[quote][b][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asset_flip]Warning: Asset Flip![/url][/b]
The Memological Dungeon is an asset flip, or what Valve calls a "Fake Game". The "developer" paid for/pirated someone else's example/template/tutorial game, changed the name/reskinned a couple of things, and submitted it to Valve as if it was their own game.[/quote]
Atomic Fabrik is back, evading his Steam ban, this time with another bit of plagiarism, as the "developer" here stole a Godot game template/demo for a "Wolfenstein" like raycaster game, and populated it with public domain memes he stole off the internet. And a HUGE number of fake/paid reviews from the Russian review farm, to mislead and scam gamers.
Gamesforfarm have shown a repeat pattern of unethically dumping other people's work onto Steam as a cheap, nasty cash grab, through this account or through closely linked/alt accounts. Here's some examples so you can see for yourself:
[list]
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805640]Desert Special Forces[/url]" = [url=https://www.sellmyapp.com/downloads/frontline-army-commando-war-battle-games/]Frontline Army Commando War[/url] developed by Deeko Games
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2864300]Zombodesert[/url]" = [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cXnw-32BjA]Macho Dash[/url] developed by TAPP Games
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3461190]Magatch[/url]" = [url=https://opengameart.org/content/gems-tileset]Gems Tileset[/url] developed by Craftpix
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2833820]Fox Golf[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/templates/packs/golf-royale-104938]Golf Royale[/url] developed by Code Master Studio
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1284510]In a search of a new home[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/characters/pixel-adventure-1-155360]Pixel Adventure 1[/url] developed by Pixel Frog
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2862030]Lunatic Taxi Driver[/url]" = [url=https://www.sellmyapp.com/downloads/offroad-taxi-driving-city-taxi-sim/]Offroad Taxi Driving Sim[/url] developed by Sim Studio
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2474180]Save The Settlers[/url]" = [url=https://1up-indie2.itch.io/free-tower-defence-project-gamemaker]Free Tower Defence Project[/url] developed by 1UP Indie2
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2477000]Next Station: Zombies[/url]" = [url=https://getunitycode.com/product/merge-train-zombie-defense-unity-source-code/]Merge Train Zombie Defense[/url] developed by Virgil Source
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805620]Animals vs Animals[/url]" = [url=https://www.sellmyapp.com/downloads/animal-racing-complate-game-racing-game-support-unity-5-5/]Animal Racing[/url] developed by SplayGame Official
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2862050]Spaceship Driver License[/url]" = [url=https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/templates/x-racer-35344]X-Racer[/url] developed by Deer Cat
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3461200]Matchmania Donate[/url]" = [url=https://gamemaker.io/en/blog/match-three-gamemaker-template]Match 3 GameMaker Template[/url] developed by YoyoGames
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2862040]One Chance[/url]" = [url=https://www.sellmyapp.com/downloads/i-hate-fingers/]I Hate Fingers[/url] developed by Fox Game Studio
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2387820]Beach Gas Gas[/url]" = [url=https://www.sellmyapp.com/downloads/highway-racer-traffic-car-race/]Highway Racer Traffic Car Race[/url] developed by Unity Boy
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2862060]Wild Animals Transporter[/url]" = [url=https://www.sellmyapp.com/downloads/wild-animal-transporter-truck-game-2021/]Wild Animal Transporter Truck Game 2021[/url] developed by Zoobs Man
[*] "[url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2805650]Diamonds Collector[/url]" = [url=https://www.sellmyapp.com/downloads/city-car-driver-street-racing-game-64bit-source-code/]City Car Driver Street Racing Game[/url] developed by The Armor Gaming
[/list]
Taking this shovelware seriously as if it was a genuine attempt to make a game, it doesn't meet basic minimum requirements that most PC gamers expect as standard.
There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks. There's no way to ensure this is running at the native resolution of your display. There's no guarantee this game will look right on any PC as a result of this hamfisted design decision.
The mismatched game assets are fairly mediocre/low quality, it's a wonder why they couldn't be bothered "borrowing" higher quality assets for this asset flip. This is a lot like going on a shoplifting spree but only stealing the cut price store brand goods. Regardless, the poor quality assets alone should be enough to deter gamers from bothering with this.
The poor quality of this game is reflected by how many people spent time with it. At the time of this review, SteamDB shows the all-time peak player number was [b]only 3 players[/b], and the worst part is these weren't genuine players, these were the Russian fake review accounts that the developer paid to make the fake reviews. Since the fake reviews are all done, now the only player activity occurs once or twice a month, presumably someone loading it up to see what it is then quickly uninstalling it. Considering there's over 120 million gamers on Steam and well over 130,000 games for gamers to choose from, the overwhelming lack of interest in this low quality game is to be expected.
[quote][b][url=https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/federal-register-notices/16-cfr-part-465-trade-regulation-rule-use-consumer-reviews-testimonials-final-rule]Warning: Review Manipulation![/url][/b]
This game features a number of fake positive reviews from accounts known to be in the business of review manipulation/paid reviews. They're all written in either Russian, broken English or ChatGPT AI slop, appear at almost exactly the same time, very shortly after the game launched on Steam, all have a direct Steam purchase of the game, and the accounts are used consistently to write fake reviews for asset flips and other cash grabs/scams. The "Positive" review score on this game should be disregarded due to this blatant, unethical review manipulation. This is done to deceive and scam gamers into paying for a bad product.
Due to the 2024 FTC ruling (16 CFR Part 465), these fake reviews are a violation of US Federal Law.[/quote]
This kind of asset flipping isn't harmless. It makes it harder for gamers to find genuinely made games from ethical developers. It makes it harder for genuine indie developers, who put hard work into trying to make real games, to find an audience for their products. It gives indie developers a bad name.
So, should you buy this asset flip? Is this better than any of the 130,000+ genuinely made games on Steam? Of course not!
The Memological Dungeon is relatively cheap at $1 USD, but it's not worth it. Given the defects and quality issues with the game, coupled with the unrealistic price, and the questionable ethical nature of the developer and/or their associates (as outlined above), this is impossible to recommend. Remember that if you buy a game from an unethical developer, you're putting your money at risk.
[quote][b][url=https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/marketing/profile]Profile Features Limited![/url][/b]
Valve have marked this game as "Profile Features Limited" at the time of this review. This is usually caused by poor sales figures and low community acceptance for the game (to date). Until this status changes, this game will not give you +1 to your Game Collector badge count, appear in profile achievements or any other Steam meta-accomplishments, nor can it be displayed in some profile showcases. If these factors are important to you, it may be worth holding off before buying this game.[/quote]
