Foreword

I suppose I really took my sweet time on getting around to reviewing this one. After all, it's been almost six months since I last played this game, but I've had thoughts about what to say about this game running through my head all this time. It's just finally time to write them down and share them with others.

Intro

"Suzy and Freedom" was created by calunio using RPG Maker 2003 as part of the All Hallows' Event 2013. An event where people created games based around a few broad themes. In the case of "Suzy and Freedom" calunio was exploring the theme of non-fiction horror by basing his game on a murder that took place in Brazil on October 31st, 2002. A murder where the victims were killed by their own daughter, her boyfriend, and his brother in the name of love. Though, I suppose it would be best to start at the beginning of this horrible tale than at the end of it.

Story

The game begins by introducing us to Dan a man that enjoys tinkering with machines and makes model airplanes. A man that eventually meets Suzy in the park he likes to fly his planes in and begins to fall madly in love with her and agrees to kill Suzy's parents so they can be together.

Dan's brother on the other hand is in serious debt to some local criminals and comes to see murdering Suzy's parents as a means of making enough money to pay off his numerous debts as well as get ahead in life. Though, I seriously doubt the money would have lasted in the long run considering how much Cris liked to do spice. Though how criminals are getting ahold of a mind altering substance created by giant sandworms on Arrakis is beyond me.

And Suzy feels her parents are trying to control every aspect of her life and decides the only way she can ever be free is to eliminate them and decides to manipulate Dan into doing it.

Of course the three criminals at the heart of this murder are hardly smart enough to outwit the police with Suzy making herself look guilty by asking how soon can she sell off the house. A question that comes across as way too business like for someone that just learned her parents were brutally murdered.



I imagine a lot of people would argue there's no way someone could be that stupid! But I long ago realized that there are a lot of really dumb people on this planet. After all, there are people that still believe the Earth is flat, that NASA stole the moon and replaced it with a hologram, and that whales were deposited on the moon by the flood from the story of Noah. So if people can believe stuff that amazingly stupid. Someone asking a question that will make them look like a suspect in a murder case really doesn't surprise me.

Story Gripes

My biggest gripe with the game's story is that it presents the player with choices, but those choices have zero impact on the actual story. I realize this does make sense since this game is based on a real life event. So the outcome was already decided, but it doesn't make it any less annoying to be presented with choices that really aren't choices. I suppose the closest thing I can compare this issue to is the inability to make meaningful choices in "Yu-Gi-Oh Forbidden Memories" on the PS1.



Like seriously I just want to let Seto die in this scene, but the game doesn't permit it. It does make sense from a story perspective why the choice can't be made since we can probably guess that Seto is Kaiba's ancestor and that can only happen if Seto lives long enough to have kids. So in order to avoid a time paradox we have to make sure he lives, but it doesn't make being forced to let him live any less annoying.

Gameplay

On the gameplay side of things "Suzy and Freedom" is comprised of a bunch mini-games that are probably both impressive in how functional they are as well as super annoying since RPG Maker 2003 really wasn't designed to handle some of the mini-games calunio chose. The second mini-game being a brief side scrolling beat'em up is a good example of this. The game suffers from absolutely awful hit detection and took me multiple tries to beat because of it.

Graphics and Sound

Oddly enough the best aspect of this game are the visuals and music that really help to sell the mood of the piece as we go from young love to homicide. So don't say I can't give this game any compliments.

Conclusion

"Suzy and Freedom" has some solid visuals and mood enhancing music, but the gameplay is where this game really falls apart in my opinion. I suppose some would argue that the various mini-games are highly ambitious and coding them as well as calunio did is impressive, but the technical side of making games is less interesting to me then how much I enjoy them. And "Suzy and Freedom" is highly annoying for the wrong reasons at times. Seriously screw that beat'em up mini-game, but the visuals and music selection is enough to help save this game from being another below average project in my opinion so I can't help but recommend taking a look at it at least once, but be prepared for a mini-game that absolutely sucks because of the limitations of RPG Maker 2003.