Super Mario Odyssey Review

One of the most delightful experiences in modern gaming.

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch

Super Mario Odyssey is a masterclass in platforming, level design, and how to incorporate utter joy and charm in any video game.

Right from the start, Super Mario Odyssey genuinely impressed me for a bevy of reasons. It is designed with so much love and appreciation for video games as a whole and particularly that of the age-old Super Mario franchise. Odyssey improves on what its countless predecessors mastered and includes some of the most unforgettable music, worlds and includes near-perfect platforming gameplay, unmatched by most games of the modern era. And to top it all off, this game launched before its platform, the Nintendo Switch, even hit its first year on the market.

Story

I am always conflicted on whether or not Mario games need innovation in terms of story. Super Mario Odyssey offers a plot that basically replicates what its many predecessors used. Mario ultimately needs to save Princess Peach from Bowser. It is anything but fresh and new. The same story was used in the 1980's when Super Mario Bros. hit the Nintendo Entertainment System. The catch is that Mario has a new friend named Cappy. This hat with eyes allows him to transform into many objects and species around him and lets Mario find new ways to get to Peach. Cappy's sister, Tiara, is also kidnapped by Bowser, alongside Peach. The only other new edition to the familiar storyline is that Bowser has a group called the Broodals, who are helping him ultimately have a wedding with Princess Peach. It is simple and charming but also far too familiar. With that in mind, I truthfully don't know if it is necessary for Super Mario games to ever have compelling, three-dimensional plots. Maybe, they are best in their most welcoming, sweet, simple form.

Gameplay

3D platforming has rarely, if ever, felt so good in a video game. Nintendo's Mario games have always been solid on this but I firmly believe Super Mario Odyssey does it the best. The game feels so good when you run, jump and roll around. It is smooth and versatile. Super Mario Odyssey's biggest catch is of course not its near-perfect platforming.

Where this game succeeds at being something truly special is Cappy. He lets you use him (the hat) for the platforming and its many challenges. The game lets you toss the cap to use as a weapon. It can also be used as a tool for getting higher jumps or even collecting coins. The variety of abilities that this new tool opens up makes for some of the most fresh experiences with a Mario game I have ever had.

Cappy allows you to posses various enemies and other inanimate objects in the world. With so many different possessions, Super Mario Odyssey allows you to find Mario in some interesting forms, each with their own gimmicks. Some notably cool and fun examples include the Glydons and the T-Rex. I liked the Glydons because they are these friendly dragon-like creatures that let you glide from great heights across the kingdoms' maps. Playing as a T-Rex is insanity, something I never expected in a Mario game. This dinosaur lets you wreck everything in sight as a literal dinosaur. What can be better? Besides them, Super Mario Odyssey is packed with plenty of other things to possess. There are two notably exciting Cappy possessions available towards and after the end that I'd love to talk about but will refrain from to avoid spoiling them.

Using Cappy's many possessions, Mario can solve some unique puzzles. Some of these may be simply platforming challenges, some calling for precision, others calling for timing. Puzzles also include travelling off the beaten path for power moons or getting through sticky situations. It is welcoming to see each kingdom have a variety of things that cannot be accessed without the possession of certain creatures or objects. 

There are a handful of boss fights to take on, those of which aren't incredibly challenging but do have some difficulty to them. I think these are designed well enough, usually supporting a new possession ability you have come across prior to that fight. These fights do of course go through a few predictable phases. They are still designed nicely and fun to partake in, mainly because of the new abilities you come across. There is also one boss fight in Super Mario Odyssey that sees you take on a giant dragon on a castle, looking like something straight out of Dark Souls. 

Super Mario Odyssey includes stores in every single kingdom to use your coins and purple currency to buy new costumes, stickers and decorations. I liked the ability to continuously change my costume for Mario, always excited to buy new ones in each subsequent kingdom. 

Super Mario Odyssey's level design is large-scale. Every kingdom has plenty to see and do. Super Mario Odyssey isn't necessarily an open world game but each kingdom does act as its own sandbox, each filled to the brim with power moons and varying paths. The levels also do, at times, come with side objectives, basically to get more moons of course. The loop of finding more and more moons in Super Mario Odyssey makes it incredibly addicting thanks to the impressive level design of all the unique kingdoms the game has to show you. 

One kind of level within the kingdoms is actual 2D platforming. They are so awesome for the sake of nostalgia. These sections play just like an old-school Mario game and even let your costume be see. It is disappointing that these were brief each time. I'd like to be play through much longer sections of these. 

Graphics

I have been playing several games on PlayStation and Xbox that look amazing, with photo-realistic graphics and things of that nature; however, Nintendo somehow doesn't need any of that to blow me away. Games from Nintendo's first party rarely try to be what they are not. Mario doesn't need to look like a real person and Koopa don't need to look like real turtles. The 3D Mario games have always looked quite gorgeous with their own take on what defines good graphics. Super Mario Odyssey is no exception.

Having released not even a year into the Switch's life-cycle, Nintendo delivers a visually appealing game in every aspect with Super Mario Odyssey. This game looks fantastic at all times. Whether it is the shiny waters of the Lake and Seaside Kingdoms, the vivid color pallet of the Luncheon Kingdom or the noir tone of the Cap Kingdom, Super Mario Odyssey offers plenty of sights to behold, each boasting wonderful graphics. Each kingdom honestly comes with its own individuality and pure charm. They look vast and that's because they are, each designed to look stunning. 

Even the 2D levels within the 3D world of Odyssey look amazing. They are inspired to be 8-bit levels from the NES-era of Mario but have a fresh coat of paint. 

One of the most impressive parts of this game is without a doubt the Metro Kingdom. New Donk City, as it is called, takes inspiration from New York City and urban landscape in general. the Metro Kingdom offers some of the most bizarre but wonderful things to see. You literally look off in the distance to tons of tall buildings, people walk around in bustling crowds, billboards and glowing signs are everywhere. New Donk City is an oddly alive city that resembles the real world liie nothing in Mario's wide history of games has ever done before.

Mario himself can change costumes in this game, and there are a lot of costumes to choose from. They each have an awesome unique look to them. The same can be said for the many things you posses with Cappy.

What came off as one of my personal most appreciated features was the photo mode. With the press of a button, I was able to move the camera around in all directions, put Instagram-like filters, zoom in and out and play around to my heart's content until I got the perfect shot. Super Mario Odyssey's photo mode left me with a good 200 pictures on my Switch's library of captures. I'm still planning on sinking many hours to come and the game has, since release,  gotten some updates with new filters, so I will undeniably have hundreds more. 

Sound

One thing Nintendo seems to experts at, especially with Mario's games, is music. Like the level design and visuals, Super Mario Odyssey impressed me on all ends with its music. The soundtrack consists of some of the most joyous tunes you'd expect from the series. Every kingdom has their own music, some brand new, others a mix on old school music. It is, like many of the costumes, moons and locations, nostalgic to the series in many ways. Longtime fans of Mario will appreciate what Nintendo did with the music in Odyssey. The game's music is consistently fresh. Sometimes I am humming to upbeat and light tunes, other times I am feeling tense as boss fights or end-game kingdoms offer me some frightening challenges. Super Mario Odyssey appropriately uses music incredibly well. I truly never disliked the tracks that were playing in this game, in fact, I think I loved it all. Mario games just have a way with their music. There is also one song called, "Jump Up Superstar" which is used in celebration of Mario as a whole in one special scene in New Donk City but also acts as a main theme of the game. It is incredibly catchy. 

Collecting the countless moons in this game offer a satisfying chime. I literally got excited with every time I got a moon and heard the sound effect. Other sound effects in Super Mario Odyssey equally succeed. Every enemy and NPC has their own voice, although voice acting is still not a thing in Mario. The grunts of Bowser, the laughs of the Broodals, the wall crumbling sounds of the Charging Chucks or various bullet bills, Cappy and his species' gibberish sounds they make when giving you dialogue and the sounds of the motorbike are just a small handful of literally dozens of unique, character-specific sounds you hear. Nintendo delivers on giving everyone and everything its own sounds and noises. 

Content

Playing like a sandbox game, Super Mario Odyssey's level design allows you to go off the beaten path at any time. Fortunately, this is included in all of the kingdoms. You will have to find a certain amount of power moons to move forward in the story; however, that only lasts so long. Once you beat the game, you may revisit any of the kingdoms and find that several more moons made their way into them. With the bevy of moons you likely never found and the addition of plenty more to stumble upon, each kingdom suddenly offers its own little open world full of exploration. This game manages to include 999 moons by the end should you do everything it offers.

Super Mario Odyssey's addition of purple coins (or whatever shape they choose to take, depending on the kingdom you are in) makes for even more exploration. Hidden everywhere, just like the power moons, these coins come with up to 100 per kingdom so you will have lots to find.

I am very pleased to say that the exploration to find every single power moon alone is not always a walk in the park. Some are hidden in small crevices, many call for puzzles pr platforming challenges. Some of the moons make you complete challenges like 100 jumps in Metro Kingdom's jump rope challenge that will make you stress but feel pure satisfaction once accomplished. Each kingdom, especially the aforementioned Metro Kingdom, comes with so many paths to go on and areas to explore, all making the game expand greatly.

Completionists will be in heaven with finding several hundred moons and purple coins. It will likely be no small feat to find it all, provided no guide online is used. To top it all off, you can even challenge yourself to harvest enough coins to buy every costume and sticker for Mario and the Odyssey respectively. If you are a player who wishes to enjoy the platforming and save Peach from Bowser to put the game down after that, Super Mario Odyssey will come off as more bare-bones for you but it is still impossible to deny the amount of content that this game offers within each of its kingdoms alone. 

Conclusion

Truth be told, I could go on all day about every minute aspect of what makes Super Mario Odyssey. It is a game built on absolute love for the franchise, frankly a love letter to fans of Mario and games as a whole. Even if it weren't driven on nostalgia for Nintendo's beloved platformers, Super Mario Odyssey still stands alone as a masterfully crafted platforming game. It shows what open, vast and creative level design looks like in a game of this nature. Super Mario Odyssey is packed to the brim with collectibles, each packing its own satisfaction to behold. It is truly a delightful game, one that is immensely fun to play and hard to put down. Everything from joyful, unforgettable upbeat and exciting music to the wide array of special and gorgeously designed kingdoms make Super Mario Odyssey is a system seller for the Nintendo Switch and a masterpiece altogether. 

Did you collect every single power moon? What was your favorite kingdom and why? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Review

Vivid colors and hyperactive gameplay make for quite a game

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on Xbox One

Vibrant, fast-paced and a joy to play, “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” is as fun as its predecessors, despite some over-bloating in its gameplay.

The last time I played “Pac-Man,” it was the black and white Game Boy version and that, like all of the classic Namco Bandai “Pac-Man” games is pure fun, even in its simplicity. The formula was never broke but Pac-Man: Championship Edition (2007) did find a way to make it even better. Its sequel comes packed with plenty of bright colors, fast-moving, frantic gameplay and exciting challenges, making for a solid “Pac-Man” experience for old fans and newcomers alike; however, it is admittedly a bit overwhelming at times. 

Story

“Pac-Man” has never needed a story and fortunately, “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” doesn’t shoehorn one in.

Gameplay

Collecting pellets, avoiding ghosts, moving on to harder mazes and aiming for top scores has always been the heart and soul of the classic “Pac-Man” games. This iteration mixes it up quite a bit. Results are generally entertaining and worthwhile but at times, I couldn’t help but miss the standard, safe formula of yesteryear’s “Pac-Man.”

Fortunately however, the many twists and turns “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” come with make for some exhilarating and smart maze design and challenge alike.

Perhaps the biggest standout to the old school “Pac-Man” games is that ghosts aren’t one hit kills on contact. “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” allows for multiple hits on the ghosts before they more or less enter a rage mode in which they can kill you and will certainly try to. As you progress, the amount of ghosts will increase, though never increasing on the traditional four.

There are also plenty of other ghosts present in the mazes. These green ghosts are asleep and will wake up and disappear when you traverse nea them. The interesting idea is how they are harmless but tag on to the lethal ghosts to give them both more of a threatening line but also a better chance of high score for you. Once you powerup, it is time to eat those ghosts, in which you hope you can consume more thanks to having woken them up in the first place.

Some ideas like an instant bomb jump to get you back to the starting location of the level shake up the formula and are fun aspects of the fast-paced gameplay. I found this move to be perfect for tactical moments like when I was about out of time or in close danger.

The score attack mode sees you going through several mazes with increasing difficulty for the sake of getting high scores, which is of course the general goal of “Pac-Man.”

“Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” has plenty of levels in the adventure mode. Each area comes with ten levels, alongside higher difficulty options, and a boss fight. The game tackled boss fights with lots of pellets and fruits to collect on a high pressuring time limit, alongside all four ghosts in full attack mode. The term “boss fight” is used loosely, as these levels just feel more like regular mazes with higher stakes and not so much an actual boss fight.

The maze design oftentimes varies from very simple, straightforward to large-scale and obstacle heavy levels. Thanks to tight corridors, ghosts galore and tons of obstacles, “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” can be blatantly stressful but ultimately with the reward of success and plenty of fun.

Graphics

Namco Bandai created a visually appealing game in “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” with bright colors and eye-popping on-screen actions. With every subsequent maze and power-up, the game features some of the most vibrant, colorful visuals the series has ever seen. I found this artistic style to be really cool and welcoming, especially in comparison to tat of the standard “Pac-Man” games.
Sound
Like the visuals, the music of “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” is executed very nicely. The techno-inspired, fast-paced and ultimately exhilarating tracks are ever-changing with each level. “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2's levels dynamically use the music, as each level seems to play faster music alongside the faster challenges and time limits alike. I truly found the music to be memorable and incredibly fitting for the gameplay.

Content
Naturally, the endless loop of getting the best high scores is still very-much-so the incentive to keep playing “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2.” Whether you are playing adventure mode or score attack, there are plenty of levels, each with many difficulties, this is not a small package for the self-competitive. Of course, if you aren’t into getting better scores or three stars on levels, “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” will come off as a small package; however, I don’t believe this a game people would play anyway if they aren’t into such gameplay.
Conclusion
With consistent entertainment and challenge in the many mazes of “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2,” it was instant fun. I found myself growing more and more competitive, further justifying my purchase of the title. Unfortunately the complexity of the gameplay mechanics made it feel a bit overwhelming and less satisfying at times. Overall “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” is however a solid game for its vivid color palette and visuals and exhilarating soundtrack coupled with purely fun gameplay.

What are your high scores? Do you like the vibrant, neon art style? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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God of War 3 Remastered Review

High-octane action makes this PlayStation 3 hit worth a revisit for fans and newcomers alike 

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan 

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 

Hacking and slashing both the most royal of Greek gods and abominable of mythical monsters made “God of War 3” one of the most satisfying games on the PlayStation 3; “God of War 3 Remastered” is just as fun while simultaneously taking advantage of the graphical fidelity of its new home on the PlayStation 4.

“God of War” is a franchise I hold near and dear with PlayStation memories and in conjunction with my favorite action games so picking the remastered version up on the PlayStation 4 was always a no-brainer. For returning fans, if you have the money to dish out, it's hard to deny the exciting thrills the game came with. With gorgeous visuals thanks to the power the remastered version is allotted, “God of War 3” is as much of an exhilarating and over the top hack and slash joyride as ever. Newcomers should put the story aside, despite it being relatively interesting, to still take in the thrill of every screen-encapsulating boss fight and bloody rage-filled combo that few games capture in the vein of “God of War 3.”

Story
The events that unfold in “God of War,” “God of War 2” and the other two spinoffs and prequel make for a lengthy story, spanning multiple platforms. The narrative that “God of War 3” offers will be nothing short of confusing for newcomers; however, with a visit to YouTube for a recap of what happened prior, the inaccessible games’ stories should be relatively easy to take in.

After uncovering the fact that Zeus, already meeting him in a previous encounter, is his father, the anti-hero Kratos seeks revenge upon him. The Spartan warrior goes head to head with a majority of the Greek pantheon in previous installments, oftentimes brutally fighting them to the death. “God of War 3” is no different. The ultimate goal of Kratos’s is to take Zeus down but needs Pandora's Box to make it happen. What lies in the box and its relevance, the conclusion of Kratos’s adventure, as well as the other Greek gods in the past and present all come together full circle by the end.

“God of War 3's” story isn't incredibly compelling all the way through but the plot points surrounding Kratos’s inner demons and the fight against his higher-ups and once-loved ones alike make for an interesting ride through a seemingly shallow character. With no experience with the predecessors in the series, “God of War 3” will likely be too hard or un-interesting to follow but it does do a fine job at wrapping up a trilogy and then some.

Gameplay
Kratos is a versatile fighter with four main weapons and plenty of skills to boot. With an instant tap of the d-pad, Kratos’s weapons can easily switch back and forth, allowing for some fun variety during combat, as well as a necessary switch up for particular foes.

The combat of “God of War 3 Remastered” should be familiar to fans of the series for its trademark hack and slash gameplay. Newcomers should expect fast-paced action, admittedly akin to button mashing. Combos are still nonetheless able to come by, especially once you switch between weapons and use other skills and abilities. The combat is genuinely exhilarating to partake in thanks to the epic nature of “God of War 3.” Whether you are balancing the heavy and light weapons alike while shooting arrows and sending a cerberus after your foes or tanking in the temporarily invincible “Rage of Sparta” ability, there is never a dull moment.

As it was in the original PlayStation 3 version, “God of War 3 Remastered” boasts a fixed camera angle. This looks fine until you lose track of Kratos in all the action. It is interesting to compare “God of War 3” to action games of recent years in this department, as they don’t seem to have the same, occasionally frustrating camera.

“God of War 3” has chests to find, giving you access to upgrades. After collecting three of each orb, blue for magic and green for health respectively, a boost in each department will be provided. Red orbs can be farmed through each and every encounter and act as the game’s experience points, effectively currency for upgrading weapons and abilities. “God of War 3’s” several weapons, skills and abilities can become quite pricey to upgrade with time so players will have the opportunity to focus on whichever they see fit.

Platforming in “God of War 3 Remastered” is more or less jumping and gliding across large platforms. In the same manner as it was on the PlayStation 3, this platforming aspect of the game never felt as good as an actual platforming title, feeling a bit off with each jump.

Always playing a role in the gameplay of the “God of War” franchise, “God of War 3” has puzzle design using moving platforms, precise timing and a select few special items and abilities. These puzzles are generally fair and not overly complicated yet do at times get you thinking due to some pretty intuitive puzzle design. It is interesting to include this in the otherwise fast-paced action game but certainly far from the most entertaining part.

A key part in many of the boss fights and cinematic encounters, “God of War 3 Remastered” and its PlayStation 4 up-haul may make quick time events looks marvelous but these are rarely ideal in comparison to the rest of what the gameplay entails. Sometimes these quick time events result in something exhilarating and overthetop in the most glorious way possible, others make your thumb hurt and make you wish you could just sit back and watch the cinematic boss fight conclude without so much player input.

Graphics
Thanks to an upgrade to 1080p and 60fps, “God of War 3 Remastered” runs very smooth and looks quite nice, especially given the fact that the original title came out in 2010. Everything from lighting and shadow effects to every boss and wall crumbling down come with beautiful visuals for a remaster, using the PlayStation 4’s power to great effect.

Sound
An epic score perfectly complements the action of “God of War 3.” The high-octane enemy encounters, boss fights and overall epic scale of the game The music adds to the epic nature of every fight and every aspect of Kratos's journey.

Elsewhere, the sound design of “God of War 3 Remastered” consists of non-stop action or yelling, plenty of yelling. When Kratos is not raging on about this or that god, you’ll hear the natural sounds of the action. Whether it is the weapons Kratos wields doing what they’re designed to do or enemies being torn apart, the fighting gets as loud as it is exhilarating to partake in. Unfortunately, the aforementioned music of “God of War 3” doesn’t get its limelight as much as it deserves, as it is oftentimes overshadowed by everything your ear picks up in this hyperactive game.

Content
“God of War 3 Remastered” doesn't come with anything new in terms of content. With no post-game content or previously released DLC in existence, “God of War 3’s” roughly 10 hour run is fair but seems in short in comparison to this generation’s open-ended experiences and sandboxes alike. The adventure is nothing short of entertaining but you will likely not be visiting Ancient Greece once the credits roll.

Conclusion
Come the end of Kratos’s glorious conquest, I was nothing short of satisfied with the action-packed 10 hour experience I chose to revisit. The PlayStation 4’s power allows “God of War 3 Remastered” to hold up fairly well among the plentiful new age exclusives on the platform. With an epic scale in every sense of the word and score to complement every intense and brutal moment, “God of War 3 Remastered” is every bit worth the experience of brutal hack and slash combat and boss fights for action fans. With no knowledge of the previous storyline, “God of War 3 Remastered” may not make the most sense, but e even as a series fan, my second playthrough of “God of War 3” via this remaster was every bit exhilarating and thrilling as it was last generation.

What was your favorite boss fight? Will you miss the Greek mythology of “God of War” in future installments? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Stick it to the Man Review

A comical adventure like no other

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on PlayStation 4

“Stick it to the Man” tells an entertaining story filled with charming characters and writing.

My time with “Stick it to the Man” consisted of plenty of laughs and genuine smiles on my face thanks to the adventure game’s solid writing and puzzle platforming design. With ideas like reading minds and moving stickers around to help those around you, I have never played such a bizarre but lovely game. “Stick it to the Man” is overall quite memorable.

Story
The protagonist, Ray Doewood is a standard construction worker, whose average life gets flipped upside down after falling into a coma thanks to a blunt object striking him. Ray wakes up finding a long spaghetti arm sticking right out of his head. The pink arm and its big hand allows Ray to move objects in the world around him and attach them to other people or objects in the form of stickers. Thanks to that and the ability to now read minds, the mob goes after Ray. The Man, a shady figure never seen outside of silhouettes, is their leader, who simply wants Ray’s spaghetti arm and its powers. Ray ultimately finds himself with a main goal of finding his girlfriend Arlene but also to figure out what exactly his situation means.

I loved “Stick it to the Man’s” writing; it allows side characters be quirky and ever-so entertaining to listen to and interact with. Plenty of the NPCs offer some good laughs and even an emotional moment or two. By the end of “Stick it to the Man,” I met Elvis Presley, Santa Claus, a gangster who wanted to impress a girl with shiny teeth, a ghost of a psychiatric, a womanizing army general and so many more along the way.

Gameplay
What I like about the gameplay is how it supports the story heavily. With that spaghetti arm, Ray can read the minds of just about every character around him. The other big aspect of this arm is the power to grab stickers and place them elsewhere. Both concepts help progress the main story in addition to side plots.

“Stick it to the Man” sets up its levels in a Metroidvania aspect, where you will find out what an NPC needs, help them out and then their unintentional reward (in the form of a new sticker) will allow you to help another out. One character will need something to solve their struggle, oftentimes a silly or minuscule problem. A sticker will pop up, allowing you to grab it. You will then figure out how that sticker can come in handy for someone else. This chain of events eventually gets you to your goal or destination. Some stickers will trigger events with outcomes varying from logical to ridiculous. I thought “Stick it to the Man’s” storytelling benefited greatly from this system of favors, as well as making each task feel worthwhile.

There is a system of traveling between checkpoints, allowing you to swing around. This is generally for the platform-heavy sections. The responsive platforming isn’t incredibly difficult but what is fun is the moments where you are tested to not be caught by mobsters. Earlier on, they simply chase you but with time, it got more difficult. Whether it was using a sticker to disguise an enemy as yourself or to put one asleep, there are some cool choices in these sections. That difficulty spike and clever sticker usage-stealth combination was very welcomed but came and went all too fast, as this gameplay aspect was very-much-so taking backseat.

Fortunately, “Stick it to the Man” provides checkpoints regularly. A Mr. Copy Machine is the checkpoint system that literally draws a copy of yourself. Being stunned by mob guards or falling down a hole between platforms are the manners of death, which is ultimately not a huge part of the gameplay experience.

Graphics
An overall charming game, “Stick it to the Man” uses a paper-like aesthetic to add to that charm. Every character and object looks great in its simple but unique design. It sort of resembles the likes of “Psychonauts” and “Paper Mario,” both of which create something delightful.

Sound
Noire vibes and jazz tunes create the perfect atmosphere for the setting and overall tone that “Stick it to the Man” goes for.

Superb voice acting makes the witty writing all the better. Ray, as well as Arlene, The Man, and plenty others all come with many lines of memorable dialogue. The charming writing opens for both interesting and hilariously entertaining conversations and thoughts to listen to. Even the most random characters with the least amount of screen time have good enough voice acting to make them stand out colorfully.

Content
“Stick it to the Man” doesn’t do much to keep you going after you complete the narrative. There are a multitude of minds to read, and with that, you have several tasks to accomplish as well. If you don’t wish to get the associated trophies or achievements, the incentive is probably not there. Even so, “Stick it to the Man’s” 100% completion won’t run you more than five or so hours so it’s not by any means daunting nor is it heavy in content.

Conclusion
With visuals and vibes reminiscent of the wondrous adventure games from Tim Shaffer, “Stick it to the Man” is delightfully bizarre and entertaining to watch unfold. Playing as a puzzle platformer, occasionally a stealth game and an overall laid back and interesting adventure game, “Stick it to the Man” is a unique, hilarious and charming story dying to be experienced.

Did you read every mind? What did you think about the unique gameplay? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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