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Pzzl fght n ths wrd dvntr gm!

Hey where are the vowels?
Goog question, this is the same question you'll have as soon as you will start playing this game.

MZN' BCN is probably the weirdest entry in the contest, and maybe one of the weirdest game you will play.
Ok, so there is this pig that is also the protagonist of the game and our alter ego. What there is no more are instead the vowels, so good luck understanding what is going on!

Ok... so we impersonate this pig. The nearest person seems to be a girl, maybe a shepherdess? Who knows, the important thing is that she acts as a merchant, selling things that will be mysterious since there are still no vowels. Not in the name, not in the description. And this is the first problem the second is that the map (because this game has exactly ONE map) is a sort of maze and to reach the end you have to face different beings...

And for "face" I mean "fight", of course!


You cannot let me pass, can you?

The problem is that (except maybe for extremely rare cases, but I am not sure) there is only one way to defeat each opponent, using a particula combination of equipment and weapons. The problem is trying to figure out what they do, the good thing is that there is no penalty in losing a fight... well except if you spent a lot of money in healing consumables, then these are gone! In any case you can save anytime and anywhere, so play, try and good luck!

After each fight you will also get a new ability or attack, that guess what? It will be needed in one of the next fight, but there's still that problem of the missing vowels, soooo... it's experimenting time. But it's not all, as you progress and advance inside this sort of maze you will also find some buckets that contain money to be used to by more expensive equipment, that is needed to defeat next enemies.

I mean, technically it's all very simple: if an enemy has a stunning attack and is weak only to poison, you have to wear something that protects you from being stunned and used an ability that poisons him. Easy, isn't it? Well more or less, if you figure out all this you can probably defeat all the opponents. The reward is astonishing: a New Game + in which the vowels are present, that will make the whole game a joke, but will also let you understand perfectly the dialogues and what is going on...
Or not?


I'm just a pig and everyone wants to punch me... or worse!

Vrdct
Ok. This game is clearly a puzzle about combat but what about the rest? Well mapping is minimal and compact, sprites and music are all Rtp, like the contest required. What is lacking is maybe some extra content or bonus fight, still I was not disappointed. Uhm ok, let's say that first I was confused, then annoyed, then... triumphant! Yeah, yeah, I wanted to win and I managed to beat every opponent without even making too many tries (most objects and abilities have just one use, and considering that every victory adds another one of the next fight...).

Ok, I have already completed the game twice (norma and NG+ that includes the vowels), I am satisfied and I doubt I'll play it again, but I was happy and felt rewarded for completing the game. But I know that other player may feel frustrated, this isn't an ordinary game, but an unexpected simple puzzle game with a clever simple gimmicks that makes it challenging.
This is an idea that someone will like and others will hate so I suggest you to try and see. I finished it in about 20-30 minutes, no more, so I suggest to give a try, maybe you will quit after ten minutes, or will stubbornly try to solve the puzzle and won't stop until figured out what is really happening in this game.

Considering the limits of the contest and the final result, I'll give 3,5/5 for the well executed, simple but clever idea.

Posts

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Thank you for the review!
It certainly seems to be a polarizing game.

Speaking of the gameplay, players' comments and Liberty's stream made me wonder if I should have made the "puzzles" easier to figure out.

For instance, to increase the damage that you deal using the right attacks, or to replenish your healing item count after every battle.

Small changes like that might have made the gameplay side of the game less frustrating for some without compromising the tactical side of the battles nor the experience that I was trying to create (and I haven't had much feedback on the latter, so I'm thinking that it might have eluded most players, but it might be best not to spoil it).
author=Avee
Thank you for the review!
It certainly seems to be a polarizing game.

Speaking of the gameplay, players' comments and Liberty's stream made me wonder if I should have made the "puzzles" easier to figure out.

For instance, to increase the damage that you deal using the right attacks, or to replenish your healing item count after every battle.

Small changes like that might have made the gameplay side of the game less frustrating for some without compromising the tactical side of the battles nor the experience that I was trying to create (and I haven't had much feedback on the latter, so I'm thinking that it might have eluded most players, but it might be best not to spoil it).


Hey Avee! Thanx for your reply!

First, I am sorry I missed Liberty's stream, so I had to made a review based on my experience only, that, mind this, is of a non-english native speaker, so I guess that the "missing vowels" thingy may be a more difficult obstacle.
Anyway it was a clever espedient, I admit that, and since I was able to solve it despite my "engrish" in less than hour means that it was not too bad, difficult or unplayable (the fact that I completed it twice is probably an indication of this).

I don't know, I think I had a hard time figuring out the solution because of my... uhm let's say inferior knowledge of english terms, anyway I liked the original concept.
A lot.
I'm glad that you had a good time playing :)

Libby's stream was quite nice. Check it out if you have the time ;)
author=Avee
I'm glad that you had a good time playing :)

Libby's stream was quite nice. Check it out if you have the time ;)


Ok now I've seen it! Oddly I did the first combat only once and I had more trouble with next ones (especially that tiny fungus
first time I was surprised, next one I did not have the correct weapon, the third time I forgot the poison protection... lol!
! Hm the exception is the droid, there maybe I was lucky)

Anyway I forgot to mention how hilarious is trying to understand the words without vowels! For example I believed that DMN was for Demon! Lol! ^_^'
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