AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome (Game Review)

So after an absence of a little over a month, I'm back. So no, I'm not dead (although, how freaky would that have been? Especially since the last thing I reviewed was a book about a world where people knew how they were going to die). A lot of things happened, mainly my work getting busier, but everything's calmed down for the time being so all is well. Back to reviewing stuff!

It's sad that after having typed this review, I can perfectly type out the name of this game without looking up where the A's end and the a's begin.

Now, I know what you're thinking; "'AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!'? What kind of name is that?". Well I'll tell you; A VERY AWESOME NAME. Seriously, it's genius. It immediately grabs your attention. Some may see that name and think, "Huh...definitely haven't heard of that game before. I wonder what it's about?" while others may think "Wow that sounds stupid. Could you have picked a more annoying name?". Either way, it's got a name that you won't be easily dismissing like you would "Zombie Killer" or "Jewel Quest" or whatever other game unimaginative developers are currently pumping out.

Even the menu is fun. Name the last time you had fun while adjusting the screen resolution. Seriously, I dare you.

So, what's this game about? It's quite simple; you jump off of buildings onto a target on the ground. That's it. The entire game, you just jump off of buildings, fall for a while, try not to die, then stick the landing. However, while it may sound simple and repetitive, it's actually quite addicting. The first time I played this game, I put in 4 hours without even realizing it. While it could be because I may be mentally unwell, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the game is simply fun to play. You base jump from the top of a building and then try to rack up points by flying past other buildings and objects (known as "Kissing"), flying along the wall of other buildings (known as "Hugging"), flying through panes of glass, smashing into birds, and landing in the red target marker (you can still land outside the marker, but you won't get as much points). There're also support beams with people on them. These will either be blue or red; the blue people are basically fans of yours while the reds are protestors who are against base jumping. You can score off of these people by giving a Thumbs-Up to the Blues and Flipping Off the Reds. That's all you need to know about this game; jump from a rooftop, weave around buildings, interact with fans/protestors, and land. I know, I know; it sounds really repetitive and stupid, but trust me on this, it's a lot of fun. 

The game starts out calm and slow, but that won't last long.

Once you clear a stage, you're given a star ranking based on your score (anywhere from 0 to 5 stars), and you're given Teeth based on your rating. These Teeth are the currency in this game, and you use these to unlock more stages. Now here's the best part; you can unlock any stage you want, whenever you want. As long as you have the Teeth for it, you can buy a Beginner stage, then an Expert stage, and then two more Beginners and then an Intermediate one. You can go in any order you want.

FREEDOM!!!

On top of all that, each stage looks different and unique. Some stages may look pretty empty and boring, while some stages look like you've just stumbled into Tron, and then there are nature themed stages, with mountains and streams and moss. However, it doesn't matter how beautiful and amazing these stages are; you'll be too busy trying not to die that you won't notice anything that isn't a brightly colored point-plate.

Even boobs. That's right; this game is so intense that I didn't even notice the billboard of girls in bikinis in this stage until my 10th jump.

 
And that is this game's biggest downfall. This game is beautiful, but the game won't let you enjoy its beauty. If you even try to appreciate the cyber-punk environment, the game punishes you by slamming you face first into the pavement. It's like if your girlfriend tells you that she bought a beautiful dress, but the only way she'll let you see her wearing it is if she stands outside her house and you drive by at 120mph. Also, the street she lives on isn't a through street. 

A pretty accurate representation of what happens to you in the game if you look in any other direction but Down.

So yea, if you plan to enjoy game's environment and all the beauty it has to offer, be prepared to die...and die...and die. Also a low score, since you won't be doing much of Kissing, Hugging, Weaving, Threading or any other stunts required for a higher star rank. You either get a high score and miss all that is beautiful, or you appreciate the finer details and suffer a low score.

Make no mistake, however, this game is a lot of fun. It's fast paced, it's stylish, and it's definitely unique. The bright colors, the catchy soundtrack, the quirky sense of humor; the game's got it all. Lastly, it's quite cheap. At $9.99, this game is practically a steal. Remember what other game cost $9.99 yet offered a fraction of playtime?

I still can't get over how this game costs as much as Hitman : Blood Money.

And hey, seeing as how those games are made by the same developer, you might be able to snag them both (as well as two other games) for the price of one if you're patient enough to wait for a sale on Steam. If not though, then definitely get AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! instead of The Wonderful End of The World. The replay value is exponentially high in comparison, and it can be easy at times, then frustratingly difficult without warning. So if you love a challenge, this game is for you.

......uh......what?