Slow Down, Bull

[b]Note: video review embedded below.[/b] I had a lot of anxiety growing up. Perhaps it was the side effect of being an overweight, socially awkward kid without any friends, or part of a larger psychological disorder that was never diagnosed, but either way it made day to day life immensely stressful and difficult. Emotional meltdowns were common, and anything unexpected usually sent me into a downward spiral that sometimes took days to crawl out of. This of course extended to my creative endeavors, which no matter how much time I poured into them I never felt confident they were good enough, or that I could show anyone else for fear of ridicule. So when Estaban the bull breaks down in tears because to him his art never feels acceptable, I can relate. He might be a cartoon with a simplified version of anxiety, but his lack of confidence in the things he makes is something myself and almost everyone creative I know suffers from, but is rarely brought up in any sort of media. That alone made his journey in Slow Down, Bull to find the perfect decorations for his art, but more importantly to become empowered by it, something meaningful to me, even more so given its kid friendly aesthetic and accessible design. Here was a game for kids and adults alike letting us know that it’s OK if something doesn’t turn out perfect, and that the stress you feel when sharing it with others is almost always unfounded. It’s the sort of reassurance I’d have greatly appreciated when I was a kid freaking out over what in hindsight was always inconsequential, and that half the royalties go to a children’s charity is just icing on the cake. Sadly Slow Down, Bull’s narrative is saying one thing, while it’s gameplay is saying another. While it’s design is simple enough for anyone to understand in a minute, utilizing only two buttons and focusing around a straightforward collecting mechanic, its scoring system is far less lenient. I was constantly being punished for small mistakes, having to make extremely precise runs just to pass levels and even then being told it wasn’t good enough and I needed to try again. So much of Slow Down, Bull feels designed so as to be a game everyone can enjoy, with an encouraging message and easygoing gameplay loop, but despite how many times it told me it’s OK that I’m not perfect its scoring system defiantly stated the opposite. It told me that I had to be exact, to get the best scores, to be absolutely perfect if I even wanted to see the next level, and this in turned made playing Slow Down, Bull incredibly stressful. Suddenly I understood why Esteban was getting so worked up, as his game is almost hostile in how hard it pushes you before you’re allowed to proceed. I really do love a lot of what Slow Down, Bull is trying to do. I like that Insomniac Games is branching out into new platforms and gameplay styles, that they tried to make something encouraging and entertaining regardless of your age, and they’re giving part of the proceeds to help kids that need it. But I feel like by making the game so needlessly challenging and frustrating, they’ve diluted its purpose and made something that instead of helping relieve stress, only served as yet another source of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueOtDrKb9hI&ab_channel=MrNinjaSquirrel [b]Full disclosure: Slow Down, Bull was reviewed using a copy provided by the developer. You can read more of my writing on [url=http://kritiqal.com/2015/04/27/slow-down-bull-review/]Kritiqal[/url].[/b]

you came here from the spiderman games didnt you

Introduced to odd-couple Esteban the bull and his brother Mango the cat, you set out to travel the world collecting decorations for your artwork. Stressing out when things are not perfect generally results in tearing his artwork to pieces so the more decorations you can the find, the better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfNa8iks2TM Slow Down Bull surprised me a lot, while it may seemed aimed at the younger generation by appearance the gameplay itself is both decent and addictive. Spread across 5 uniquely themed zones levels start simply by requiring you to collect art and make it to the end. Gradually they introduce a range of new game mechanics including possums that cling on and double your score but giving mirrored-like control penalties and a Bull-catcher that chases you but can be trapped in ponds. Eventually not even being given enough art per level you are then required to make use of multiplier stacking and general avoidance skills. Controls are simple though I would recommend a gamepad. Later levels introduced more hazards with greater time restrictions and it become somewhat twitch-based trying to perfect runs. With that said, completing levels is all that was required to make further progress so it's certainly enjoyable for all ages without becoming too frustrated. Slow Down Bull may not be the game people hoped to see from Insomanic Games but the silver lining is they now have the foot in the door. With half the proceeds going to starlight foundation and much of the game being directly influenced by these youngsters in very unfortunate circumstances, I can easily recommend this game as both fun and a worthy investment. Cheers folks. :)

It's nice to see money going to charity thanks to the purchase of the game, and while the game isn't going to rock the gaming world, it's a solid straight forward game with simple mechanics that uses it's artstyle to stand out and create a peaceful world. Collectors in terms of OCD-level collecting will want to take a look as it does a good job in rewarding maximizing your runs in a level, and overall, while it's not earth shattering, it's a cheap game that will make you feel good for purchasing it. +: Art style and overall “cute” narrative Solid but not spectacular gameplay. Great for collect-a-thon people. Best description: solid. Funds going to charity. -: -I swear why is there never volume sliders. -Wish it was a bit more complicated. For more information and gameplay: http://youtu.be/819E_Zkxd2U

As someone who got to play the game before it came out i can safefuly say that this game is very well done by insominac. It is simple and fun and the levels can increseinglly become challengeing. It is a fun casual game to play after intense CS:GO or something similier. I have enjoyed the time that i speant on it and those who buy it are also supporting a good charity as well. Now as a personal request, can we have Sunset Overdrive and Ratchet and Clank?

FUN AND ADDICTING, GET YOU INVOLVED, VERY BASIC GAMEPLAY, LOTS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS. For insominiac games I think for a this indie game, they have done a great job.

Insomniac Games Made it, that's enough for me to recommend it. The game itself is a nice casual game game with an awesome art style, simple mechanics, and overall a neat experience. It seems like this would be a great mobile game too.

Экспериментальная игра от авторов Ratchet & Clank на Unity. Суть — не довести своего быка до стресса. Мне на зашло.

оч классный дизайн. требует выдержки. иногда киплю с этой игры как бычок ) игру рекомендую однозначно за дизайн!

норм