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Cal gets Pom gets Wifi

  • calunio
  • 08/18/2013 11:08 PM
  • 6631 views
Foreword 1: I'll start by saying I got mildly offended by the fact that this game got zillions of downloads in so little time, etc. Jealous? Maybe. I even said I wouldn't play it. But I decided to put this whole context aside, and play it not as "the weird game PewDiePie played and made RMN lag out of overtraffic", but as a nice-looking RM game that tried to be different, and that is the kind of game I like.

Foreword 2: This is a short game. It has two endings, and I got both in under 40 minutes... so if you're interesting in playing it, do it before reading. For I will spare no spoilers.

Pom Gets Wi-Fi is a short comedy game about an internet-addict dog (Pom) who dies and goes to dog heaven. In heaven, all she cares about is finding wi-fi so she can return to her internet-centered life. In order to do so, she must talk to other dogs, run a few errands and fetch-quests, and make choices that seem small but will determine the outcome of her quest.

As a game, Pom Gets Wi-Fi is very straightforward and charming. Maps are small and easily navigable, graphics are simple yet no lazy, very cute (especially the dogs!) and appealing, music and sounds are ok. Most of what you do is walk and talk. Gameplay is occasionally flavored by battles and a quick dodging minigame. Battles are easy and there isn't much room for strategy, though there are not-so-clear mechanics behind the choice between "Taunt" and "Tell a Yo Mama Joke", which are the only things you can do. You hurt your opponent not physically, but morally.

Gameplay is not strong enough to challenge you, but not weak enough to bore you. It serves as a sufficient background for the game's story, which is what really matters in the game, so let's get down to it.

The story is centered around two characters:
Pom, like I said, is always walking around with a laptop, looking for Wi-Fi. She's annoying, arrogant, selfish, and speaks in internet language.
Shibe is originally a dog from the same owner as Pom, and he dies trying to save Pom from the fire. He's a loyal companion, friendly, rational, always trying to avoid conflict.

As they walk around dog heaven, they make a lot of friends while doing the miniquests looking for Wi-Fi. Dialogs are often funny, but more than that, there is some very well written character development here. Pom Gets Wifi has few NPCs, but their participation is interesting and well-placed enough to make you sympathize with them. But above all, Pom and Shibe are very likeable characters (for different reasons, of course).

The game's story starts to form after you find out that overthrowing God (I mean, Dog) and making dog heaven fall apart is the only way to get wi-fi back. Pom is determined to do so, but Shibe is scared of Pom's obstinacy. They eventually fight and split. Shibe has support from his newly made friends, but Pom is left alone.

After actually defeating Dog, Pom has one last obstacle: Shibe, who tries to convince her that destroying heaven because of wi-fi isn't such a good idea.

The game has two endings, and it's very important that you get both in order to full understand the game.



In the first ending, Pom incinerates Shibe, heaven falls apart, and she gets wi-fi back. Pom's return to internet is, as it was before, very dumb and revolves around checking social networks and making silly jokes out of them. Until this point, the game had slight hints of darkness: the whole story starts with death, and at points, you can even see your former owner crying for your loss. There are also moments where your character and loyalty are questioned, and being a game about creatures as friendship-oriented as dogs, those are very serious matters. But when you get to kill your best friend and destroy heaven just so you can make fun of tumblr photos, it gets clear that this is not just a comedy game. Pom is a very funny and charming character, but get to feel angry about her. These mixed feelings will make you want to get the other ending.

If you manage not to incinerate Shibe (just don't do anything in the last battle), he'll try to convince you that it's not such a good idea to destroy heaven. It's hard for Pom to understand, because the internet is all she knows of life. Shibe says she's now the "Dog", and she can do anything she wants with life, like helping other dogs and making friends. What the game is saying, indirectly, is that she's already done those things (throughout the game). That by trying to get wi-fi, Pom made a lot of friends and did a lot of amazing things she wouldn't have done if she had stayed online.

So, there is a point behind the game after all. The message is very clear: you're missing all the good things in life by spending it doing silly stuff on the internet. It is a very important message, very well delivered, especially because it's not really obvious in the game before you get the final dialog. The screaming contrast between colorful graphics, comedy speech, cute dogs and playfulness versus dark themes like death, betrayal and social alienation makes this message all the more powerful. Making Pom seem like a character not to be taken seriously works effectively as a way to show how serious her problem is.

Before playing Pom Gets Wi-Fi, I expected it to be a good game, but that kind of game that you forget about 5 seconds after you play it. It's not. It's better than every "my first RM game" I know, it's better than games that are cute but shallow like the Very Pink Game, it's better that games that push it too far to be original (like Middens - which is, by the way, a terrible game), and better than games that have a clear point but delivered in a not so appealing way (like this one). This is a very polished, original and well designed game with a strong message. I liked it a lot.

I really have nothing bad to say about this game... apart from, perhaps, the irony that a game which tries to show that living an internet life is a bad thing has quickly become an internet sensation.

Posts

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And here I thought I was crazy by giving this game a 4/5...

(I'm surprised you haven't been "lynched" yet.)

Fact: Review stars don't have the same value or meaning from one RMNer to another.

EDIT: or from one game to another either.
You're right... a star rating isn't necessarily a good way to compare one game to another. This is the third 5 star review I write, but that doesn't mean this game is better (or that I like it more) than the other 39 games I've reviewed. For me, giving this game five stars means it's a really good game, and that there's really nothing I would change... it's close to a perfect version of itself.
Yeah, 5 stars feels a bit too much. Nevermind the fact that this review seems to read a lot into the "deep" subjects touched upon in the game. (I mean, it's cool the game has a "message", but c'mon), but that there are some things that could have been improved. Little things, mind you, but that for the sake of "perfection" should not be so easily overlooked. *justmytwocents*
The way it balances out the game's overall star value, it sounds about right. Although I do agree that this seems to read with glasses a little too thick 8)
As a side note, I'd like to say I don't really believe Middens is a terrible game. It was just very disappointing considering all the hype. It reminds me of Yume Nikki, which is another game that, despite very interesting, is a game I don't like at all. For a simple reason: it doesn't really feel like a game. You just walk and look, and nothing really makes sense. I like games that make at least a little sense.
I didn't really mind Yumi Nikki being that way; my only problem (and the only problem I have with it) is it would have been a bit nice if it told me what I have to do and where am I suppose to go. Maybe not quite like holding my hand the entire way through, but at least give me a gentle push.

You know how "The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To A Past" had a map available to tell you where the remaining pendants / crystals where? Something like that, but not actually physically showing you how to get all the different effects would have helped for Yumi Nikki.

(Oops. Now I'm getting a bit off-topic. X_x)
I think a map showing where you were supposed to go in Yume Nikki would defeat the whole point of the game.
Old, but I find 5 stars justified. I was rather impressed by the game, especially when you get into Pom's character just to see how wrong it is.

There is really little room for improvement - the game does exactly what it's supposed to do.

And glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about Middens.. it's beautiful, but that wears off when you play it.
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