July is almost always the month where zzters finally get in gear and release some really good games. This month was no exception. That being said, some notable releases include the very surreal Red Isle by Oof, the widely popular ZZT Sports by Fishfood, and two long awaited titles by two very well established zzters, Operation: Obrian 2 by Chase Bramlage and Stupid RPG: Third Flavor by Knightt.
While all of these games were good in their own right, be it through humor or graphics or music or whatnot, none of the games released this month can touch Stupid RPG: Third Flavor. This is due to the fact that the game has all of these qualities, and delivers them in an incredibly well-wrapped package.
Though the story of the game isn't as well written as other games in the series, Knightt sets out to entertain the reader, and he does a very fine job of this. I found myself laughing from the very beginning, as the little Metroid spoof really had nothing to do with the game, but set the mood incredibly well. The comedy contines to spew from almost everything you touch, and it is everything you expect to hear from knightt. Yes, the misadventures of Jed, Razor, and Fagnuts may use many of the same jokes that we have heard from other Stupid RPG games and from the ZZT community in general, but it is still very funny.
Outside of one or two boards that made me wince and made my eyes want to vomit, the graphics in this game are solid, and give a nice complimentary atmosphere for the comedic tone of the game.
The music, written by JacobH, is beautiful. It is truly one of my favorite zzt musical scores of all time, right up there with Freedom and Business Bob Update in my book. Knightt does a very good job of putting the right piece of music in the right place, though the music played after killing enemies makes me want to destroy my PC Speaker, but that's just me :)
All in all, this is definitely one of the best games this year. It combines many little elements that are much harder to get right than one might think to make an outstanding zzt experience. This game will not please everyone; no game ever will, but it is certainly well worth the download.
