Developer: Fabio Ferrara
Publisher: ChubbyPixel
Platform: Switch, PC, PS4
Tested on: Switch
Suicide Guy Collection – Review
The Suicide Guy Collection piqued our interest, if only due to its bold title choice. Given that suicide is a sensitive topic, to say the least, it’s a ballsy move to create a light-hearted puzzle game around the subject, let alone a sequel. Admittedly, the title does cover the game’s premise exceptionally well, but are the games themselves something you should look at or is the Suicide Guy Collection dead on arrival?
Story
We’d hesitate to call Suicide Guy’s premise a real story, because of its inherent simplicity. The titular Guy is a bit of a couch potato who spends his days watching TV and drinking beer. When he falls asleep in front of his screen, he enters the dream world, although he is still aware of what is happening in the real world. It is from the dream world that he sees he is about to drop his bottle of beer. The only way to prevent this disaster from happening is to wake up, but to do so, he must kill himself in his dreams.
Graphics
While we were a fan of the variety presented in the colorful environments, we have to address the elephant in the room here: this is a rough-looking game. The 3D models look like they came straight out of a PS2 title, and the animations, especially during the few cutscenes wouldn’t have looked out of place in an early 2000’s 3D animated show, but are harder to swallow today. Textures are virtually absent, with surfaces looking smooth as butter, feeling fake and unnatural as a result. We can’t deny there is a charm to some of the environments, but if your Mario-inspired level looks worse than Super Mario 64, which was released over two decades prior, then your game probably could’ve used some more time in the oven. Things are slightly better in the sequel, especially when it comes to lighting effects, but overall, not enough improvement has been made to call the difference significant.
Sound
Suicide Guy’s soundtrack comes to us courtesy of Beavers Brothers Studio, and we have to admit that the studio has done an admirable job in presenting a unique and varied soundtrack that fits the different worlds the game is set in. The western theme is the standout music here, but none of the other tracks disappoint. Things are handled somewhat differently in the sequel, where you’ll spend most of your time without any background music. Sound effects are present in both games, of course, but the fidelity isn’t always what it should be. As for voice acting, while the Guy doesn’t really speak, he does make some awkward groan and grunt noises and these grow tiresome really fast.
Gameplay
Comprising both 2017’s Suicide Guy and 2018’s Suicide Guy: Sleepin’ Deeply, this collection offers a pair of physics-based puzzle titles, played from a first-person perspective. As mentioned in the story section, the goal in either title is to get the Guy to meet his untimely demise in the dream world, in order to wake up. Both titles adhere to this concept, with the main difference being that the first game features a large selection of over twenty levels while the sequel only offers six. We do have to admit that the levels in Sleepin’ Deeply are much larger, but even so, there is a disproportionate difference in the amount of content you’re getting between the two titles. While the first game will take roughly three hours to get through, the sequel can be cleared in half that time.
The puzzles themselves are presented as themed worlds. The selection of varied themes is arguably the best part of this collection. It’s hard not to chuckle when you find yourself in a level styled after the Mario games or Portal. Not all levels are video game themed either, and you’ll encounter everything from aliens to dinosaurs on Guy’s journey through his subconscious. Just like the levels, the puzzles themselves are varied as well, of course. Things start off clear enough, with Guy on top of a skyscraper, but as you progress, it often becomes a challenge to figure out just how you are supposed to off yourself. After successfully doing so, you’ll be returned to a hub world, which is inexplicably styled like a 50s diner, and you’re able to jump into the next situation.
From a technical standpoint, these games aren’t particularly impressive, and if you strip away the references and jokes, you’re left with a bit of a mess. The gameplay’s sense of fun is heavily reliant on the wacky situations you encounter, and the sense of recognition you get when you find yourself in them. This is especially apparent in Sleepin’ Deeply, where the lack of variety compared to the first game makes things feel tedious, and highlights that the actual puzzle mechanics aren’t particularly impressive. While we didn’t encounter any game breaking bugs, the physics certainly could have used a bit more polish and often felt off and unnatural. One could argue that this is because these puzzles are set in the dream world rather than in the real world, but from playing the games, it’s quite clear that this wasn’t developer Fabio Ferrara’s intent. This is especially noticeable when interacting with objects that you are supposed to pick up, as it’s often difficult to place them where you want them to be.
Conclusion
While the Suicide Guy Collection is interesting from a conceptual point of view, and we had a few laughs during our time with the games, we have to admit that the titles simply don’t live up to today’s standards. The rough visuals, awkward physics and lack of engaging gameplay make for a substandard experience. We feel that there is a good game buried in there, beneath layers of dream worlds, but ultimately, Suicide Guy fails to live up to its potential. Add to this that this collection is woefully short, and we feel a little insulted by the asking price. The price difference between the collection and the separate releases is negligible. We’ve seen the separate releases go on sale frequently enough to recommend picking the first game at a hefty discount rather than investing in the collection, if you’re interested in giving the series a try.
Suicide Guy Collection - Review,
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