2.1 hours played
Written 2 years ago
Okay, serious review time. Is this a good game? No. This is a lesson in tedium, repetition, and fighting the mechanics of a platformer that is actively trying to thwart you with its cumbersome controls. You will spend 10% of your time, or less, playing as Chris Chan, and 90% of your time playing Starkat, a Sonic-esque, but Bubsy-like torture experience of a platformer. Fitting as Chris spent 90% of his life on video games and 10% actually living. The world is small, with a miniscule mall to explore, and a handful of NPCs to interact with, and the colouring is sterile and boring.
Yet all of this works. The game is a meta commentary akin to Spec Ops The Line, and Undertale, but shone through the lens of Chris-Chan's ugly world. For him, the world is boring, empty, and small. He has nothing to live for, no companionship, and his loneliness shines through. The game of Starkat has some genius concepts, especially when you first defeat the master troll. This is a game that requires you to attack it with the autistic determination of headbutting your way through a brick wall - the game will misguide you, lie to you, and deceive you, with the sole intention of immersing you into the role of chris chan. You are not the hero of this story... you are just an instrument for making things worse.
The secret ending is something I don't want to spoil, but it really was what turned this game around for me.
Finally, some suggestions:
- Make the mall a little larger, a bit more bright, and perhaps add some security guards, a food court, diversify the shops, add pepper spray ¬.¬
- Mary Lee Walsh college love quest DLC
- Snyder board game store DLC
Respect to the creator for this true and honest game of kick the autistic.