In Surlaw’s own
words: “This
game was entered into [The Terrible Game Contest] because of its
ridiculous premise alone.” On its face, this
statement
seems to be true. A game about The Village People?
That HAS
to be absurd! But once you get down into it, this game makes
so
much
sense.
And that is
the genius of Surlaw’s artistic vision. He takes a
premise
that would seem to be ridiculous and treats it in a
“serious” (for lack of a better word)
manner. This
results in a game that is both engaging and full of heart.
Judging by the download count, most people reading this review have
already played
Village
People,
so I won’t go too far in depth as far as the story
goes.
Basically, the other members of The Village People have mysteriously
vanished and it is up to the Police Chief to find them. This
is
the where that ridiculous premise turns into rock-solid game
design.
The Village People are presented as a sort of Superhero Squad, with
each of them having their own unique abilities. For example,
the
Cowboy uses his guns to pull off a scatter-shot. The thing
is,
these characters fit so
well
within the RPG system. The different costumes really present
some
funny and unconventional character classes. But it is truly
great
how much sense these characters make while filling their respective
roles and functions. The whole execution took some vision on
the
author’s part.
In this demo, you are only allowed to rescue the Cowboy. In
order
to find him, you have to make your way through a desert.
There is
a clever puzzle involving a sandstorm and the boss battle itself forces
you to make immediate use of your new-found companion’s
abilities. I have it on good authority that this will be true
of
all future boss battles as well. This was a refreshing change
of
pace from most OHR games, where generally, special attacks and
abilities are useless. It was cool to be presented with an
ability that you could implement immediately.
The graphics in this game are vibrant and oozing with style. Everything
looks like it belongs. Structures are interesting to look at
and
nearly EVERYTHING has flavor-text attached to it. This is a
nice
touch that really immerses the player into the game world.
NPCs
have developed back stories that make interacting with them a fun and
rewarding experience. The world is also stuffed with secrets
and
items for you to find. Every trashcan should be examined and
every tree should be climbed. The exploration aspect of this
game
is really astounding.
The little details are also fantastic. When you equip the
disco
ball, for example, the screen flashes like a disco-tech. When
you
wear the clown suit, you actually look like a clown- even in
battle. When you attack with the rubber chicken…
well, you
get the idea. I was blown away by the amount of thought and
detail that was put into this game. Surlaw obviously pulled
out
all of the stops when designing it.
But as much as what’s IN the game makes it great, it is also
what
is left OUT of the game that deserves some mention. As far as
I
could tell, there were no ‘gay’ jokes to be found
anywhere. I commend Surlaw for not going down that
road.
Those types of jokes would be uninspired and obvious.
Instead,
the characters are treated not as cheap caricatures, but as living,
breathing (Village) People. THAT is what gives this game so much heart
and makes it so endearing.
This game is the next OHRRPGCE classic. Period.
Once the
open ended game-play is implemented, it will take this game to a whole
new level. I’ve been told that there will be
certain areas
that only specific Village People will have access to. Future
boss battles also sound like they are going to be unique and fun
experiences. I can’t wait to see what abilities the
other
Village People have. If you haven’t downloaded this
game,
you are really doing yourself a disservice. Go play this
game. Now.
