Needed to be stoned to enjoy it
I've been a longtime Pixeljunk fan, so when this game came out, I was pretty hyped. It definitely delivered on the creative and unique gameplay I came to expect from the series, but I found it to be held back by repetitive gameplay and clunky mechanics. Still, I think it's an interesting take on a simulation game.
Gameplay:
Nom Nom Galaxy is a 2D game where you explore treacherous landscapes, scavenge for local resources, and build soup factories (yes, really). The game features several levels where you usually start from scratch and have to build your way up, usually presenting you with somewhat unique challenges in each one. Almost everything in the game is destructible so you have a sandbox-like amount of freedom to build your factories how you want. However, you must consider environmental factors, as if you destroy something holding up a piece of land, it will all come crashing down. There are certain indestructible parts of levels as well that you must work around. You can also lose a certain resource if you're not careful. Luckily, food is infinitely regenerating if you replant it, and it doesn't need anything but time to grow. The gameplay is pretty much rinse and repeat though, and it doesn't do enough to give the player consistent novelty throughout the experience, making the game very repetitive.
Your main goal is to produce cans of soup in your factory, ship them off, and reach 100% market share before your unseen rival can. The key to achieving this is efficiency and a steady supply of materials. Doing this is definitely easier said than done, though, as not all resources can be easily relocated. You'll have to be constantly on the move, but you can luckily purchase various robots to help you. You can fully automate your factory if you put in the work, but this can be tricky since not all robots work reliably, or are simply expensive. Still, it can be quite fun to build up your soup factory and ship all sorts of soups made with the weird resources you find with each level... gosh, I cannot believe I'm actually writing about soup making lol... One thing you'll have to worry about is changing tastes of the market, which will be what mainly keeps you on your toes throughout a level. Sometimes the market will prefer an ingredient, rewarding extra points, or it will hate it, taking away points. Another element that adds intensity is the attacks that will occasionally occur on your soup factory, and you must build defenses to help fight them off. This greatly annoys me as it totally halts gameplay at random and causes you to have to search through all your building modules to see what needs repair, but I suppose it does add something to the gameplay loop ultimately. Though, having certain parts of your factory destroyed can cause other parts to fall down, and there's no way to push them back up, meaning you are totally screwed if this happens.
Now to cover what I mainly find clunky about this game. The platforming can be really frustrating at times, and it can make getting around places a nightmare. Something about it just feels off. Another thing I dislike is how imprecise the sawblade is. It's your main method of harvesting things and yet it can be so easy to do something you don't want to with it. I have a similar critique for the punches as well. It just all feels so imprecise and sloppy. Lastly, it is way too easy to get stunlocked by enemies and unable to do anything. There's just a lot of things in relation to your input as a player that just don't feel smooth at all. You can get used to it, hence the fact that I've even beaten the game, but I wouldn't blame anyone that dislikes the game for it, among the repetition.
Music and visuals:
Nom Nom Galaxy's music takes a very subdued and atmospheric approach, and it's just kind of forgettable. The game can feel a bit too quiet a lot of the time.
The visuals, on the other hand, are pretty good. I like what they were going for with its geometric style. I do think it can get a little old after a while with its loud colors and odd animations, but the charming designs for the robots, plants, and wildlife are certainly nothing to scoff at.
Conclusion:
I think the best way to describe Nom Nom Galaxy is that it's good in short bursts. I'm talking like "one play session every two months" kind of short bursts, because that's basically how I experienced it. It can be a fun game, and I generally liked it, but it's too repetitive and filled with too many annoying things for its own good. Would I recommend it? Only if the premise sounds enjoyable to you, because it'll definitely deliver there. Otherwise, you're not missing out on too much with this Pixeljunk entry.
Gameplay:
Nom Nom Galaxy is a 2D game where you explore treacherous landscapes, scavenge for local resources, and build soup factories (yes, really). The game features several levels where you usually start from scratch and have to build your way up, usually presenting you with somewhat unique challenges in each one. Almost everything in the game is destructible so you have a sandbox-like amount of freedom to build your factories how you want. However, you must consider environmental factors, as if you destroy something holding up a piece of land, it will all come crashing down. There are certain indestructible parts of levels as well that you must work around. You can also lose a certain resource if you're not careful. Luckily, food is infinitely regenerating if you replant it, and it doesn't need anything but time to grow. The gameplay is pretty much rinse and repeat though, and it doesn't do enough to give the player consistent novelty throughout the experience, making the game very repetitive.
Your main goal is to produce cans of soup in your factory, ship them off, and reach 100% market share before your unseen rival can. The key to achieving this is efficiency and a steady supply of materials. Doing this is definitely easier said than done, though, as not all resources can be easily relocated. You'll have to be constantly on the move, but you can luckily purchase various robots to help you. You can fully automate your factory if you put in the work, but this can be tricky since not all robots work reliably, or are simply expensive. Still, it can be quite fun to build up your soup factory and ship all sorts of soups made with the weird resources you find with each level... gosh, I cannot believe I'm actually writing about soup making lol... One thing you'll have to worry about is changing tastes of the market, which will be what mainly keeps you on your toes throughout a level. Sometimes the market will prefer an ingredient, rewarding extra points, or it will hate it, taking away points. Another element that adds intensity is the attacks that will occasionally occur on your soup factory, and you must build defenses to help fight them off. This greatly annoys me as it totally halts gameplay at random and causes you to have to search through all your building modules to see what needs repair, but I suppose it does add something to the gameplay loop ultimately. Though, having certain parts of your factory destroyed can cause other parts to fall down, and there's no way to push them back up, meaning you are totally screwed if this happens.
Now to cover what I mainly find clunky about this game. The platforming can be really frustrating at times, and it can make getting around places a nightmare. Something about it just feels off. Another thing I dislike is how imprecise the sawblade is. It's your main method of harvesting things and yet it can be so easy to do something you don't want to with it. I have a similar critique for the punches as well. It just all feels so imprecise and sloppy. Lastly, it is way too easy to get stunlocked by enemies and unable to do anything. There's just a lot of things in relation to your input as a player that just don't feel smooth at all. You can get used to it, hence the fact that I've even beaten the game, but I wouldn't blame anyone that dislikes the game for it, among the repetition.
Music and visuals:
Nom Nom Galaxy's music takes a very subdued and atmospheric approach, and it's just kind of forgettable. The game can feel a bit too quiet a lot of the time.
The visuals, on the other hand, are pretty good. I like what they were going for with its geometric style. I do think it can get a little old after a while with its loud colors and odd animations, but the charming designs for the robots, plants, and wildlife are certainly nothing to scoff at.
Conclusion:
I think the best way to describe Nom Nom Galaxy is that it's good in short bursts. I'm talking like "one play session every two months" kind of short bursts, because that's basically how I experienced it. It can be a fun game, and I generally liked it, but it's too repetitive and filled with too many annoying things for its own good. Would I recommend it? Only if the premise sounds enjoyable to you, because it'll definitely deliver there. Otherwise, you're not missing out on too much with this Pixeljunk entry.