Скорошни рецензии на Mazz

On the evening of July 30th, 2021, my good pals and I decided to buy and try out this cute, enjoyable co-op puzzle-platformer with each other. The Steam Store link was delivered to our Discord server with high hopes for the adorable art, catchy background music and innovative gameplay. At very first glance, we were all happy about this game. Despite it's (seemingly) short amount of levels, we decided that $5 each was worth an enjoyable time playing a new game with our friends, as it should be for anyone with great friends deciding to try something new.

Please ensure they are good, patient and caring friends willing to fail and retry many, many times. The rest of this review will spoil the psychological pain and torture that can only be caused by each individual's negligence of each world's mechanics and the impatience of each player toward their closest allies in life.

After immediately downloading PICO PARK, two of my closest gamers and I quickly enter an private online match with each other, and started at World 1. Along these beginner stages, there were minimal misconceptions of the game's mechanic, and quick understanding of things such as basic movement, in-game preset chat and completion requirements. TECOPARK does an amazing job at detailing the most basic of default keybinds for their innovative game and mechanics along with it, allowing easy access when it comes to public multiplayer within the game. We each enjoyed the cute background music, laughing along at our early, misguided judgement that inevitably led to temporary failure, however we were always able to pick up the pace among these minor mistakes.

However, as we continued past the game's initial stages, things started to ramp up, as the levels became increasingly verbose in terms of the progression requirements of each level. More mechanics were introduced, specifically designed to be used in a specific manner, decided by TECOPARK, the game's developer. There was no way around these specific mechanics and completion requirements, as the game felt more and more like an angry person with their three dogs fighting their leashes. It was only until we understood as a group, only until it clicked for us in a mutual manner, that we were able to continue.

Some levels were seemingly impossible for us three to complete together due to repetitive failures, misinterpretation of the next step and miscommunication on all of our behalf. The agitation only grew with more challenge, more failure, and more misguided instruction. Within only one hour of straight gameplay, we broke.

The endless sweet music, the repetitive level that we can only progress halfway without a slip, without reaching a new part we hadn't previously crossed, with an input that ultimately forced a reset. The constant re-purposing of instructions and steps to complete the one, continuous level so close to completion, yet so far out of reach.

One of our friends stopped talking to us altogether for a small duration of the gameplay, only coming back to speak when us two devised yet another plan that was determined to fail. Tears broke out, blame was thrown in all directions, and some levels were ruled unable to complete with us three, let alone any more players. Yet still, we grudged along, testing the other worlds we hadn't tried yet, only to test these mechanics, and the ever-increasingly difficulty that followed.

Over the last hour of our current run, as of the time of writing this review, we only completed two of the attempted five levels. Having completed a majority of the initial levels in the hour prior, we were at a loss for our explosive demise met with the last half of the levels in this game. I will not go into detail of any of the level specifics, as the gameplay should be experienced in its entirety, however I chose to share the psychological torture my two friends and I felt.

I have known these two good, amazing people for years, and in all that time, I never once experienced the reactions this simple, ~9.3 mb game had caused them. These are good friends of mine whom I trust very much, and in such a short amount of time we were subjected to the betrayal and blame of each of us individually. It split us in a way that no other multiplayer puzzle platformer ever could.

Knowing that this game will continue it's legacy stated above, we are fully committed to filling our private lobby with the rest of our like-minded friends, for the inevitable torture that follows. This is the strongest example of what I mean by playing this simple game with your closest, most patient and understanding friends. Years between our experiences, our friendship and many more to come, inevitable to decimate in sheer hours. For what is pain, if not shared with those you appreciate most?

As I complete this review, my simple summary is this; I am in awe of the power of this small, lovable game. The art and music that compels you to try it out, the multiplayer that invites you to wonder of the team-building and experience you could share with your strongest allies. This game is the closest comparison of relationship-destructive games that rival that of Monopoly, UNO, and other similarly-experienced games. I love this game, and I choose to complete the multiplayer levels with my friends, despite the pain that is sure to come.

Here, I will provide some helpful tips to keep you sane, keep the gameplay smooth, and keep your relationships with your players intact.

Keep a cool head, and turn the volume in-game down from the beginning. Keep it on, as it is wonderful music, but just enough that you won't think much about it initially. Once the harder levels come into play, you'll start recognizing it, and it will engrave it's audible signature in your ears permanently as you fail over, and over, and over again.

Pay attention to those initial basic keybinds, as public online multiplayer may very much require knowledge of communication in-game, and mechanics that follow these.

If you are the type to rage quickly as I am (Love, yet refuse to play Dark Souls and Cuphead for sake of sanity alone), keep a cool head and remember, the game isn't designed for gameplay in mind, it is designed to push for cooperation between yourself and your allies, each following the same path toward the goal. It is simply a game, and all you will remember in time is the experience of playing it with your friends.

Thank you for reading, I genuinely love PICO PARK, and very much appreciate TECOPARK for designing and publishing a game that pushes you to your limit so seamlessly.

gud game

It's all worth the grind for Dokkaebi

Better with controller. That's all I have to say.