Developer: Undercoders
Publisher: Numskull Games
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Tested on: Switch
SuperEpic: The Entertainment War – Review
Do you also feel like mobile games make sure you don’t have any time and energy left? Do you feel like a fool for clicking on an advertisement so you can get fifty extra coins, energy, or whatever? Mobile games often play with our behavioral patterns and, to an extent, abuse those patterns. The developers from SuperEpic must have had a conversation about this and decided it was time to break free. There’s probably always still one person in the room who still plays Candy Crush…
Story
SuperEpic is a game about two real gamers being sick of how everybody is glued to their phone, slaves to the system. Only in their world, it’s a bit clearer to see that there’s one big company controlling all the addictive games that create this toxic environment of microtransactions and brainless labor. As the two friends, a raccoon and a llama, are playing a more traditional game at home, they get a call for action from some type of resistance. Deciding it might actually be a good time to strike the all-controlling company, our raccoon mounts his llama friend and gears up with a plunger, an umbrella, and a broom. And so, the brilliant adventure of SuperEpic starts.
What might actually make SuperEpic brilliant is that it manages to tell its story through its gameplay. The game genre is the opposite of the simple-minded phone games because it’s considered to be a Metroidvania game, which is a genre that got its name by notoriously hard platforming adventures Metroid and Castlevania. Besides that, it actually makes you grab your phone to play mobile games every now and then, interacting by means of QR codes in the main game, enforcing the point that (most) mobile games are stupid while still making you play them! It’s such a layered way of telling a story, that you would forget the game is essentially also a classic Metroidvania game with some in-game text and cutscenes. Very well done developer Undercoders, you created something amazingly witty while still managing to keep it all breezy.
Graphics
Not only does the satire in the game layered on top of an actually good game works well, but it’s also executed properly. With a development time of about two to two and a half years’ time, it’s clear to see it all pays off. The smooth animation sprites that have been made for your character and the enemies look flawless. The enemies are designed to represent corporate slaves and danger, enforcing the points being made about the game industry. It’s a form of detailed pixel-art that works well thanks to the beautiful color pallets that make up every part work of the corporate maze you find yourself in.
Then there’s also the games you will play on your mobile phone, which are hilariously recognizable to people who tried out a few games on the real mobile market, as well as developers who are creating “practice” games for mobile phones. It includes a variety of graphics for 3D games or 2D games such as Frogger or an idle miner. Yet part of them is still visually related to the main game of SuperEpic by recurring characters and such.
Sound
The music in SuperEpic manages to kindle a feeling of retro-games, where it has a different tune for each region you encounter. Some of the tracks are actually really good and could hold out on their own among other recognizable old classics or modern retro games. Some are a bit more towards rock, while others might be adapted to the environment giving a bit of a tense, mechanical corporate vibe or happy retro tunes.
Sound effects are mainly made to enforce slaps from your attacks and hit effects, where the focus is a bit cartoony. Any vocals are sparse and only heard occasionally during an in-game cutscene where a villain might laugh maniacally in an anime way. The timing in all of this is pretty much perfect, which fits with how the other elements of the game show how polished everything is. Nothing is broken or even a pixel/pitch off.
Gameplay
A big part of SuperEpic follows the classic Metroidvania setup. You find yourself in a maze divided into multiple areas that you will try to traverse by 2D platforming and fighting. These areas hold a variety of unique enemies, a boss, loot, and some small puzzles. Most of the time some new type of item is all you need to solve such a puzzle, such as the ability to jump twice which allows you to reach higher places. Sometimes you will need to use your phone to scan a QR code which gives you a task. These mobile phone tasks give, when performed right, a reward or code to assist you in the game. It seems that most of the time these games or codes are not mandatory though.
When doing those mobile games or tasks, you do get some extra loot most of the time. This can be helpful since there are multiple things to upgrade and buy. Think new weapons, more health, new skills, and more! The game doesn’t let you wait before offering something new, so every bit of extra spendable loot is welcome. Everything feels quite balanced as well, from items to combat and enemies. Even when you die, you can choose to load your last save game or lose half your money. Once. Die again and you have to load your last save. It’s a fair system that doesn’t make it too easy. Though for some people, the game might be not much of a challenge anyway.
When fighting enemies, each enemy has a recognizable attack pattern, and you will sometimes have to make fair use of your skills to defeat them. But in general, you are pretty rich in resources and control over the fight. You start out with a quick slash, an uppercut that launches enemies in the air, a smash that smashes them to the ground or breaks defenses (also from the air), and a jump. Combining just these basic skills already feels right when you start the game. But all the unlockables just give more variation as the difficulty slightly increases over time. You don’t have to be very good to be able to progress in the game or collect a lot of skills and items. But this does make the game more accessible to multiple ages, which is also nice. It’s simply a solid, balanced Metroidvania with a nice appeal and has layered everything.
Conclusion
SuperEpic is a true gem and one of the best surprises of the year. The reason is that it’s very refreshing in its creative approach and solid gameplay, making it a must-try for game enthusiasts of all ages. Besides that, the crisp graphics, story, and cool sounds keep the game breezy and fun at the same time. The only thing that might scare more hardcore gamers off is that there’s not much difficulty to be found, but it does promise you a greatly enjoyable adventure.
SuperEpic: The Entertainment War - Review,
Related Items
1 Comment
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
[…] Limited Games are teaming up with Numskull Games and Undercoders to bring a physical release of SuperEpic: The Entertainment War to PS4 and Switch. This Metroidvania action-adventure title features gorgeous pixel art and sees a […]