Them's Fightin'
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The third and final (probably) game in the Bastard.GUNS series was released very shortly after the previos BG title, Transylvania. It uses a very similar gameplay system, but in a very different way. Don't expect vampires in this game.
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Graphics |
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They graphics work well enough. They're better than just being able to tell what everything is, but not by a whole lot. I thought the walkabouts were, in general, quite a bit better than the maptiles.
The windows were very bright blue, and I thought they clashed with all the dark gray around them. It's not a huge problem, but it could look nicer if they were darker. The signs on the buildings were just text written on the wall, and they would probably look a lot better if there were proper signs instead of something that looks rather like graffiti.
Once again the cutscenes were drawn by Fortis, and so those look great of course. They're simple, like the rest of the game, but they're still well drawn.
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Storyline |
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In the city of Thanatropolis, suicide is a big problem. Your job is to prevent these suicides. This is all we know.
I like it, myself. First, I think the idea is great. You're not killing monsters this time, you're stopping suicide. And second, I thought the intro sequence was written nicely. It seemed kinda like a monologue from some old detective movie. The text in the livejournals was also good, and did a nice job of giving you the clues you need without just saying "HEY BUY THIS THING."
There is no more or less story than there needs to be in this game. Gilbert could've made a game where you go deep into the lives of the people you're trying to save, but that would've been an entirely different game. That isn't what this is about.
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Gameplay |
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The gameplay is very similar to Bastard.GUNS Transylvania. Basically, you're confronted with a selection of items, clues as to which item to choose, and then you go try to use the item on the correct target and see if it works. But in this game the items are gifts, they're supposed to keep your target from committing suicide.
In Transylvania, the clues were a bit more subtle (I thought, at least), and there seemed to be more ways that things could go wrong and you could lose. Dying in battle, for example, isn't an issue in this game. You lose if you don't choose the right item or if you talk to the wrong person, but that's it.
The clues you need to save each person are on livejournal, like Dr. Barravius' journal, which I thought was pretty cool in both games. It makes the experience seem more real and unique.
If you were frustrated by Transylvania but liked some of the ideas behind it, then this is the game for you. It is MUCH easier. I got through it without dying on my first try.
This is just a theory, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was meant as a parody of the general reaction to Transylvania. A lot of people whined about Transylvania being too frustrating, or too hard, or other similar nonsense. Maybe the incredible easiness of this game was his way of making fun of them in a way that they would never see it.
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Battle |
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Basically all you do in the battles is use your item on your target. Then you see if it worked or not. Pretty simple stuff.
It would have been quite possible and easy to make this game without battles of any kind. Maybe Gilbert wants to encourage people to fight against suicide rather than have a calm discussion with it, but I'm probably reading way too much into this here. In any case, I don't think that it uses battles instead of text boxes has any particular effect on the game. Either way would probably work fine.
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Map Design |
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Nothing complicated here, and there probably shouldn't be. It's a short game and you're only exposed to a small part of the city.
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Balance |
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Very easy, but I don't think this game is really designed to be challenging.
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Music |
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I think it was most/all stuff that comes with the editor. It was never disturbing or interesting, it was pretty much just there.
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Enjoyment |
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It's short, so the simple and easy gameplay never gets a chance to become tiresome. I had a bit of fun playing it, and I imagine you would too.
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Final Blows |
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Download recommended! It 's worth far more than the tiny amount of time required to play it.
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This was my favorite place in the game. The city in the background is a nice touch. |
Final Scores
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Graphics: 7/10.0 |
Good enough. There's nothing spectacular but they get the job done.
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Storyline: 10/10.0
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It's simple, but it shouldn't be complex anyway and I love the ideas behind it. |
Gameplay: 7/10.0 |
Like Transylvania, except you should be able to beat it on your first try with no problems whatsoever.
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Music: 5/10.0
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I hardly noticed it, really. |
Enjoyment: 9/10.0
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I did enjoy this. It's a nice break after playing through Transylvania. |
Overall Grade:
A- |
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Final Thoughts |
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Only YOU can destroy Thanatos!
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