[quote]Follow my Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41363546-Fruit-N-Doggie-Reviews/]Fruit N Doggie Reviews,[/url] so you can be updated whenever I post a new review.[/quote]
[h1]Overall Rating - Unplayable Trash ☆☆☆☆☆[/h1]
[h1]First Impressions[/h1]
I acquired Pirate Pop Plus (PPP) from a Humble Bundle deal ages ago, and regretted getting it as I saw the reviews sour for it over time. Knowing it wouldn't make the game any better or worse if I kept pushing it off, I decided to see what about this title wasn't being well received. Unfortunately, it wasn't limited to a single thing. Also, the colorful store page is rather ironic considering how monotone it is in actuality.
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
Something you might see, which is very misleading, is when numbered levels flash on the screen. The game I expected from the screenshots was something like Pang Adventures, where you'd use your hook to burst the larger bubble into smaller pieces, until you pop them all. Destroying all of them would load the next level, which would present different challenges. It'd likely have more bubbles to destroy, but might incorporate stage gimmicks, rearrange the layout, add variations so the bubbles act differently, and so on. Unfortunately, that screenshot only indicates you've survived long enough to reach a new difficulty threshold. Nothing about the stage changed, but the bubble was splitting off into three pieces instead of only two. Technically that's something different, yet isn't at all what I had in mind from that important image. If you want to play this for hours, it's just a highly repetitive arcade game built around a single screen, and no new levels.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3464349381
[h1]Controls[/h1]
Since you only have a single move, which is firing your weapon, the controls are pretty easy to work with. The pirate does have a sense of momentum though, and feels a bit slippery since he doesn't stop on a dime. In addition, each time the gravity changes, it effects how you move the pirate, since he's standing on a different plane. For example, if he was on the floor and gets shifted onto the right wall, you'll go side to side using up and down inputs instead. Even if it's only for a short time, repeatedly disorienting the player's sense of control or movement is enough to force errors into their gameplay. Something else to note, altering the gravity can make the bubbles bounce at sharp angles and move much faster.
[h1]Story[/h1]
When first launching the game, it showed a brief cutscene of bubbles capturing citizens. This is the fiendish act of the bubble pirate. To be fair, the bubbles will kill you, but nothing in the gameplay includes you saving captured people. That might have made for an interesting mechanic.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3464348776
[h1]Visuals[/h1]
Adding optional cosmetics isn't a terrible idea, and I've even seen another game with similar visuals have an approach somewhat like how it works here. The difference is that the design was better suited to the monotone color scheme, as everything wasn't forcibly scrunched into a smaller space, and they were found throughout the playthrough. Putting all of them behind steep paywalls is a sucker's trap, and is the dumbest mistake they could have made, primarily because it only looks good with a few choices anyways.
By making it possible for players to dislike the core visuals of your entire game, and having to spend so many coins to change it, you've undermined their entire reason for sticking with your game for even a short span of time. If they hate how the game looks, or find out that it strains their sight, nobody is going to invest several minutes in order to change it. Anybody with a lick of sense will just leave, because it's not worth it. Such a crucial option should be the cheapest, with the best options possible, so it'll likely please everyone. Never do something that gives your customer base a reason to leave.
[h1]Sound Design[/h1]
It shouldn't be too surprising that with the entire game being presented like it's played on a handheld device that the music is composed of chiptunes. Something I wasn't positive about was whether it was playing one song constantly, or if it'd change according to the progress you were making. Relating to the visuals, it has the same problem of having to spend several coins if you don't like the base track. You can only change to one of the three other options by paying for them, making for two crucial elements players might not enjoy, and have to fix with coins. Funny enough, even if you find a song you like, there's no way it'd suffice for the numerous hours the developers expected people to play this game. Also, at least with the base song, I dislike the tone or pitch of it, as I find it a bit ear grating. Some of the sound effects, like the seagulls, have the same problem.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3464348916
[h1]Pros[/h1]
🌟 It's kind of quaint to replicate the imagery of a handheld gaming device.
🌟 Other characters you can play as have different stats.
[h1]Cons[/h1]
❌ What items drop based on RNG is really skewed. I played an entire round without ever seeing a skull appear, had another round that never dropped the tether weapon, and my highest score happened due to always getting the laser weapon. It's all over the place.
❌ The default color scheme is ugly, and doesn't help your ability to track and distinguish the small bubbles from collectibles. Normally, enemy projectiles, coins, and fruit would all look different.
❌ Who would ever play PPP long enough to get all the coins needed to buy some of those items, let alone everything?
[h1]Tips[/h1]
🔍 When the gravity changes, while you're falling to the ground, you'll split or destroy bubbles you come into contact with. Whether or not you bounce doesn't seem relevant to the size of the bubble, but depends on how fast you're falling when you collide into them.
🔍 Shooting at bubbles while they're near a wall does make it easier to pick them off, just don't inadvertently corner yourself.
[h1]Final Thoughts[/h1]
Unintentionally, it feels like I've been installing and trying a handful of titles that make me recoil within a short time of trying the game. I'm not trying to be some sort of avant garde snob, who can only enjoy titles with the finest of features. Instead, I've been reacting to what I'd think of as heinous mistakes, as the designs have included very questionable choices. Everything is relative, but I think PPP has included one of the most striking examples, adding aesthetic features that would be the equivalent of micro-transactions in a free title, but they're instead earned from playing for numerous hours. Did the developers honestly think something so meager would be this enticing carrot on a stick that'd compel players to sink dozens of hours into an otherwise basic and boring game? The content repeats itself quickly after you try it a few times, as you're constrained to a single screen, and limited mechanics. Why keep trying to get a great round when the gameplay isn't that fun? It'd be like playing the first level of Bubble Bobble over and over again.
[table]
[tr]
[th]PC Specs[/th]
[th]Performance[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ryzen 2700
RTX 2070
16GB RAM
ADATA SSD
1920x1080
[/td]
[td]The game ran without incident on default settings.
💖 - PPP is healthy
[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
