, this is certainly worth your time.
Friendship Prevails! 7.5/10

In-Depth Review
If you've read up to this point, I assume you've either played the game already or have already made up your mind on purchasing it or not. In either case, welcome! Keep in mind, there will be spoilers throughout this in-depth portion, but they will be tagged appropriately.
Having completed all of the endings, I think I have a relatively complete understanding of the game and what it represents. I'll be diving into all the key elements of the game and sprinkling in some criticism where appropriate.
Presentation: 8/10
One of the major strengths of this game is in how it presents its narrative. It strives to maintain an analogue feel which closes the distance between player and game by making it feel like something that you can interact with on your computer. The game loses its grasp on that end eventually, but it does trade that tactile element for something more visceral and emotional.
Additionally, the soundtrack for the game does a great job in providing a sense of progress, and has some genuinely memorable tracks in the mix. Not only that, but it provides a wonderfully powerful and well-appreciated nod to the Portal franchise towards the end. Not every track is a hit, but the soundtrack as a whole is quite successful. My only gripe here would be that it doesn't feel entirely consistent with the core theme of the game, but I think this is an intentional sacrifice to help amplify the game's emotional impact at certain points.
This leads me into my final point about presentation. While the game succeeds in creating an analogue feel that absorbs the player into the vibe, I find that many aspects of that eventually revert to more standard video game tropes in an effort to not alienate the player too much. I think it's a bit regrettable, but it serves the narrative needs of the game well and it's probably a good trade off.
To describe it with spoilers: I found that my suspension of disbelief started breaking once the more complicated game elements started showing up, and the gap between Buddy and the game it created tore a rift. The various glitches and bugs also rarely made any sense, despite how effective they were rhetorically. The game does explain that the assets were mostly ripped from a previous program that Buddy utilized, but I do think certain moments felt a bit cheap or contrived just for narrative sake.
Gameplay: 6/10
Probably the game's weakest aspect, the actual gameplay experience of Buddy Simulator 1984 is fairly lukewarm. I rated it higher than average because it does have a few elements of interest and does not overstay its welcome. It makes an effort to switch things up quite often and introduce new mechanics, some of which can actually be quite fun to play around with. As a result though, it doesn't end up surpassing any of its peers in this department. And it doesn't need to! Plus, as I'll soon dive into, I find it to be quite thematically fitting that the gameplay experience is this game's weakest element.
Story: 9/10
Definitely the game's strongest aspect. I will not only talk about the strengths of the story itself but also the theme and overall message behind it, and how they are woven in with the game's other elements.
The AI you interact with puts in a great deal of effort to entertain you, fulfilling its purpose. After all, you purchase this game to be entertained, no? Throughout, you can come to various conclusions on what you want from this AI and the game as a whole. You will be answered appropriately depending on the path you take.
At its heart though, Buddy Simulator 1984 is about friendship. Or more generally, relationships.
Love. Family. Friendship. Trust. Breaking Trust. Remorse. Insecurity. Jealousy. Acceptance. Fulfillment.
You will encounter mention of all these things throughout the game's four separate endings, the main voice for them being the Artificial Intelligence you interact with from the start. The portrayal of these elements might seem a bit inconsistent or rudimentary at times, but those ventures into disbelief territory are well-justified. If you wish, I think it'd be appropriate to see this story as an allegory for the nature of friendship, purpose, and attachment rather than interpreting it as is.
There is also a bit of background or... lore, as you'd say, in the subtext of the game. Mostly it helps to patch up some plot holes or contrived narrative elements, but it can also stand on it's own as a fairly poignant backdrop to the game as a whole. However, I find the game's strongest message to be in how friendships are treated and how they can end.
I like to think I got out of this experience with one extra friend in my life that I won't forget.