Raising the Flag on Mount Yo Momma

Yo Momma jokes were a big hit over ten years ago. Then they got old. RtF brings them back successfully. As a quest for redemption, at where you look to take down Gus, the reigning insult champion at Club Compass, by digging dirt on him. He's got three ugly secrets. Get personal, and you win. You're helped (vaguely) by Joe Mahma, a legend of the art, an in-game hint system that gives about the right amount of nudges, and the ability to move to a room by typing its name.

All this could smooth over a lot of design mistakes, but I didn't find any. The path towards the end of the game is pretty economical--everyone has one purpose, and it's pretty clear whether you need them to do something or you need to push them out of the way. They're based largely on stereotypes here--there're two bouncers, Gus's ditzy girlfriend, Vincent the bully, Gus's posse, a sleazy guy at the bar, and a nerdy guy. We all know the tropes behind these, and the player should have a good general idea what to do. There are a few Lousy Last Points as well, and those quests are fun, too. There're observations about how silly and shallow clubbing can be. You've probably seen a few, but they're fun to revisit in a new context.

In the end, I felt just a bit sorry for Gus, but I guess show business is pretty cutthroat business, especially when it directly involves who gives the best insults.

The only thing I would add is a (Spoiler - click to show)block swearing rule where Yo Momma so threatening, you're worried what she'd do if she heard you, or something--especially considering the game does a great job avoiding swearing. But that's techie talk, and I probably only thought of this because everything else is implemented. I'm glad the game got expanded from speed-if to a full work, because it was satisfying to play and a great reminder that you don't have to be serious to be clever.

Also, extra points for the author including the source with the game. I learned a lot of details from that (beyond the lists of "Yo Mama" insults--one which works, one which doesn't,) and you will, too. It's clear enough that it can double as a hint-book if the in-game hints aren't enough.

Jen just got her backside handed to her onstage in a battle-exchange of "Yo Momma"-jokes. This calls for revenge! And nothing shuts up a smug bully like Gus faster than the raw truth. Time to go snooping around the club for some insult-material that will leave your opponent stammering and crying for his mommy...

Actually, this game's setup is very reminiscent of the loosely biographical Eminem vehicle whose title I referenced above. I had a lot more fun with Raising the Flag on Mount Yo Momma than I had watching the film though.

The author manages to believably cram three multi-step puzzles in a tiny 8-location map. All locations have their clearly delineated function in the logical sequence of subpuzzles, sometimes more than once. The general club atmosphere is maintained throughout while the separate locations get an individual vibe.

The practical side of the writing is great. Uncluttered descriptions with the important stuff clearly standing out without becoming a dry list. A step-by-step hint system that masquerades as an in-game THINK ABOUT command. Easy communication through TALK TO, SHOW TO, or INSULT (of course...)

About half the puzzles require finding and using objects, often clever and always firmly in the time-honoured adventure style. The other half is all about NPC manipulation. On my first round of exploration through the club, already a few dozen ideas popped into my head for distracting, coercing, or otherwise using certain NPCs to further my goals. Most of these were too farfetched, but when some of my ideas turned out to work, I couldn't resist a little fist-bump. ("Hah! I told you I'd get you!")

The goal that needs furthering is, as is implied in the title of the game, perfecting your craftsmanship in dragging someone's mom through the mud. That's not cool. But a lot of Yo Momma-jokes are so over-the-top and exaggerated to the point of absurdity, or just plain bewildering non-sequiturs, that they do become funny (or at least groanworthy) again. The fact that the protagonist is a young girl standing her ground in a macho-dominated environment also shaves a lot of the viciousness off the insults.

However, the only time the "jokes" do become cruel is during the final confrontation, when this sympathetic young girl mercilessly uses the secrets she found out about her rival to grind him into the ground. (Jen reminds me of Lil' Ragamuffin from the Guttersnipe-games in a way. You wouldn't want to get on her bad side.)
Somewhat justified perhaps, because the antagonist character really is a bully, and because Yo Momma battles are ugly fights so those who enter should know what's coming.

I for one would like to see Eminem try to stand his ground against Jen.

In this game, you are in a 3x3 club and must find some dirt on the reigning Yo Momma champion. You have to wander around and try to look at his stuff and talk to his friends to find incriminating things.

This game is really well-polished and descriptive; I didn't find any bugs and everything was good and smooth. The dialogue was clever and witty, the puzzles were fantastic.


This game does contain some kinds of questionable material, since it's based on insulting other people's mothers, and their is some intended (but not completed) violence against women by other people. Overall, though, this was a good game.