Wannafest22, much like its inspiration I Wanna be the Guy, is a game that heavily pays tribute to various retro games of a large variety. In this game, the Kid is placed in different stages from games that the makers wished to showcase to a modern audience who may have never heard of them. The stages are certainly creative and faithful to their original games, with the occasional twist applied that makes the IWBTG aspect stay strong throughout. Aside from the quality aspect, this is also a technical accomplishment for despite being made in Gamemaker 8 it has advanced features that most would not expect or believe possible, it certainly makes for a game that will amaze.

The game itself is very enjoyable, most of the time you'll be experiencing gameplay similar to the stages inspiration. This means that there is a load of variety of what's going on from one stage to the other. At the end of each stage is a boss as well, these are a recreation of one of the bosses from that game. The final stage of the game is the one that plays most like I Wanna be the Guy and binds the experience together with a climatic final boss that makes for a great showdown.

Overall, I would say that anyone who has tried IWBTG or thought about it should also give Wannafest a try. The difficulty should feel much more approachable than the original while still maintaining itself as a solid challenge that feels rewarding to complete and enjoyable all the way through. Also this game is completely free, you can find it at https://cherry-treehouse.itch.io/wannafest22 for Windows PC.

Reviewed on Sep 08, 2023


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