Review: Totally... Gihern!

[Fenrir-Lunaris]

A review for Totally... Gihern!, originally posted at Castle Paradox

FIGHTING WORDS

Okay, so Gandalf, Spock, and Grimace walk into a bar and...

Which is more or less how this game starts out. Three internet nerds dressed up as their favorite characters receive an Instant message from none other than Bob Surlaw (or a guy dressed as him), and decide to track down the mastermind of some evil plan. From here we have a slew of pop culture jokes, and even a CATS reference, for good measure.

GRAPHICS

Good, and they look somewhat better than PHC's Walthros. The walkabouts are quite nice, have at least a layer of shading in them, and fit in with the setting. The in battl graphics are more or less the walkabouts, except with a few minor changes, and the attack animations are all unique for every character. Grimace throws Fries, Chicken Nuggets, and Milkshakes at people, Whereas Spock has some decidedly Star Trek related skills. Even the enemies seem to have their own unique skills as well.

The backdrops are little more than retilings of the one dungeon map in the game, which is fitting, considering the in battle sprites are the walkabouts.

STORYLINE

There's not much to say here. Grimace, Spock, and Gandalf go after the creator and in the words of Grimace "PWN" him.

GAME PLAY

Surprisingly fast. Yes, it was another button mash-fest, but it was strangely enjoyable. If there had been more variety, or a way to recharge MP...

BATTLE

Each character has their standard attack, a healing spell, and an attack spell. The attack spell does only slightly more damage than the standard attack though, and cannot be spread. Since there is no way to restore MP, every drop of spell power must be conserved. This isn't particularly bad, seeing as everyone can heal, and the attack spell is as effective as a standard attack (maybe slightly stronger, but not by much).


MAP DESIGN

A straight run. No random battles to speak of. You see the fights before they come, so you can prepare beforehand.

OVERALL BALANCE

Surlaw gets "PWNED", to coin a phrase. It's easy enough if you know what you're doing.

MUSIC

Standard OHR fare. I suspect some tunes were original, but I have no way of knowing myself.

ENJOYMENT

I actually enjoyed this enough to give it a few points. Spock is in character, and his reactions were perfect. The final scene with the last boss is... interesting to say the least. Yes, they say CATS, though he never appears.

FINAL BLOWS

Wait... were the other 48hour submissions so bad that this one looked good in comparison? ...They must have been. In any case, this is a very short game, and considering the time constraints PHC was under, he did surprisingly well.

Graphics: 7/10.0
The strong point, though more detail was needed. Walkabouts being used in battle is not my sort of thing though... so I may be a bit biased.
Storyline: 3.5/10.0
It's pretty out there... the only explaination is that PHC was literally grasping for straws with this one. These days however, story and graphics seem to be all that's required for a game to be enjoyable.
Gameplay: 6/10.0
More environments, and possibly interesting items to pick up would have helped. The fact that you don't ever gain a single level is a bit depressing, but still keeps the game challenging. And challenge is a good thing. EXTRA POINTS!!
Music: 5.5/10.0
Not bad. But not extraordinary either.
Enjoyment: 6/10.0
You simply don't know who you're going to run int... wait, that sounds like Kingdom Hearts.
Overall Grade: C+