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Short, silly, and not to be taken seriously. Just like Pom!

  • UPRC
  • 01/20/2014 02:16 PM
  • 5295 views
A few weeks ago, I finally caved and decided to see what all the fuss surrounding Pom Gets Wi-Fi was about. I knew the basic premise of the game going into it, but that's roughly all I knew. There were dogs in heaven and one was addicted to wi-fi. So, how did this premise unfold for me and just how did I feel about the game as a whole? Well...

Pom is addicted to the internet. Her house catches on fire and she's too stuck in her ways with her net surfing to bother doing anything about it at all, thus resulting in the house burning down and Pom dying alongside fellow pup Shibe. The two unlikely heroes are then whisked away to doggy heaven, where Pom grows irate that obtaining a wi-fi signal seems to be an impossibility. Desperate to check the canine themed equivalents of Facebook and Tumblr, Pom and her questionably loyal sidekick Shibe set out to locate wi-fi in heaven. This is pretty much the story of the gist of the entire story.

The two dogs stumble upon awkwardly throughout the game's disjointed story, never really appearing to do anything for any real purpose. Plot progression is more or less confined to doing odd tasks for your fellow deceased dog friends before eventually confronting Dog (read it backwards) himself, where the player can receive one of two possible endings. The story itself is largely forgettable even with it's curiously deep moral center that emerges in the final sequence after the Dog confrontation.

Pom Gets Wi-Fi, however, does have mildly interesting leading characters. Pom is adorable looking, but has the attitude of teenage white trash and the vocabulary that would make even the scourge of the internet (4chan, meme addicts, etc.) blink in confusion. Pom's got quite the mouth on her and never utters a single compliment or positive remark. She's mean, selfish, snarky, and it actually works very well if you can ignore the poor meme inspired dialogue she is often plagued with. I get that Pom talks like a typical meme loving troll, but I don't think that it needs to be reflected in every line of dialogue she has. I feel that this is only further reinforced by the fact that the rest of the cast have beautifully written dialogue.

Opposite Pom is Shibe. I see people say that he's annoying, boring, or pointless. I don't think that Shibe is any of these and, honestly, I ended up taking a liking to him far more than Pom. Shibe is a character type we've seen in many stories before. He is Pom's straight man, the method to her madness. He's always looking out for the best interests of those around him and his unending attempts to rehabilitate Pom and, given how he ultimately can steer the psychotic and terrifying Pom away from the dark side speaks volumes for him. Shibe's a powerful character in that he is a great linguist who can see good in people dogs where others cannot.

Visually, Pom Gets Wi-Fi is quite the treat. Considering the fact that this is Me-Patra's first RPG Maker game, it's really impressive that Pom Gets Wi-Fi is made up entirely of custom graphics. Every dog has a custom portait, and there are quite a few of them. Tiles are also entirely custom though while they aren't as visually endearing as the character portraits, they're still nice to look at. As a whole, the overall look of Pom Gets Wi-Fi is incredibly refreshing, even if the world we get to explore isn't terribly detailed as a whole. I can't comment much on the sound because the game heavily relies on RTP in that regard, but it's used well.

Overall, Pom Gets Wi-Fi is a very good example of what someone can pull off with their first game. Pom Gets Wi-Fi is cute, short, and overly simplistic which makes it an overly decent experience that will knock off 20-30 minutes of free time from your day. Make no mistake though, Pom Gets Wi-Fi is by no means an exceptional game but I think that, with some more practice and a greater vision, Me-Patra could make a really cool game. I wouldn't even object to another return to the Pom universe if she decided to attempt a full length RPG with more ambition. Heck, I'd even be down for a sequel that takes Pom and Shibe and throws them in Hell!

So, as a whole, great RPG Maker debut by Me-Patra. Pom Gets Wi-Fi is incredibly short and isn't meant to be taken seriously at all. I mean come on, you've got a Saint Bernard in the game that's a creepy peeping tom and stalker! So yeah, keep in mind that this game doesn't aim to blow your socks off or impress you too much, nor does it really even have a compelling story or feature much to do than grin at Pom's foolishness, and you just may have a good time. You may even crack a few smiles.

Posts

Pages: 1
author=Ratty524
author=calunio
Who intentionally tries to make a game unplayable and unpleasing?
I do from time to time. :D


Same.
Sorry UPRC, I didn't mean to single you out alone. I noticed a lot of commentators refer to Me-Patra as a he - in a lot of different articles - and misspellings could count for them, too. You're cool in my book.
It was a simple error. I've seen Me-Patra's gender on her profile.

And there, fixed the error. I guess I'm uncool now because I bothered to do something.
Why are people referring to Me-Patra as a "he"? Her profile says "Female."

It's rude to choose/change a person's gender for them. It would be polite to check first. If you're too lazy or don't care, try the gender neutral term "s/he"... sends the message that you're too cool to bother.
author=Arandomgamemaker
author=calunio
Who intentionally tries to make a game unplayable and unpleasing?
The new people at Square Enix.


author=Arandomgamemaker
author=calunio
Who intentionally tries to make a game unplayable and unpleasing?
The new people at Square Enix.


Ha, FF6 mobile version is proof of that.
author=calunio
Who intentionally tries to make a game unplayable and unpleasing?



The new people at Square Enix.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=calunio
Who intentionally tries to make a game unplayable and unpleasing?

I do from time to time. :D
Who intentionally tries to make a game unplayable and unpleasing?

----

Humor is serious business.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=calunio
I don't understand this concept of serious, or "being taken seriously". What's that supposed to mean? I'm not even questioning your review or your score, just this notion (that is shared by many people). What is a serious game, after all? I really enjoyed playing Pom, a lot of other people did, and I can understand why some people didn't. But that has nothing to do with the game being serious or not. What is a serious game?

I would say it's a game where you are competently trying to make it playable and pleasing to its audience, and doing the opposite intentionally would not qualify as being serious... Or maybe I'm wrong.
The nature of the game itself. Same concept applies to every medium. Which one isn't serious, Awakenings or Dumb and Dumber?
I don't understand this concept of serious, or "being taken seriously". What's that supposed to mean? I'm not even questioning your review or your score, just this notion (that is shared by many people). What is a serious game, after all? I really enjoyed playing Pom, a lot of other people did, and I can understand why some people didn't. But that has nothing to do with the game being serious or not. What is a serious game?
Really well-written review. Fantastic job.
Oh gee two reviews at once?

...Anyway, good review.
Pages: 1