I'm going to start by simply saying this game is incredible and should be played.
uncritically: Figment is fun, inventive, charming, and enjoyable for its entire runtime. Clearly made with love and passion by some cool folks, and feels as though it specifically appeals to tryhard casuals like myself.
that said, I have some critical notes both positive and negative. If you're remotely interested in this game, please go play it and don't bother reading on. If you're a dev, the dev of this game, or a fellow asshat, please read onward.
The good:
-The games visuals and sound design are great, evoking a minimalist yet inspired take on the inner workings on a human mind. Not as all-out psychedelic as a psychonauts, but certainly on the right track.
-The musical numbers are charming.
-The writing is surprisingly deep and had me grinning to myself repeatedly for its interesting discourse on psychology and emotions. I suspect this game was written by folks who knew their stuff and/or did their research.
-The gameplay is satisfying if somewhat shallow, but frankly that works for it IMO. Not every game needs to be For Honor, the minimalist hack and slash combat works well and has enough depth to sustain the runtime.
-Puzzles are clever and engaging, I actually had to pay attention to solve them.
-The boss fights are satisfying and just challenging enough for the overall vibe of the game.
The mixed:
-Some of the writing is a little contentious. I would never fault a game for taking a political stance I disagree with, I only fault them for being intolerant about it (ie BioShock) This game walks the line a few times in good spirits, I wouldn't say they shouldn't have done, I'd instead question who the target audience is and weather the situations and ideas posed (and posed right in the open) are a strong choice.
The game poses some head-scratchers about politics that I'm not sure it absolutely needed. Again, only calling this mixed.
-the target audience: on the prior note and to be less cagey about it, some of the topics described, political and just in general, are kinda heavy. Like the game covers topics about morals, values, politics, and the validity of life choices. Most of the plot is about suppressing emotional responses. It's hard stuff for some people to understand and appreciate. I enjoyed 99.9% of the mature content but this game is a colorful musical, casual beat-em-up... was this, supposed to be for kids??? it's too hard and too heavy for young kids, too casual and twee for serious gamers. I guess the target audience is Nintendo adults. Just something the devs should really think about I guess.
-The Sound design could use some work, and sadly this is one of those costly realities. There's no real way to subvert the cost of quality virtual instruments (or real orchestras) and it's noticeable to my partially trained ear.
The bad:
-the voice acting, it's borderline intolerable. Some characters are better than others, and the actual mic quality sounds inconsistent. Another problem that's really hard to actually fix.
I wish I had more constructive things to say honestly. the reality is that this games biggest drawbacks were strictly budgetary in nature (a problem most devs have zero control over.)
Which is why I refuse to fault it. The game is excellent for what it is, and makes me want what it could be if this team were more successful.
Which is why I'll be keeping an eye on this team with great excitement for their future output.
uncritically: Figment is fun, inventive, charming, and enjoyable for its entire runtime. Clearly made with love and passion by some cool folks, and feels as though it specifically appeals to tryhard casuals like myself.
that said, I have some critical notes both positive and negative. If you're remotely interested in this game, please go play it and don't bother reading on. If you're a dev, the dev of this game, or a fellow asshat, please read onward.
The good:
-The games visuals and sound design are great, evoking a minimalist yet inspired take on the inner workings on a human mind. Not as all-out psychedelic as a psychonauts, but certainly on the right track.
-The musical numbers are charming.
-The writing is surprisingly deep and had me grinning to myself repeatedly for its interesting discourse on psychology and emotions. I suspect this game was written by folks who knew their stuff and/or did their research.
-The gameplay is satisfying if somewhat shallow, but frankly that works for it IMO. Not every game needs to be For Honor, the minimalist hack and slash combat works well and has enough depth to sustain the runtime.
-Puzzles are clever and engaging, I actually had to pay attention to solve them.
-The boss fights are satisfying and just challenging enough for the overall vibe of the game.
The mixed:
-Some of the writing is a little contentious. I would never fault a game for taking a political stance I disagree with, I only fault them for being intolerant about it (ie BioShock) This game walks the line a few times in good spirits, I wouldn't say they shouldn't have done, I'd instead question who the target audience is and weather the situations and ideas posed (and posed right in the open) are a strong choice.
The game poses some head-scratchers about politics that I'm not sure it absolutely needed. Again, only calling this mixed.
-the target audience: on the prior note and to be less cagey about it, some of the topics described, political and just in general, are kinda heavy. Like the game covers topics about morals, values, politics, and the validity of life choices. Most of the plot is about suppressing emotional responses. It's hard stuff for some people to understand and appreciate. I enjoyed 99.9% of the mature content but this game is a colorful musical, casual beat-em-up... was this, supposed to be for kids??? it's too hard and too heavy for young kids, too casual and twee for serious gamers. I guess the target audience is Nintendo adults. Just something the devs should really think about I guess.
-The Sound design could use some work, and sadly this is one of those costly realities. There's no real way to subvert the cost of quality virtual instruments (or real orchestras) and it's noticeable to my partially trained ear.
The bad:
-the voice acting, it's borderline intolerable. Some characters are better than others, and the actual mic quality sounds inconsistent. Another problem that's really hard to actually fix.
I wish I had more constructive things to say honestly. the reality is that this games biggest drawbacks were strictly budgetary in nature (a problem most devs have zero control over.)
Which is why I refuse to fault it. The game is excellent for what it is, and makes me want what it could be if this team were more successful.
Which is why I'll be keeping an eye on this team with great excitement for their future output.
I played this for maybe 10 minutes or so, so it wouldn't be fair to give it a rating, but it does not make a good first impression; the protagonist walks at an excruciatingly slow speed, and the voice acting for the protagonist and his sidekick is frankly insufferable (it'd be fine for a game aimed at preschoolers, but definitely not for an ostensibly all-ages game like this). Given that I didn't like the original Figment either, safe to say that this isn't for me.