[h1] Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery... unless it's executed poorly. [/h1]
[table]
[tr]
[th]Pros[/th]
[th]Cons[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]✔️ Fantastic cartoon-style graphics reminiscent of games like Zelda Wind Waker; this is visually amazing.
✔️ Puzzles and gimmicks are mostly solid, while they frequently left me scratching my head.
✔️ The voice acting is excellent, and the way everything is voiced is fantastic.[/td]
[td]❌ There are no graphical settings at all. Nothing can be changed in terms of resolution, frames, or even V-Sync, among other things.
❌ The solution to most puzzles is frequently rather frustrating to discover. When you're stuck, there are no hints or assistance available.
❌ The gravity-bending feature is weak at best and often fails to function. The number of times I died or took damage as a result of gravity not operating properly is staggering.
❌ In the settings, there is a "no damage" option that you should definitely use. The amount of damage you receive from enemies or the environment is unreasonably high, resulting in many deaths.
❌ The game doesn't explain anything gimmick-wise, and the story is almost non-existent. What little tale there is to appreciate is made up in haste, leaving you with more questions than answers.
❌ Bugs and even more glitches. An example can be found [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu3rFFNux-c]here[/url].
❌ The metal music quickly becomes annoying. The amount of soundtrack is rather small, and since you have to play a dungeon for about an hour plus, you're going to hear the same rock music over and over again.[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
[h1] Additional Info: [/h1]
[table]
[tr]
[th]Content & Replay Value[/th]
[th]Molly Medusa: Queen of Spit took me 6.9 hours to finish. I see no reason to replay the game, especially when achievements and other gimmicks are non-existent.[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Mode[/td]
[td]Single Player Only[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Controller Recommended?[/td]
[td]Yes, but you can also use KB/M[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Is it worth buying?[/td]
[td]No, especially not at full price, but if you're desperate, I'd wait for at least a 50% discount.[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
[b]Acknowledgement[/b]
[quote]This game was provided for review purposes by the developers. Thank you![/quote]
[quote]Follow our Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41449676/] Summit Reviews[/url], to see more high-quality reviews regularly.[/quote]
[h1] In-Depth [/h1]
[h3] Story, Gameplay & Gravity-Bending Gimmick [/h3]
The game's introduction is actually quite promising. You play Molinike, also known as Molly, an apprentice to a grumpy old sculptor who dreams of becoming the best sculptor ever and surpassing her master. Her master requests that she brings him a new set of tools because he wishes to be able to "turn stone into flesh". Molly encounters Circe, a trickster deity in Greek mythology, while rushing to catch up to a merchant in order to purchase these tools during what should have been a simple task. She grants Molly any wish she wants, and she requests the ability to "turn flesh into stone." As a result of changing two words in her master's wish, Molly changes into a medusa, turning everyone in her path to stone. She is now on a quest to overcome the curse and show Circe that she is more than just a plaything.
The narrative is told in the most rushed way possible. Molly says nothing about emotions or feelings after receiving the curse. When I got to another place, she started talking to a rock (an actual rock she discovered on the way, reminding me of Wilson from the movie "Cast Away"), dumping all exposition from nowhere. She's then able to grab a sand boat from a neighboring sand sailor and embark on her mission.
Molly has to cross the dunes just outside her small settlement in order to break Circe's curse. This section, along with the game's art style, is intended to give gamers the greatest Wind Waker feeling possible. The Legend of Zelda's impact does not end there. Molly must journey through a number of dungeons, each having its own map, boss, and important items to obtain. Molly Medusa: Queen of Spit is built on an unusual premise. It is visually based on Wind Waker, although the emphasis focuses solely on puzzle solving rather than combat. The majority of the puzzles are rather simple, focused on either using the most recently gained object or Molly's unusual ability to walk on walls and ceilings to advance. Although the focus on puzzles seemed enticing, the game is filled with issues.
Don't get me wrong: I like the Greek take on Zelda. Except for the repetitive music, the graphic design is charming, and the sound department does an outstanding job. The game contains a lot of voice acting, and while the recording quality is only average at best, the performances themselves are great. With some guitar-driven tunes intermingled with antique instruments, the music rapidly devolves into mediocrity. Molly Medusa obtains a more than passable score for artistic design. Unfortunately, this is where the praise ends.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3032311357
The primary issue is with the gameplay and general execution. Simply said, it's a disaster. The collision detection is shaky, reminding me of early 3D games when the concepts of mobility and collision were still in the early stages. This is also obvious in the final battle because the foundation for defeating her is the gravity-bending gimmick, which is brutal to deal with and does not work logically. Oh, and while we're on the subject of logic, a grandmother in the first village carrying four swords informs you about a weapon you can obtain if you have 30 coins. I was surprised to discover that I was unable to collect coins for the duration of the game, nor did I receive a weapon, leaving me to ponder, "Why does this dialogue exist?".
Gravity bending makes things a lot worse inside dungeons. Molly has the ability to walk over walls and ceilings in order to solve puzzles. Unfortunately, whenever you do this (and you do it a lot), the camera goes berserk, causing nausea, which I never thought I'd feel in this day and age. Free camera controls are not enabled by default and must be enabled via settings. Due to the gravity-bending feature, the camera often gets stuck on walls and objects, stutters, and does not know where it should be, especially when falling into an abyss. This frequently results in the inability to see anything and, more often than not, to move as you should. The game also includes cheap damage-inflicting techniques, such as an explosive mine on the ground. As a result, it not only punishes you with half-hearted features, but it also allows you to view the "game over" screen on a regular basis, which is why the option to take no damage exists in the first place. The dungeon design is also contentious because it gives you a dungeon map to show which chambers and keys are still missing, yet it always gives me the map near the end of the dungeon when I don't need it anymore.
[h3] Conclusion [/h3]
This is one of those titles where you can see and even appreciate the general design's ambition, but the small details of the implementation wind up being the cause of its failure. You begin as a dissatisfied apprentice, sent out on a meaningless mission with no story snippets in between dungeons. From then, it's a bit of a puzzle-solving adventure, with Molly being able to walk on the walls or ceilings (although occasionally having to turn things into stone as well) to work her way through various temples. The difficulty is that the controls feel janky and inconsistent and the lack of a better way to manipulate the camera worsens the issue. The well-executed aesthetic, visually appealing graphic style, and voice acting are unfortunately not enough to pull you out of the gameplay mess.
[h2] Final Verdict: 4/10 💔 [/h2]
