This Is Fine: Maximum Cope

[H1]This is fine (if you enjoy backtracking and fetch quests)[/H1] Not every game has to reinvent the wheel, but it should at least be somewhat rememberable (which is clearly not a case here). I didn't have a bad time with it, but between the short playtime, recurrent patterns, and the current price, it's hard for me to recommend. As someone who barely plays platformers or metroidvanias, I still made it through without much trouble, so it's definitely approachable though. The presentation is fun, and probably the main appeal of why you clicked on this game in the first place. The little dog wandering around is hilarious if you know the meme, the cartoon visuals give Cuphead vibes and the 5 zones (plus a final boss) each have their own identity. Platforming is accessible, there are optional collectibles scattered around, and you can pick which perks to unlock first. Controls felt good on a controller, the in-game map of the current zone is always available, and there are plenty of welcome settings like fullscreen, V-Sync, camera shake and vibration toggles, plus separate audio sliders for music and sfx. Unfortunately, this is not enough for me to actively recommend this title. Mo…

As Question Hound says: "This is Fine". And the game that QH is in is also... fine? I guess... I can’t figure out why this game was made or who it is for. People who enjoy Metroidvannia will be disappointed, this is a mediocre platform pretending to be a metroidvannia. Backtracking is pointless unless you want to collect collectables, which do function as minor upgrades, (the most exciting of which is one that makes your character waddle 20% faster) or more coffee bean currency. Bosses function identically from one another and all of them have the same attack sets with different art. The abilities you gain at the end of an area are the bog standard double-jump, get across water, flying, etc. You don’t use them to fight bosses in interesting ways or get to new and exciting places. People who like KC Green, the artist behind Question Hound and so much more will be disappointed. I did join the Kickstarter for this game and wasn’t expecting much other than supporting a project for an artist I liked. But I expected more of his humor, art, and style in the game. The artwork is adapted by the developer Hero Concept, but they don’t really do much with it. None of his crazy cartoonish …

EDIT: It seems like my bugs listed below have been fixed since writing this review. Haven’t played the game since then but that would still only bring the score up to 5/10 if truly fixed. TL;DR 4/10 game that (somehow) suffers from very bad performance issues and mostly bland gameplay. Wait until game goes on sale at $5 for it to be worth your money. I backed the game on Kickstarter as I used to read Gunshow comics back in the day and wanted to support KC Green. Had 0 expectations but just wanted to see what the game would look like in the end. The game only took just over a year from the original Kickstarter campaign to be released which as it turns out isn't really a good sign. Gameplay: 4/10 99% of your time is going to be spent mindlessly wandering overly large and somewhat empty areas while endlessly spamming the attack button. This never changes throughout the entirety of the game. The enemy variety is nice but almost all of them only take a few hits and never have any special ways of being defeated; just get close and spam attack until they die, rinse and repeat ad infinitum. There is a hidden powerup all the way at the end of the game that makes your (one and only) att…

I think this game has a really funny premise, and I want to like it, but it hasn't got the polish needed to be a top-tier metroidvania. The fact that your healing items don't replenish at save points and have to be separately purchased, the slippery movement that continues too long after you let go of the direction of movement and start an attack, and that there is little motivation for the player makes it hard to get started. Additionally, I made it to the first boss, and got incredibly frustrated; she has two minions by her side, but can also seemingly be attacked directly (flashes when hit like she is taking damage). After nearly 10 minutes of hitting her while one of her minions was alive, I just gave up and turned off the game. If she can't be killed while her minions live, there needs to be some indicator. If she can be, she's just too much of a sponge to be worth the time and effort.

I'm surprised that a "meme" gained such status that it's now a game. I enjoy this game, but it does have it's challenges. Such as the statue challenges. Anyway I'd still recommend this game, if you like hand-drawn sprites, dealing with anxiety, old-school platformers, then this is one of many games that you can play. (Especially if you're a dog lover.) :) I managed to complete the game, but haven't quite earned all of the achievements. (yet). Though, I do hope, one day there will be a (free) DLC where you can play as QH's (Question Hound) angel and devil sides. I know it's not fine to go on and live without emotions. So, if there's an update to/for the game, let it be that you can play as them. And restore QH completely. In other words Free DLC That includes the following: - The Ability to play as Angel and Devil Dogs , including the ability to all them to fight the bosses as well. - An art gallery of sorts. - Costumes such as the "!" Bubsy shirt, costumes that poke a little fun at the developers. - a special thanks for the fans. - The ability to replay bosses that you've defeated. (Even after completing the game)

This is an aptly named game because by all accounts this game is "fine". Its nothing special but not bad. Its a serviceable metroidvania that does exactly what you want it to. You have the standard levels and basic combat with a plethora of enemies and powerups to keep the game engaging. The themes of the game could have used a little bit more depth considering the heavy topics they were going over. Yes this is a game based on a comic strip turned meme but if you're going to take the time to make a full fledged game out of it, one would expect something more. But that aside there were several parts of the game that were not "fine". The final boss for starters. The lack of ability to escape or be ejected by the final boss if you go in there unprepared needs to be examined. While it is not a hard final boss by any means, its not great not having any means of refilling your coffee or even leaving if you do not feel up for the fight. The game is also filled with bugs i noticed. The animation for tail copter sometimes wouldn't work. The achievements seem to be messed up as well. All in all this was a fine game. A fine metroidvania and a solid experience for fans of the genre.