Genuinely, if you're still irony poisoned, or forced to play it (hi,) or an active follower of the franchise, play this one for yourself. No, it's not worth 10 bucks. No, it absolutely does not stand on its own, brush up on (don't play) 4 and 6 first. Yes, this and the past two games should just be one game. These are the leading reasons why I'm not rating it higher, but my god, I did not ever expect that Banban would land more than one conscious hit with its humor, let alone more than I could count on one hand. The quality isn't an up-and-down jumble like 6 was, it's more consistently middling (which is far better than anything that's come before this,) but god is it an absurd adventure at times. I don't even know what to say anymore. You win, Lena. You win.

Garten of Banban 4 is the worst game I’ve played in recent memory. I’ve played worse in the past, but not in a long time, and I think that was clear in my review. I had to be persuaded to continue the funny journey my girlfriend has set me on, and the only reason I did it is because the thumbnail for this one was Bittergiggle, the highlight of the previous game.

This is the best Banban game by far.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s still Banban. They’re still introducing new characters to advance the plot instead of sticking with what they have, the plot itself still blows, the dialogue is crummy, it’s not scary (one of the jumpscares is laughter) and to be perfectly honest, it feels like Bittergiggle’s character completely changed. I mean, I’m fine with what they did, but they still sorta threw him out the window.

Despite all that, plus the shittiness and cash grab of the whole franchise, I actually fucking enjoyed this one. There’s a genuinely liminal quality to it all, and I think that’s in part because of the light source your drone has, and how unfamiliar the whole thing feels. For once, the game making no sense works in its favor, it’s like it was accidentally leaned into. I enjoyed the parts that kept me on my toes, like the spotlight minigame or the last little obstacle course. Which, honestly, I laughed at its reveal. It’s unapologetic in its “lol fuck you” delivery and for once, that lands. The boss blows, and it makes no sense that Banban is there the whole time, but it does feel marginally good to pull it all off. No, you shouldn’t play it, no, I don’t recommend it, yes, there are at least two instances of real bad level design, but I didn’t come out of this one with any real regrets for having played it.

I’m at work and can’t write more so I’ll leave it at this: I’ve already been bought the next game and if they introduce another character in it I’m gonna break his fucking neck