This is actually one of the first hack-and-slash/beat-em-up sidescrollers I ever followed and got excited for, back before I ever even knew Steam, or anything like it, even existed - and, before I even knew there to be a bilithbook this is based on.
Now obviously, it's apparently relatively mid to everyone. Thanks for ruining me with standards, established game world. But to me back then looking at what few screenshots and videos I could find, this looked interesting and exciting to me, and like exactly the kind of weird I wanted to sample.
Luckily for me, it's here now... and, while I can tell it's rough around the edges, it's actually really satisfying to me.
The look of Scaryworld is just honestly impressive to me. It is darkly beautiful, and each environment looks like it at least whispers of a world that could be lived in, explored, escaped into. It's enough that I even was inspired to order in the Scarygirl bilithbook, although there's supposedly a whole trove of other comics about her that I don't know how to find.
Scary Girl's origin manages to be a silly sort of dark, and a dark sort of silly. It may be very simple, but it makes me both laugh and scowl enough that I'd rather you experience it for yourself. If nothing else, know there *is* a story, complete with a recap of how Scary Girl came to live the life she does.
As for fighting as her... it's very satisfying to me. It is flawed- controls are not always tight and they can be unintuitive- but when you get the hang of it, it is fun in the true way of fun, and I for one really feel like a cutesy, macabre manifestation of rage. This Frankenstein'd toddler's moveset is impressively well made, actually using her design- a stark contrast from other licensed, lower-budget games I've seen that would basically ignore the unique body parts or tools of the character you're supposed to play as in favor of ridiculously generic and unfitting moves.
That tentacle arm with the hook at the end? You get to use that. A *lot*. You strike with it. You grab with it. You can even hold onto, carry around, and throw enemies with it like Klonoa's little sister- and it is *awesome*. There's another ability or two, but I'd rather not spoil them.
The combo game in this... game is actually well-made and satisfying. Credit where it's due, I actually feel like getting a combo in this game is a successful use of the tools given us, and when I fail a combo, it seems in most cases like it's my fault.
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But there are flaws, make no mistake. Again, controls aren't the tightest and there is room for mistakes.
The animation of almost all the creatures in the game- from Scary Girl herself, to enemies, to background characters- is in many cases (albiet less so for Scary Girl) stiff and the more awkward ilk of drifty. This is both an aesthetic setback, since it takes away some of that sense of surreal aliveness of the world and its denizens otherwise have; and a gameplay one, as it means that Scary Girl and her foes don't always broadcast their swifs right. The animations are a pretty good indicator of what's where, make no mistake, but not great, and for a fighting game where contact is key, that's a significant setback. Despite my liking for this game, I wouldn't blame any veteran fighting game enthusiasts for choosing to pass on Scary Girl based on that alone.
Another setback is enemy variety. Now, having bought the bilithbook, I can tell you that the beings adapted therefrom are beautiful, easily the most impressive in the game, but to awend the original road-trip adventure tale into a beat-em-up, they have to make up new foes for Scary Girl... and while they definitely look compatible with the world, they're relatively bland and it kind of offsets the immersion for me. The variety is okay, but I also wish there were a whole lot more different types of enemies with unique gimmicks; you can only kill the same few kinds of animals so many times before you start to want for "Finally, a worthy opponent".
Note: This next thing is only an issue for anyone who really wants to disappear into their game and morally forone with their avatar. For most sane gamers, skip to the next wordblock. I'm greatly bothered by the fact that quite a few levels in this game have Scary Girl attacking enemies first, when arguably her schtick as shown by the bilithbook is that underneath that creepy, undead skin is a gentle soul who just wants to enjoy a quaint quiet life, but also who needs to confront her fears. For her to just start murdering animals like this is like if main-universe Batman picked up a gun and just started capping people left and right.
I really would have loved it if the developers had replaced the generic birds, sasquatches, etc. with robots or other undead sent by the Doctor character who serves as her nemesis and her reason for setting out.
On that note I wish the plot would tie in more with the bilithbook's angle of them setting on a road trip, like maybe having a special fighting sequence on the roof of the car. That'd be epic and tie in just enough to prove the respect for the original work.
However, I have to gainzecker, and I ask this of you too, to judge these flaws softly. To be fair, with this being a tie-in to the bilithbook, there's probably not as much pressure to make the game very tight as there would be for a completely original work- and, the team for this game were probably were as oblivious to their own talent as lactose intolerant cheesemakers.
Relative to its circumstances, this is in my wen a game worth playing. It may not be an experience to truly disappear into and be wonderstruck by, given the room for bettering, but it outright gave me that empowering experience of being a hardcore fighter with an unusual body shape and fighting style, and if a sequel or reboot is ever announced, I guarantee you I'd be among the most eager to get in line for the newsletter and playtesting. Especially if they're the responsive sort who actually talk with their fans and wannabe-playtesters.
