George And Tom | Episode 1
In this game you play the loveable retard, George, a big strong man who has nothing to say on the topic of rabbits. You're helping Tom, your abusive buddy, to find his mother. Odd that the game is subtitled: Tom's Adventure, as you are doing most of the leg work, shooting things (every huge mentally handicaped person should own a gun!) and solving a few rudimentary puzzles, including slider puzzle that slider rookies should be able to muscle through.
Let's get the bad out of the way first. There are a few hangups in gameplay. I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to move the "heavier" set of boulders. (You'll see if you play.) They were punished with a good strong ZAP. Another hangup, not so much in the beginning or middle of the game as the end, is the lack of ammo. This can be blamed on an oversight on my part, as I did not stock up before heading to the next city, but I did expect another city to have another store. Ammo shortages are mainly a problem when you try and blast your way through dense "forest" but obviously it was an intentional decision.
The graphics ranged from stylistically minimalist, to lazily sparce and hurried. The city especially looked good, as did the sewers in the city. Some forest boards looked like forests, others looked like black paths through a green field. I liked the title screen, it was retro and appropriate.
There is no music in the game. Sounds were limited mainly to what sounds ZZT normally makes.
The writing is hard to discuss. There are some rather eyebrow raising and vulger things thrown in loosely among most of the game's (excuse this expression please) comedic retard-banter. Some there are several points where Tom's homophobia is highlighted, and also his brutality to George. Overall its an intriguing mix that will have you smiling one second and gritting your teeth the next.
With all that out of the way: The game was pretty fun, nothing real new, but its always good to peer into the depths of anothers sould. That said, I'm looking forward to a second episode.
