McDoot
BACKER
2020
click clak klak click boop bop bp booop
2014
I invested a lot of time and money into this badboy and whilst I entirely enjoyed the experience I had, I am very upset about the fact that I will never be able to get back into the game without committing far more time and money.
2010
This review contains spoilers
Space Funeral depicts a world in which perfection has been spoilt by chaos - with perfection, in this case, being a generic default JRPG skin for RPG Maker 2003.
There is something incredible about the fact that the hand-drawn mspaint sprites actually look better than what the final boss would have you believe is a beautiful un-improvable world. I don't think thecatamites is pulling some double-irony-layered joke here, judging from their itch.io which sports a pasta-glue-collage art style, this is a genuine attempt at synthesising meaningful visuals and honestly I think they might have been a decade too early.
We now live in a post-Cruelty Squad world, where non-conforming designs are seeing a bit of a renaissance in games - after all, challenging aesthetics are a progression of any art medium. The plot presents this as a purposeful uglifying of something pure and it comes across as frustration, whether the anger is coming from a lack of ability (which I somewhat doubt) or resentment that the indie gaming scene at the time was full of clones and generic designs.
This last point becomes harder to internalise 12 years after the release of games like Space Funeral or Barkley: Shut up and Jam Gaiden, which are victims (beneficiaries?) of survivorship bias, their place in the sarcastic RPG maker games hall-of-fame being cemented by a decade of self-aware ironic games that are influenced or are a symptom of those earlier titles.
As a side note, as someone who hasn't played many RPG Maker games, I find it amusing that the JRPG progression can be neatly squeezed into 60 minutes of gameplay.
There is something incredible about the fact that the hand-drawn mspaint sprites actually look better than what the final boss would have you believe is a beautiful un-improvable world. I don't think thecatamites is pulling some double-irony-layered joke here, judging from their itch.io which sports a pasta-glue-collage art style, this is a genuine attempt at synthesising meaningful visuals and honestly I think they might have been a decade too early.
We now live in a post-Cruelty Squad world, where non-conforming designs are seeing a bit of a renaissance in games - after all, challenging aesthetics are a progression of any art medium. The plot presents this as a purposeful uglifying of something pure and it comes across as frustration, whether the anger is coming from a lack of ability (which I somewhat doubt) or resentment that the indie gaming scene at the time was full of clones and generic designs.
This last point becomes harder to internalise 12 years after the release of games like Space Funeral or Barkley: Shut up and Jam Gaiden, which are victims (beneficiaries?) of survivorship bias, their place in the sarcastic RPG maker games hall-of-fame being cemented by a decade of self-aware ironic games that are influenced or are a symptom of those earlier titles.
As a side note, as someone who hasn't played many RPG Maker games, I find it amusing that the JRPG progression can be neatly squeezed into 60 minutes of gameplay.
I'm retiring this one so I can get it off my conscience. Another user mentioned that the gameplay can get exhausting and there isn't a better way of describing it.
There is already a high barrier to entry, with the game not being released in the west and it only being available via a (very good) fan translation, so naturally the ratings are high on this site since people are probably already invested in the game before even booting up the rom.
But sadly this game commits the cardinal sin of being a goddam chore - each turn requires moving a dozen units, with the defeat of each sub boss opening up a laundry list of busy work to do with your units; arena fights, buying, selling, gifting money, capturing villages, talking and triggering events. There is just so much tedium to be had while the minute to minute gameplay doesn't actually accomplish much.
And the sad part is that I am tapping out at the start of chapter 5, the last chapter before the time skip - the main feature of this entry. The reality is that a chapter could take 4 hours of my quickly vanishing life away from me, unlocking another 20 hours of... frustration, the frustration you only get from watching someone else do a task too slowly - if only I could step in and speed things up or skip some steps for them.
There is already a high barrier to entry, with the game not being released in the west and it only being available via a (very good) fan translation, so naturally the ratings are high on this site since people are probably already invested in the game before even booting up the rom.
But sadly this game commits the cardinal sin of being a goddam chore - each turn requires moving a dozen units, with the defeat of each sub boss opening up a laundry list of busy work to do with your units; arena fights, buying, selling, gifting money, capturing villages, talking and triggering events. There is just so much tedium to be had while the minute to minute gameplay doesn't actually accomplish much.
And the sad part is that I am tapping out at the start of chapter 5, the last chapter before the time skip - the main feature of this entry. The reality is that a chapter could take 4 hours of my quickly vanishing life away from me, unlocking another 20 hours of... frustration, the frustration you only get from watching someone else do a task too slowly - if only I could step in and speed things up or skip some steps for them.
2016
When I was younger I used to have recurring dreams which weren't very scary but I was always terrified of having them. I was in a white-black void filled with tightropes of alternating thicknesses that I had to navigate across; the thinnest ones were like fishing wire and would slice me up real bad but for some reason I was more afraid of the thickest wires which were sausage-shaped and fleshy and standing on them wouldn't hurt me physically but I was repulsed by it none the less.
Where I grew up, houses didn't have basements. Instead we have attics or lofts which I have on occasion peered my head into and seen shapes move before fumbling for the lightswitch. In general though, I find that lofts take on a different role than that of the basement, instilling a sense of mystery rather than dread, where else would you store a century old painting or cursed music box.
Where I grew up, houses didn't have basements. Instead we have attics or lofts which I have on occasion peered my head into and seen shapes move before fumbling for the lightswitch. In general though, I find that lofts take on a different role than that of the basement, instilling a sense of mystery rather than dread, where else would you store a century old painting or cursed music box.
1994
I really really really appreciate all of the QoL features that this game had - in 1994 we solved random encounters and grinding but apparently no one was paying attention?
2022
Okay which UI designer was fired from Monolith Soft to work on this?
2022
god i miss manuals
2021
Full of little trivia goodies providing context about Lovecraft and the stories he wrote. I can tell it was made with love and I look forward to more stories being adapted this way.
In a world where 90% of games aren't available on modern platform, an MCC is necessary for any franchise to stay relevant and accessible.
2001
A PS1 game that missed its launch and released on PS2 doesn't exactly age with grace.
2016
Parsnips drool, taters rool.
The best way to play this game is to sleep at 10am and then get mad that no one wants to marry you.
The best way to play this game is to sleep at 10am and then get mad that no one wants to marry you.
2023
Exactly 1 Moon cycle ago I beat Metal: Hellsinger. I criticised that game for forcing rhythm into a genre that is only held back by doing actions to the beat (and in my opinion, every First Person Shooter is a Rhythm Game, with the beats per minute equal to twice the amount of frames it takes to reload a shotgun). For starters, Hi-Fi Rush has a more engaging presentation, I mean I literally downloaded it because it vaguely looked liked Jet Set Radio Future if I squinted, but I think the thought process behind both games execution is the same if I dare give Metal: Hellsinger any credit.
The only deciding factor is genre. Spectacle Fighter games are already Rhythm games! "McDoot!" I hear you cry, "You just said first person shooters are rhythm games too!" And to that I say "yes!" Everything is a rhythm game! But whereas rhythm felt like a constraint in Metal: Hellsinger, Hi-Fi Rush frames it as a Rosetta Stone for deciphering an entire genre. Every character in a Spectacle Fighter game has frame times and parries, it just so happens that here they are perfectly translated to the beat. If you want more complex action and higher reaching ambitions then please go get S rankings in every DMC game - and I am hoping that having beat this game and understood what makes the genre will make that task easier/more enjoyable.
The only deciding factor is genre. Spectacle Fighter games are already Rhythm games! "McDoot!" I hear you cry, "You just said first person shooters are rhythm games too!" And to that I say "yes!" Everything is a rhythm game! But whereas rhythm felt like a constraint in Metal: Hellsinger, Hi-Fi Rush frames it as a Rosetta Stone for deciphering an entire genre. Every character in a Spectacle Fighter game has frame times and parries, it just so happens that here they are perfectly translated to the beat. If you want more complex action and higher reaching ambitions then please go get S rankings in every DMC game - and I am hoping that having beat this game and understood what makes the genre will make that task easier/more enjoyable.
Telling me you won't hold my hand is not an excuse to have a confusing opening experience. I walked past god knows how many puzzles because I didn't realise the storytelling hinged on hunting through the environment to find clues - so thanks for that I guess.
1999
During the final cutscene my partner asked me if 'that' was the System Shock™️, and you know what, I think they were on to something.