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There are Flash cartoons, and then there's "Homestar Runner," which was actually funny during the early 2000s. It's so famous that you should've heard of it already, and if you haven't, what the heck are your reading this for? Curiosity? Well, that can be sated by visiting the actual site, and viewing some Strong Bad E-Mails. Yeah, you're welcome.
Now that we've distracted the not-so-fanly-fans, we'll get down to the nitty-gritty. When I said "was" funny, I meant it; I adored "Homestar Runner" when it was still fresh-faced and full of life, bringing with it hilarious SBEMails and some other amusing toons. As the years passed, my affection dwindled, to the point where my Crazy Go Nuts University tee rarely left my dresser; to me, the magic was gone. Although I recognized plenty of the in-jokes, where was the laughter?
Come Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, whose name I adore, this jaded fan wondered if they'd have fun with it. The opening screens bursted with familiar charm, and the tutorial played like a mini-cartoon all its own, successfully setting the Homestar stage. From there, it was a quest into the formerly uncharted third dimension of Free Country, USA, and it didn't look half bad.
Like me, you might not thrill to the early-on exploits of Strong Bad in his first cool game for attractive people, but things will improve.
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Virtually every 2D character was brought to polygonal life by Telltale's talented modelers, but it wasn't all heavy metal and unicorns. Marzipan, thanks to her drawn-on face, was the most expressive; others, like Bubs, suffered in the 2D-to-3D transition. Those few things that remained two-dimensional turned blurry at higher resolutions, like the "Teen Girl Squad" toons. Disappointing, given the crystal-clarity of the actual Flash cartoons they're based on.
Another undesirable hand-me-down was the comedic quality—or lack thereof—during Ruiner's first half. A beautiful opening serenade represented the Brothers Chaps at their finest, but what followed was indicative of "Homestar Runner's" recent years: too many fall-flat jokes that—while in-character—would only be mildly interesting to fans, while completely sailing over the heads of newcomers. In general, Homestar Ruiner completely fails to indoctrinate newbies: without so much as a suggestion to visit the original site, and too-short explanations of the characters and areas, it conveys nothing special.
Don't give up hope, fans! As the tagline of this review so subtly implied, this is a guide to wrecking a life—Homestar's, specifically—that was crafted just for you. Like me, you might not thrill to the early-on exploits of Strong Bad in his first cool game for attractive people, but things will improve. There are some key scenes that tickle the funny bone as effectively as the best SBEMails punchlines, and the occasional easter-egg-o'-fun does a good jorb of keeping you clicking all over. Heck, when I checked out a certain something in the House of Strong, I wanted to listen to Depeche Mode afterward. Don't worry, you'll hear what I mean.
Little doo-dads aside, a lot of Ruiner's puzzles are sensible; being able to click on Strong Bad to make him spout out on-demand advice would've been helpful, though. Whenever you do something and it doesn't end beneficially, you'll have to backtrack and explore all the little nooks and crannies till you find what you need. Sadly, this is a lot more cumbersome and sluggish than it should be. Strong Bad's on-screen presence is large, and the game's side view is claustrophobic, so you can't clearly see where you're going nor double-click him into a run effectively. Segmented areas (a la the Sam and Max titles) would've eliminated those time-wasting headaches, but at least they made the Homestar world a little more cohesive.
If you'd like to explore it, and you're a fan of "Homestar Runner," Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People: Episode 101: Homestar Ruiner may be worth your dollars, but try its demo first. Everyone else, consider yourselves warned: if you don't like the site, there's nothing for you here. |
