Link: https://shc.zone/entries/contest2024/1180
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The Number One Fan of Clownacy Returns!
I love it when entries are both extremely high quality and massive shitposts at the same time. This is one of those. Even though it has all the hallmarks of an entry developed in a short length of time, it does finally come somewhat close to scratching that itch Dr. Yundong’s demise left in me.
If you’re for some reason reading this before playing the game, this is your sign to go and check it out, as the review below will mention spoilers.
Positives
This game’s sense of humor is honestly right up my alley. The sight of Ben randomly interrupting the gameplay with a lengthy cutscene 20 times throughout the level. The ludicrousness of fighting a heart with Majora’s mask on top of it with an epic finisher. The jabs at cops. :v
This hack did actually make me laugh out loud several times. Mind you, not exhale slightly faster BUT actually laugh, and that’s great. Sometimes I genuinely could not believe the audiovisual cascade of what was happening on my screen.
The music choices also lend this game its own moments of awesome, even when the game on its own is quite “bare”. I think it’s thanks to the music ports that the appearance of the first boss felt epic, and the true final boss feels like a satisfying climax to the story.
I thought the absence of music and the droning noise also made the “real life” segments contrast with the dream inner world segments in a surprisingly effective way, though that bit the game in the ass during the Ao Oni segment (more on that later).
Negatives
This is an over-the-top-ridiculous homage to the passed fads of the internet, mainly early creepypastas and really amateur RPGMaker games. And as both of these aren’t known for their polish and game design quality, this poses an interesting dilemma in regards to critiquing the game: is this a genuine flaw, or a faithful imitation of its inspirations?
You know what. Maybe it’s both. And that’s why I won’t nag on this game for some of its roughness. The bosses are simple and a bit of a waiting game, the environments are somewhat bare, playing Green Hill over and over is in fact repetitive, but it’s honestly debatable if any of that is bad per se. All of them lend the game a “rough” feel of many of the things it pays homage to, so I find these flaws thematically appropriate; they serve the game’s atmosphere and feel!
But some things are definitely worth criticizing:
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- The Ao Oni segment is genuinely the worst part of the game. Many early walking sim games had very questionable trial and error parts, but did we have to dredge that up here? I had to actually draw a paper map for this, and I spent upwards of 30 minutes trying to get out of that maze, where Ollie’s slow walk and no music (even the ambient noise went out after the first death…) contributed to how utterly boring that was.
- What you have to do in the true final boss is extremely unclear. I died over and over not knowing that I’d have to go under the hand (the hand I thought insta-killed me; but it wasn’t the hand, it was the hand hitting the button). And once you die, you have to replay Green Hill again. Why?
Trophies awarded
- Polygon Jim Trophy - Most “WTF?!”
- Self explanatory.
- Storybook Trophy - Best Cutscenes
- Fairly self explanatory, as the game for the most part is a walking simulator with cutscenes. The highlight is the car mental breakdown scene, definitely.
- Spinball Trophy - Best Entry of a Game Not Commonly Modified
- This is a Chaotix hack.
- Hexadecimal Trophy - Best Technical
- The effort of reverse engineering Chaotix and making its 32X engine work this well with the Sonic 1 and original parts is not to be understated. Especially given how much of a bitch the tumor mushroom is.
- Knuckles Trophy - 3rd Place