It's only fair to mention that I've been a Homestar Runner fan since Everybody to the Limit back in 2002. I own a fair portion of Homestar Runner merchandise, I tune in every Monday in hopes of watching a new Strong Bad Email, and I think the Brothers Chaps are incredibly clever gentlemen. As such, I will fully admit that I was predisposed to enjoy Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People long before I had occasion to actually play it. Now, the game has finally been released for PC and WiiWare by the episodic eccentrics at Telltale Games, and I've finally been able to explore the full experience from front to back. Is it everything we hoped it would be?
There's two types of gamer who will need an answer to that question. If you are a Homestar Runner fan, there's a good chance that, like me, you already knew you would buy this game the day it was announced. To you, I am pleased to announce that you will not regret your inevitable purchase. If you have never watched Homestar Runner or do not count yourself as much of a fan, I must admit, you will probably not like this game as instantly as a fan might, but you will enjoy it nonetheless. With any luck, in fact, it will help the characters to grow on you, and you may rethink your fan status by the time the game is over. The first episode of SBCG4AP is fantastic for fans, and is a decent way to meet the characters for fans-in-progress.
If you've played any of Telltale's Sam & Max games, you already know how to play SBCG4AP; the interface is nearly identical to the developer's previous adventure offerings. We played the PC version of SBCG4AP, but on both PC and Wii, the game is controlled by pointing and clicking where you would like Strong Bad to move, and/or clicking on various hotspots to interact with them. The process is instantly intuitive to any gamer who has so much as looked at an adventure game in the last two decades, but should you require it, Strong Bad will deliver an overly-rehearsed tutorial sequence, much to the chagrin of his fellow characters. It's a great introduction to Strong Bad's characteristic brand of cleverly worded humor, and while I honestly can't remember the last adventure game I played where the protagonist didn't break the fourth wall, it actually matches Strong Bad's typical antics perfectly.
The same can be said for the entire length of the game. Strong Bad, Homestar, and all the rest are in top form, delivering a constant stream of hilarity, some of which is lifted directly from their prior cartoons, but mostly original content. The effect is just like playing through a new H*R cartoon -- I had occasion to show off the game to a friend while working on my review, and I was asked, "So when does the actual game begin?" after I had actually been playing for several minutes. My observer had been under the impression that my dialogue choices and actions were merely a 3D H*R cartoon leading up to the gameplay segments. SBCG4AP has nailed the look, feel, and (naturally) style of the web-cartoon series perfectly.
This isn't surprising, of course, given the full involvement of the Brothers Chaps in the writing, art direction, and voice work. Furthermore, Telltale has managed to get their game engine, and the entire 4-5 hour game episode, into the Wii's restrictive memory limits. This is an impressive feat of engineering, but the downside is that the PC version feels a bit unpolished by comparison. The graphics are incredibly simplistic, but that's not our complaint; SBCG4AP is attempting to emulate the iconic, simple style of the Homestar Runner flash cartoons, and at this, it unquestionably succeeds. Clever camera tricks, as explained to us during a prior interview, keep the characters facing the player from the angles one is used to from the cartoons, and the full cast has been translated faithfully and excellently into their new 3D forms. The world, too, is made of the bright colors, green "lush" outdoor scenes, and all the familiar rooms of the House of Strong. These extremely basic designs allow for quick and easy rendering, making the H*R world a perfect candidate for WiiWare.
The downside, sadly, is the sound. The voice work of Matt Chapman (and Missy Palmer as Marzipan) is in full effect, handling the characters' voices with his usual comic timing and hilarious delivery. The music, ranging from Videlectrix's retro chiptunes to familiar Casio synth BGM for various scenes, is spot-on. Unfortunately, most all of the sound has clearly been compressed far too much in order to squeeze the high quantities of dialogue into a low space limit, and it suffers as a result. The voices all have that "compression garble" to them, frequently sounding like they're coming through an AM radio or a cellphone on the last of its battery power. As vital as the voices are to the humor of the H*R characters, this is a truly unfortunate detriment to the game. Still, the actual content of the dialogue, and the on-screen action, should be enough to let players enjoy themselves regardless.
Of course, the biggest sticking point of all is: Will non-fans enjoy SBCG4AP enough to warrant a purchase? My opinion is, yes, they will, if they are prepared to accept that more than a few jokes and references will go over their heads. SBCG4AP, just like its source material, is incredibly self-referential, and the game makes no effort to explain any of the established eccentricities of the H*R world. This isn't limited to simple character elements like "Homestar manipulates things with no arms" or "The King of Town eats pretty much everything," either: Unfamiliar players may find themselves wondering why Strong Bad is carving a hedge into a one-armed dragon, or why Strong Bad has a comic about perennially slaughtered adolescent girls.
What keeps SBCG4AP accessible to fans and non-fans alike is that none of these inside jokes are allowed to affect the puzzles or progression of the game. Intimate knowledge of the characters and their habits is never required to advance through the plot -- basic adventure-game logic and a reasonable sense of humor will see you through every obstacle in the game. The puzzles are all very straightforward without being blatantly obvious, and not once did I encounter the eye-rolling FAQ-required non-sequitur that has felled many a game. To top it off, the bulk of the humor isn't predicated on any prior H*R experience; a number of jokes might not make complete sense to an outsider, but the humor in SBCG4AP is simply amusing of its own accord. An outsider won't understand why Bubs is selling chocolate-covered packing peanuts, but let's face it -- none of us do. It's still funny. And be sure to ask Marzipan why you're not invited to her party -- I think that was the moment I laughed the hardest.
All told, you can expect to play SBCG4AP: Homestar Ruiner for 3-4 hours in order to complete the story, and after that, you'll unlock an "extended mode" where you get to explore the world for all the bonus items and hidden pick-ups you missed. This is a great idea, I have to say; most games would force you to start over again to look for the extras. This will tack on another hour or so to the game, which makes the episode weigh in at 4-5 hours total. You won't ever be bored during those 4-5 hours, either, making this inaugural episode well worth purchase for either Wii or PC. The Wii version has an additional feature or two, including the ability to send pictures and emails to your friends, but then, it will also occupy a large portion of your console memory. One hopes Nintendo figures out a storage solution by the time all five episodes are out.
If you're a Homestar Runner fan, you already believed you needed this game, and you were right. For everyone else, I definitely recommend giving SBCG4AP a whirl. You'll have no idea why you're laughing at first, but then it'll dawn on you -- you are laughing. Welcome to the fold, my friends.
Full disclosure: At time of publication, Richard Kain — owner of our parent company Pantheon Labs -- was an investor in Telltale Games.
I bought it and played through yesterday and was absolutely thrilled that it isn't watered down Homestar Runner at all. It's exactly like an extra long, playable cartoon.
As for the game, I was completely motivated the whole time, always knowing just enough to figure out what to do next. I never had to wander around hoping to activate anything or encounter someone new. It just all flowed naturally.
[...] to distrust and defection amongst readers, the catalyst of Ars Technica’s piece–a positive review of a game published by Telltale Games, one of TriplePoint’s former clients–seems fairly innocuous [...]
August 11th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
For all you on the fence there is a demo online supported by Telltale of the first episode.
August 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I bought it and played through yesterday and was absolutely thrilled that it isn't watered down Homestar Runner at all. It's exactly like an extra long, playable cartoon.
As for the game, I was completely motivated the whole time, always knowing just enough to figure out what to do next. I never had to wander around hoping to activate anything or encounter someone new. It just all flowed naturally.