There's another Switch Online Game Trials offering, which means I have a week to try out something new. BACKGROUND:
My reaction to the announcement that this would be October's NSO Game Trial was something to the effect of "I have no earthly idea what this is." Take away from that what you will. PLOT: Two siblings are kidnapped by some sort of ghostly monster and are forced to participate in what appears to be a cruel game of cops and robbers. That's as far as the story goes, unfortunately. PRESENTATION: The game is a cute juxtaposition of the chibi anime aesthetic with the overall spooky vibe of the setting. It's vaguely Tim Burton-esque in that it mixes a bit of the ghoulish with the cartoony but is otherwise distinct in terms of actual aesthetic. The various monsters look much cuter than they are menacing, and the human characters express their emotions with trademark anime iconography. The music also has a whimsical feel to it, which fits well with the more light-hearted hijinks that occur. GAMEPLAY: As I've hinted at, OBAKEIDORO! is basically a cartoon horror-themed cops and robbers as a video game. If you didn't play cops and robbers as a kid, it's basically a variant of tag where players are split into teams. When a cop tags a robber, the robber has to stay in a designated jail, at which point the other robbers can try and break them out. Cops win by tagging all the robbers, and the robbers win if at least one of them can stay out of jail after the timer expires. Much like games such as Dead by Daylight, OBAKEIDORO! is an asymmetrical multiplayer experience. One player plays as the monster (the cop in this analogy), while three others play as humans. Each game lasts three minutes, which I felt is a decent enough length for the game.... sometimes. From my experience, it's a lot of fun to play as a human. It's satisfying to hide for an extended period of time, chases are thrilling since you can bait the monster for the good of the team, and setting up jailbreaks feels exhilarating. On the flip side, playing as the monster can be hit or miss, since after all, it's 1v3, and skilled human players can deftly distract you long enough that you can't gain any momentum. That said, attentive monster players can oppress unsuspecting humans easily by keeping a good eye on people attempting a jailbreak. Humans have few options: run or hide. However, they aren't completely defenseless, as they come equipped with a lantern. Using a lantern lets out a burst of light that can stun a nearby monster, giving you precious seconds to make your escape. You can't spam this option, however, as once you use it, it's gone. There is a way to recharge the lantern, but we'll get into that later. Monsters are able to pass through walls, see footsteps, and are assisted by AI ghosts who point at any humans they spot. If a monster captures a human, they're thrown into the jail that is usually in the middle of the stage. The humans can attempt to set their jailed teammate free by running to the cage and activating the multiple switches on it. Doing so not only frees their teammate, but also recharges their lantern for one more use. After a successful jailbreak, humans can't bail anyone out until a timer expires, which the monster can capitalize on if they can capture humans quickly enough. You're naturally able to play this game online, but there are also local multiplayer modes if you've got people over. There's also a single player mode, but it's basically just the same game, but with bots. I thought there'd be a campaign or something, but alas... Playing the various modes ranks you up (monster rank and human rank are separate, by the way), and the points you get are determined by the actions you perform in each game. It didn't seem like you can rank down, at least in the early ranks, and apparently even single player can contribute to ranking up. Additionally, you can earn stamps, which are the game's equivalent to achievements. These will reward you with titles for your player profile, but that's it. You'll also earn coins after every match, which can be spent at the shop. Here's where things get interesting, as you can purchase new lanterns for your human to equip (each with different stats and abilities) and new monsters to play as (who have their own unique skills). It's a shame that it takes a great while to get enough gold to buy these new things, because the descriptions of these new monsters and lanterns sound like they change the game in a really fun way. There's also a fair bit of variety in the stages as well. Not only is there a variety of locales (from spooky libraries, creepy swamps, an abandoned warehouse, and more), each one also has their own sort of gimmick to them (like more vertical layouts, stuff that slows humans down, among other things). From what I can tell, however, online multiplayer maps are on a rotation, so the best way to try all the maps is through the local modes. I also noticed that you can even change the playable humans like you would monsters, but they do not show up in the in-game shop. It seems like they're DLC, and that's a great shame because it seems like these other humans also have abilities and such. VERDICT: I had fun with my brief time with OBAKEIDORO! and its cute take on cops and robbers. However, I would put an emphasis on the word "brief," as apart from playing the core game over and over, there's not much else to do. Grinding for the more interesting lanterns/monsters that change the mechanics takes a tad too long as well, and I found it odd that alternate human characters are seemingly locked behind a paywall. I think it's enjoyable in short bursts (albeit I'd say it's more fun as a human), but I don't see myself dedicating a lot of time to it. I think I would recommend this more as a party game to be played with friends on a couch than I would as a game to enjoy online with players around the world. Its vibe is perfect for the family-friendly audience, and the game is simple enough that even the most casual of players can enjoy themselves. If you're looking for a robust single player experience or a substantial story, I'm afraid this game doesn't really offer either. The game is available on Steam here: Bail or Jail (OBAKEIDORO!) on Steam (steampowered.com) - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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