[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 - Mediocre ★★★☆☆[/h1]
[h1]First Impressions[/h1]
However long Replay – VHS is not dead (RV) has been in my library, it's unfortunately only made those who might be clinging to VHS tapes look all the more delusional or desperate. It's alright man, disco died too, and we've all managed to move on. DVDs are pretty cool, and I always had decent expectations for how this title would play. Maybe I was a little desperate too.
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
RV is the kind of puzzle game where you manipulate time so that each person does their portion to clear the stage. At the start of each level, there will be screen markers on the left showing how many characters you'll be controlling. Generally, I find that you'll want to go from top to bottom, as that seemed to be the best order. While taking control of each character at a time, you'll have them activate buttons, open gates, lift platforms, and help one another get into the right position so that each character is able to reach their unique exit. I don't know if it's because the puzzles are hard to solve, but I found myself struggling to make progress in contrast to other titles like this I've played before. After a certain point, it just isn't that fun to try and clear these levels.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3467380859
[h1]Controls[/h1]
I'd say the controls are fairly good, but I have to wonder if it's tight and exact enough for the most stringent goals it has. Whenever a title raises the bar that much, I expect it to match such requirements with controls that feel like second-nature. There may not be much wrong with them, but I don't feel like they're that remarkable either. For example, when trying to make a quick jump or movement, it sometimes won't respond properly. That's not consequential per se during normal gameplay, but absolutely ruins an attempt for these ridiculous gold times.
[h1]Story[/h1]
While renting some VHS tapes, Harvey gets blasted by a bolt of lightning. I guess since he's able to get back up and walk it off, he doesn't bother getting checked out in an emergency room. Maybe he should have, because once he tries out all of the movies he rented, none of them work properly, until more electricity yanks him inside the TV. It's classic video game logic, and by clearing all of the puzzles, he'll escape back to the real world.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3467381144
[h1]Visuals[/h1]
After thinking about it, I realized that the backgrounds and theoretical props look quite good since you've been sucked into video tapes. However, with how the characters behave, they act like everything is real, so it probably makes sense for the environments to look authentic. Honestly though, I think it'd have been more comical if you'd see all the indicators and behind-the-scenes factors showing that it's just a set, with props and costumes. There were only two options for how to make this work though, and the developers went the other direction, sigh. Overall, I'd say that the character design and backgrounds are all well done. Something that stood out was the pirate's walking cycle, and that's because he squares his shoulders, which makes him look stiff and unnatural. Since everyone else looks normal, it just makes him an oddball.
[h1]Sound Design[/h1]
For each of the video tapes, there's two songs. One plays while you're in the level select area, where you won't linger that long, and the second is for when trying to solve those movies' levels. A simple problem from this is that if you get stuck in a world, hearing the same song repeating endlessly grows tiring. By the time I beat the boss from the pirate movie, I was sick to death of that sea shanty, and that's without completing everything possible, such as getting all the keys. Bearing in mind each movie's genre and setting, the songs are fitting enough, but they could have added more themes or variety by making each level more scenic. It'd be difficult to add NPCs or dialogue, but by placing more background elements or props, they could have played on different scenes you'd likely see in a movie. For example, emotional dialogue, tense battles, and silly antics. Ultimately, I don't think there's much wrong with the soundtrack, but I would have appreciated the addition of more songs.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3467380591
[h1]Pros[/h1]
🌟 When you have enough clearance and wiggle-room with the puzzle design, solving them feels fun. It's when they get too precise or exact that it sucks.
🌟 By making use of a few characters and items, there's several arrangements that can be set up for satisfying puzzles.
[h1]Cons[/h1]
❌ The way you have to play out the solutions, ultimately doing all the right steps with precise timing, in one take, is rather demanding. Trying to earn gold times on even early stages is aggravatingly tight.
❌ Skipping a level is mostly worthless, because the sort of problems you have to solve doesn't get easier as you progress. It does offer a way to advance, but it likely won't matter.
❌ Almost nobody actually beats this game; specifically the achievement for doing so is around 2.4%. Just around twice that amount beat the first boss!
[h1]Tips[/h1]
🔍 Due to the limited height for jumping, often which character has to do what is constrained by the level layout. What you have to figure out is what steps to take when, less who is meant to do what action.
🔍 You can tap the rewind button a second time to instantly rewind the action.
[h1]Final Thoughts[/h1]
RV is so frustrating for me to review, because I really want to like this title. It has clever puzzles, I can generally follow the developer's logic on what needs to be done, and having grown up with VHS tapes I appreciate the throwback. However, actually pulling off the solutions feels so precise and difficult, even without trying to get a gold time. Perhaps having a visual cue would help players keep track. For example, if there was another version of the other characters, with lower transparency, showing what their upcoming movements would be, it'd help you make minor adjustments to account for your own mistakes or imprecise moves. Otherwise, you have to know exactly what you did, and when, accounting for any deviations or faults. It's hilariously accurate to the movie-making process, because you're trying to recall everyone's exact placement and timing, just like how continuity experts have to deal with multiple takes and edits. I applaud the concept, but it's too precise and demanding for most people, so I can't recommend it.
[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.
💖 - RV is healthy
[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
