Eric the Unready

I really enjoyed Bob Bates's newest game Thaumistry, so I went back and am playing his old games, some of which I'd played before and some I hadn't. Some of this was familiar and some wasn't. So, I suppose I played this and never finished it. Sadly, I'm finding a slog today much as it must have been back then.

A big part of the problem is that I don't think it's very funny. This is particularly surprising because Thaumistry often made me chuckle or even laugh out loud. Some of the time this game can get me to groan which is better than most of the time which just leaves me irritated. The humor in this game isn't really jokes, it's just references to things. Do you like SNL? Well, here's a Steve Martin character and here's a Gilda Radner character. Do you like Monty Python? Well, here are the Frenchmen from the Quest For the Holy Grail. None of these characters really do anything funny. They just recite variations on the same lines they had in their original incarnation. Is this parody? I don't know. If it doesn't have any point of view on what it's referencing it feels more like plagiarism.... But I don't think anyone would complain.

The story is not very front and center. You're given a quest in the opening scene which requires you to collect various silly items scattered around the fantasy kingdom. It doesn't really develop as you play despite cutscenes playing between each chapter. The chapters are little mini adventures where you must solve some puzzles in order to attain the item. These are absolutely fine and generally logical and well-clued. I have no complaints with the puzzles, which is why I'm giving this game three-stars. But you almost have to ignore the environment to enjoy them. Also, an odd thing about the plot. There's some naughty material on the same level as Spellcasting. (it's also similar to Spellcasting in that the main character is portrayed as a completely loser and yet all the busty women immediately throw themselves at him.) I certainly have no problem with adult material, but it's just strange that Spellcasting was marketed as an adult game (that I can't really imagine anyone older than teenager getting excited by) while this was sold for everybody. It's just curious.