crispybass
This game is a promise I wish others built upon. A short story in an open-world that can diverge in wildly weird and amusing ways. It actively encourages players to poke and prod at its quests and characters in a silly cowboy-cliché world, and because a playthrough can be so short, you're encouraged to dive in over and over again.
It's a format I could see applied to so many different types of stories, worlds, and genres that to this day I'm surprised there isn't much more like it. But as it is it's a silly cowboy game that really amused me.
It's a format I could see applied to so many different types of stories, worlds, and genres that to this day I'm surprised there isn't much more like it. But as it is it's a silly cowboy game that really amused me.
This is a weird one because I'd say it's just about perfect for what it is: A flight simulator! But if you aren't interested in a flight simulator, should you bother playing?
I had a flash in the pan weekend with this game crashing into friends houses across the country, finding natural wonders and world monuments, and trying to barrel roll airliners. But after that burst of fun, I felt like the rest of it, the core of what this is, wasn't for me.
I'm not saying I want this to be an arcade-y, dog-fighting, twisted metal in the air hellscape, but a list of objectives, goals, and courses that encouraged someone who wasn't into the hardcore flight sim parts to keep flying. So yeah, otherwise perfect.
I had a flash in the pan weekend with this game crashing into friends houses across the country, finding natural wonders and world monuments, and trying to barrel roll airliners. But after that burst of fun, I felt like the rest of it, the core of what this is, wasn't for me.
I'm not saying I want this to be an arcade-y, dog-fighting, twisted metal in the air hellscape, but a list of objectives, goals, and courses that encouraged someone who wasn't into the hardcore flight sim parts to keep flying. So yeah, otherwise perfect.
Felt like a quarantine-driven fever dream that burned too hot too fast. Towards the end of my time playing I loved watching other people's island tours than crafting my own paradise. But life shouldn't be lived compared to other people's accomplishments. This was a great time when the world went inside and we needed a collective escape. And you can stack fruit now.
2015
Austin Walker in his Giant Bomb years said it best when he said this game will be like the Pixies. That group that wasn't the top of the charts, but will be really influential to the people who will be.
I don't know how true that has become overtime, but I wholly agree with the sentiment. This is a game of ideas and creativity, about why we create and who we create something for. It should be this noteworthy, emotional leap of a release that established some ideas how stories like this can be told in games. Because it has heart and a bold attitude to be what it is. I just think what it is is not worth the trip unless you want an interesting case study in game and narrative design.
I don't know how true that has become overtime, but I wholly agree with the sentiment. This is a game of ideas and creativity, about why we create and who we create something for. It should be this noteworthy, emotional leap of a release that established some ideas how stories like this can be told in games. Because it has heart and a bold attitude to be what it is. I just think what it is is not worth the trip unless you want an interesting case study in game and narrative design.
1998
General "taste is subjective" nonsense aside, I know this isn't a perfect game, or even more nebulously a 5-star game. But if scores are about how a game makes you feel, this game makes me feel absolutely delighted.
At the age of six (or was it seven?) this was the first game I loved. I know Mumbo's Mountain like my commute to work, and all the shortcuts depending on traffic that day. I use to play it every couple of years until college, my conversion to PC gaming, and moving out of my parents' house. Now in 2020, I'll be honest and say this game and backwards compatibility on Xbox Series X was a big compelling reason for me to pre-order one.
At the age of six (or was it seven?) this was the first game I loved. I know Mumbo's Mountain like my commute to work, and all the shortcuts depending on traffic that day. I use to play it every couple of years until college, my conversion to PC gaming, and moving out of my parents' house. Now in 2020, I'll be honest and say this game and backwards compatibility on Xbox Series X was a big compelling reason for me to pre-order one.
The boss battles wave back and forth between killing gods or office supplies, and the dialogue contains some of the best humor I've seen in anything in this sad sad year.
Combat gets old somewhat fast, which is a shame because the core battle system is interesting to mess with. And about half way through my only drive to finish was to see the end rather than the joy of playing.
RIP Bobby
Combat gets old somewhat fast, which is a shame because the core battle system is interesting to mess with. And about half way through my only drive to finish was to see the end rather than the joy of playing.
RIP Bobby
2020
This game is a comforting fire in a toasty cottage, even when things got sad. It came out shortly after my grandfather passed making it the right game at the wrong time, and I'll long remember its lessons on love, loss, and goodbyes.
The back half starts to meander a bit, interrupting the emotional beats that carry the story. So if you feel like skipping that extra stuff and only crafting the essentials, that might be the best way to play because the story is 100 percent worth it.
The back half starts to meander a bit, interrupting the emotional beats that carry the story. So if you feel like skipping that extra stuff and only crafting the essentials, that might be the best way to play because the story is 100 percent worth it.
2018
Maybe it's the fact that I spent my off time ignoring my cat to play so he could spill coffee and eat plants and I resent this game for it so I won't put 5 stars. Maybe I just wish for one more world and a couple more enemy types to keep the game fresher longer. Maybe I just hate Elysium that much. Maybe it's weird to start a 4 star rating with a little negativity.
But a game that feels this good to play and over and over again begs me to do JUST ONE MORE room is something special. Even though my cat is a terror and I hate Elysium.
But a game that feels this good to play and over and over again begs me to do JUST ONE MORE room is something special. Even though my cat is a terror and I hate Elysium.