Updated review (07/22/24)

I replayed and honestly it went from 2 stars to 4 for me. Idk why it didn’t click the first time, but I enjoyed it much more now. It’s got really fun combat, solid exploration, and just a nice silly tone. Don’t listen to former me - go check it out.

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I absolutely love the dev’s first game “Spooky Ghosts Dot Com”, a minimalist mini-Metroidvania with quirky graphics and really fun exploration. I expected much of the same (or better, given the $2 price increase), but it’s so much worse.

First, the whole game is extremely linear. You’re always getting guided exactly where to go, so there is no sense of exploration. A game this minimal needs to nail the level design and exploration, and this fails miserably.

Next, the graphics, theming, and story are just boring and not anywhere near as charming as their last game. The characters are underwritten, corny, and not memorable at all.

There was a little charm here and there, and a couple of good boss fights. I still enjoy the graphic style and the game’s one-afternoon format. But this is pretty below average and I would recommend skipping it.