In this game the whole universe’s stability depends on a giant semicolon and that has be the most genius thing ever put into any videogame... and that's the only thing I can say that its exceptional about it
Toodee and Topdee sold me on its concept since the first moment I saw it, the idea of controlling two completely different characters in two completely different perspectives in a puzzle/platforming setting that demands of you both thought and skill sounds incredible, and yet, as Toodee's perspective, it ends up falling flat.
That's not to say the game is nothing short of creative, 'cause holy hell if it oozes it: the first two worlds are a showcase of how this idea can lead into fantastic levels; it just keeps building on top of itself, expanding on what it already established, mixing old mechanics while introducing completely new ones, like the teleporting blocks in world 4, which lead to some amazing (albeit cumbersome) puzzles and challenges. But it's in these two worlds where the true meat of the game lies, the parts that will make you feel incredibly smart after you realize what you need to do, or even solving a problem in a way the game didn't account for. But then half-way through world 3, something terrible happened, something despicable and horrifying... I wasn't having fun.
Like... how is it possible? The past two worlds were a blast, how come from world 3 onwards the game just… didn’t feel right? After finishing, I thing the answer lies on the fact the game stops revolving around you trying different things and you finding an answer out of the multiple ones, to a trial and error festival that demands of you doing the puzzle the EXACT way the game wants you, and if you fuck up, you gotta repeat all over again. And you may be thinking: ‘’Demon you absolute nut shitter, that’s exactly what puzzle games are about’’, and while that’s true (tho we could argue that the best and most challenging puzzle games are the ones that let you solver their puzzles in multiple ways), Toodee and Topdee is also a platforming game, and that’s the thing that hampers it the most. Cryptic solutions, really wonky hitboxes at times, bosses that just feel like memory trials and not actual challenges that demand skill, and the one that ISN’T based around trial and error, it’s the most annoying lump of pixels I’ve ever come across in a LONG time. But perhaps worst of all, not only there’s the possibility of one of the two characters dying, and as such having to start THE WHOOOOOOOLE thing again, but it also doesn’t have any kind of rewind feature, and you know what that means: if you screw up at some point, and unless you are the most skilled player alive, YOU WILL, there’s no way to undo the error you just made, you have to start. All. Over. Again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. AND. AGAIN. It all just feels like frustration for the sake of frustration, all culminating on the last world and levels, in which you have to do them basically perfect if you want to complete them, as if you fuck it up even once, you die. The thing that basically sold me on the game, the mix of puzzling and platforming elements, ended up being the exact thing that caused it’s downfall, leaving the game stuck between dimensions, not knowing what it really wants to be, something that even affects the story!
While the two main characters are fine and charming, the game as a whole has dialogue that is constantly trying to make jokes, puns and soft fourth wall breaks, and even ignoring the fact that I didn’t find them particularly funny, it makes an ending that tries to be emotional completely meaningless. The game didn’t take itself seriously for most of the adventure, hell, there are barely any instances where the characters interact at all in the first place, if all of the story was like this, I wouldn’t even talk about it, but since the finale tries to go for this ‘’sappy’’ route, I’m not even surprised that I didn’t feel nothing, ‘cause, if the game can’t even make up its mind about what it really is, how can I even care?
And that’s what kills me, that I don’t care about Toodee and Topdee, because I wanted to love this game so badly. The concept, the first bunch of levels, the soundtrack, the animations, all amazing elements that cannot fix a frustrating, indecisive mess of a game that feels like it has a semicolon in the middle. I can’t call it bad, it does have some incredible moments, some (VERY) few levels even in the later half are good and the final section shows how this game really wanted to be something special, but even in that part it just was infuriating.
It's the worst kind of mediocre game: A game that has so many fun and genius elements ; yet it takes a path that makes it much worse that it could have been.
Tho I have to say, the game did teach me something, and that is that pigs in 3D are killing machines. Those pesky porks!
Toodee and Topdee sold me on its concept since the first moment I saw it, the idea of controlling two completely different characters in two completely different perspectives in a puzzle/platforming setting that demands of you both thought and skill sounds incredible, and yet, as Toodee's perspective, it ends up falling flat.
That's not to say the game is nothing short of creative, 'cause holy hell if it oozes it: the first two worlds are a showcase of how this idea can lead into fantastic levels; it just keeps building on top of itself, expanding on what it already established, mixing old mechanics while introducing completely new ones, like the teleporting blocks in world 4, which lead to some amazing (albeit cumbersome) puzzles and challenges. But it's in these two worlds where the true meat of the game lies, the parts that will make you feel incredibly smart after you realize what you need to do, or even solving a problem in a way the game didn't account for. But then half-way through world 3, something terrible happened, something despicable and horrifying... I wasn't having fun.
Like... how is it possible? The past two worlds were a blast, how come from world 3 onwards the game just… didn’t feel right? After finishing, I thing the answer lies on the fact the game stops revolving around you trying different things and you finding an answer out of the multiple ones, to a trial and error festival that demands of you doing the puzzle the EXACT way the game wants you, and if you fuck up, you gotta repeat all over again. And you may be thinking: ‘’Demon you absolute nut shitter, that’s exactly what puzzle games are about’’, and while that’s true (tho we could argue that the best and most challenging puzzle games are the ones that let you solver their puzzles in multiple ways), Toodee and Topdee is also a platforming game, and that’s the thing that hampers it the most. Cryptic solutions, really wonky hitboxes at times, bosses that just feel like memory trials and not actual challenges that demand skill, and the one that ISN’T based around trial and error, it’s the most annoying lump of pixels I’ve ever come across in a LONG time. But perhaps worst of all, not only there’s the possibility of one of the two characters dying, and as such having to start THE WHOOOOOOOLE thing again, but it also doesn’t have any kind of rewind feature, and you know what that means: if you screw up at some point, and unless you are the most skilled player alive, YOU WILL, there’s no way to undo the error you just made, you have to start. All. Over. Again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. AND. AGAIN. It all just feels like frustration for the sake of frustration, all culminating on the last world and levels, in which you have to do them basically perfect if you want to complete them, as if you fuck it up even once, you die. The thing that basically sold me on the game, the mix of puzzling and platforming elements, ended up being the exact thing that caused it’s downfall, leaving the game stuck between dimensions, not knowing what it really wants to be, something that even affects the story!
While the two main characters are fine and charming, the game as a whole has dialogue that is constantly trying to make jokes, puns and soft fourth wall breaks, and even ignoring the fact that I didn’t find them particularly funny, it makes an ending that tries to be emotional completely meaningless. The game didn’t take itself seriously for most of the adventure, hell, there are barely any instances where the characters interact at all in the first place, if all of the story was like this, I wouldn’t even talk about it, but since the finale tries to go for this ‘’sappy’’ route, I’m not even surprised that I didn’t feel nothing, ‘cause, if the game can’t even make up its mind about what it really is, how can I even care?
And that’s what kills me, that I don’t care about Toodee and Topdee, because I wanted to love this game so badly. The concept, the first bunch of levels, the soundtrack, the animations, all amazing elements that cannot fix a frustrating, indecisive mess of a game that feels like it has a semicolon in the middle. I can’t call it bad, it does have some incredible moments, some (VERY) few levels even in the later half are good and the final section shows how this game really wanted to be something special, but even in that part it just was infuriating.
It's the worst kind of mediocre game: A game that has so many fun and genius elements ; yet it takes a path that makes it much worse that it could have been.
Tho I have to say, the game did teach me something, and that is that pigs in 3D are killing machines. Those pesky porks!
6 Comments
Puzzle games like this not having a rewind feature is outrageous, imagine trying to get through baba is you without that feature... preposterous. Fantastic review Demon, its a shame this game didnt live up to your expectations /:
@thealexmott It really is the best thing about the game 'cause NO ONE questions it, the introduction tells you that it's the thing that keeps the universe in place and doesn't elaborate, and I find it incredibly funny for some reason.
@moschiade Thank you so much :D ! Yeah, this is one of those that really makes me sad to be negative about, but I just couldn't bear it at times, it's the most frustrating thing I've played this year so far.
And hard agree, while I still have to finish it, one of the reasons Baba is You is so great is because it lets you experiment at your leisure and doesn't punish you if you make a big mistake, as some other great puzzle games do, and this one not having the option to go back is agonizing at times.
@moschiade Thank you so much :D ! Yeah, this is one of those that really makes me sad to be negative about, but I just couldn't bear it at times, it's the most frustrating thing I've played this year so far.
And hard agree, while I still have to finish it, one of the reasons Baba is You is so great is because it lets you experiment at your leisure and doesn't punish you if you make a big mistake, as some other great puzzle games do, and this one not having the option to go back is agonizing at times.
it's a shame because this game's been on my radar since around when it came out since one of my friends in gamedev mentioned it, and it seems like a really neat concept. but most things i've heard about the gameplay kind of mirror what you said. always sad to run into a game with a cool concept that fumbles the execution
I can't remember where I heard this originally, but I'm reminded of something I heard about feral hogs.
Feral hogs aren't dangerous because they're feral. They're dangerous because they're pigs.
I'm glad Toodee at least seemed to get that right. I played the first world or so and shelved this for later because I wasn't really feeling it, but you've effectively described the worst kind of gameplay loop in games to me, so now I'm torn between abandoning it completely or to push through it to experience the snoozefest.
Great review. :)
Feral hogs aren't dangerous because they're feral. They're dangerous because they're pigs.
I'm glad Toodee at least seemed to get that right. I played the first world or so and shelved this for later because I wasn't really feeling it, but you've effectively described the worst kind of gameplay loop in games to me, so now I'm torn between abandoning it completely or to push through it to experience the snoozefest.
Great review. :)
@theddonn I discovered it by pure chance after a trailer released on Nintendo's Youtube channel, and I thought it was the coolest idea for a game of this style possible, so suffices to say that yeah, I was extremely disappointed. However, I really hope the developers try it again sometime in the future, this is too good of a concept to scrap it only after one game and I could see this being an experiment for a future amazing game. There's potential here, but for now, it isn't fully realized in the slightest.
@pickleSteven Whoever said that, they were damn right!
Honestly, while the game did manage to stick with me for a little longer, I don't blame you for abandoning it so soon. I still think that has some good aspects, but its problems are present from the start, and only become more and more prominent as the game goes on, and by the end of i, I was just thankful I didn't have to see some of its levels ever again. Honestly, you don't lose anything for fully skipping it, but if you are curious, I ain't gonna stop you, after all there is some good stuff, just be aware of the frustration that awaits you xD.
And thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it :D!
@pickleSteven Whoever said that, they were damn right!
Honestly, while the game did manage to stick with me for a little longer, I don't blame you for abandoning it so soon. I still think that has some good aspects, but its problems are present from the start, and only become more and more prominent as the game goes on, and by the end of i, I was just thankful I didn't have to see some of its levels ever again. Honestly, you don't lose anything for fully skipping it, but if you are curious, I ain't gonna stop you, after all there is some good stuff, just be aware of the frustration that awaits you xD.
And thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it :D!
thealexmott
1 year ago