Pom Gets Wi-Fi

Storyline

This game has a very straightforward story. Pom dies and goes to heaven, and the problems ensue when she finds out that there is no Wi-Fi there. The story revolves around Pom’s quest to get a Wi-Fi, and appears cute, yet childish and dumb. However, the story is not pointless and lighthearted as it seems at first. First off, the player is immediately faced with the complex themes, like death and the afterlife. To tone everything down, the jokes are present from the beginning, making the player forget about the rest. The serious themes and jokes are so much intertwined throughout the entire story that it is sometimes hard to tell them apart. It was nicely pulled off, as the seriousness of the game is not really obvious until you get both endings.

Gameplay

It is not anything challenging but it is good enough to keep the attention of the player until the end. You mostly have to talk with everyone, complete a couple of miniquests, one minigame and battle a couple of times. The battles are very easy and they require no strategy. The most interesting thing is that instead of attacking and defending, in battle you have to taunt your opponent or offend him with one of “Yo Mama” jokes. The goal is to hurt your opponent, not physically but mentally. As much as it appears stupid at first, it has a good point: sometimes words hurt more than sole punches.


Characters

The story is centered around two dogs, Pom and Shibe. Pom is an obnoxious, stupid and selfish character. She thinks the others are worthless and dumb, while in fact she is such and idiot. She walks around with her laptop, searching for Wi-Fi and offending anyone without any reason to do so. She is constantly using corny jokes and makes a load of references. I hate her so much, and she is probably the most annoying character I have ever encountered but she is professionally created and developed. She is a perfect example of a good-for-nothing person. She is not taken seriously, but in fact has some very serious disorders. This is very realistic, as such persons are usually not taken seriously and no one notices they really have a problem, until it is too late.

On the other side, we have Shibe, a loyal dog who dies while trying to save Pom from the fire. He sticks with Pom, even if he doesn’t agree with her view of things, he is trying to help her and is generally very sweet and adorable. Just like Pom is a perfect example of the gross person, Shibe is a perfect example of the good, loyal person. He is also awesomely developed, as well as the NPCs, who are awesomely incorporated into the game.

Graphics and Sounds

Graphics are quite a likable. They are very bright, and they make a good contrast with the afterlife themes and Pom’s obnoxiousness. Some of them I find beautiful (like the cherry trees) and the others very cute (like the dogs). The music and sounds fit well with the game like the graphics, but unlike them, the sounds are nothing memorable.

Endings

The best part of the game which unravels the true meaning of the first game. After Pom defeats “Dog”, she gets another obstacle, Shibe. If she defeats him, she returns back to her tumblr account while the entire world falls apart. If she does nothing in the last battle, Shibe will try to convince her to try to change and help the world now when she is the new “Dog”.

The endings are trying to tell us that by spending your whole life on the net and offending other people, you will remain alone and destroy everything around you. But if you actually decided to help the others, you can change something and make some friends. In fact, while trying to get Wi-Fi, Pom helps the other dogs and makes some friends, even if she is not aware of it.

What makes the message better and more effective is the fact that it is very well hidden, instead of just being forced upon the player. It is a brilliant way to end such a game.

Random things I disliked

Pom, the main character. I know her loathsome character is important for the story, but I just can’t accept her.
The brightness of the graphics occasionally hurt my eyes.
When the dogs follow Pom, they sometimes wander away and sometimes go in front of her, making her stuck.
Some references were corny and unnecessary.
Battles which are not challenging.


Random things I liked

Dog-centered story.
Dogs’ pictures are very charming.
Shibe is an enchanting character.
The quests which nicely show us what is Pom capable of doing just to get Wi-Fi, including stalking.
In-depth developed personalities of the main characters.
The message of the entire story.

Overall thoughts –

Short, sometimes irritating but at the same time a very cute and charming game which has a strong message delivered in a tactful manner.