Hey there, fellow players!
It's GOOD FRIDAY. This springtime holiday may have religious connotations for some, but for many, this holiday means a day off for redecorating your home. What better way to spend your time this Easter than buying and assembling furniture? As Jonathan Coulton would say, "if you don't have a home you can buy one there!"
That's right, this week's game is I <3 IKEA by Axon Interactive and Friends. I know what you're thinking - a puzzle game where you have to assemble IKEA furniture with nothing but an allen key and your wits - but you're WRONG! Instead, this game is a side-scrolling runner in which you have to purchase your new furniture and eat Swedish meatballs without getting distracted by other fantastic items in the store. If you wind up purchasing extraneous bookshelves you'll end up over-budget and go broke.
Currently, the game features two different modes of play. In Coworker mode, you have a 10% discount. The level seems much shorter, so presumably you're trying to get all your shopping done on your break. In Student Mode, the level is longer, but you can't purchase any items over $100. Did I really notice that difference? No! But that didn't stop me from playing it anyway. As I played, it felt like "Student" mode was supposed to be hard mode, because of the restriction.
CONCEPT: 1/5 - I can't conceive of the link between the theme "After You!" and this game.
CONTROLS: 5/5 - They work easily enough, with multiple options.
STORY: 2/5 - Not much of a story here, so not much of a score.
GRAPHICS: 3/5 - A solid 3 because while the graphics look good, they're cut from IKEA's own online catalogue. (Way to get your art done quickly, Axon! Now that's jamming!)
SOUND: 3/5 - Good stock sounds provide a solid shopping experience, complete with the repetitive and catchy in-store musak.
QUIRKINESS: 5/5 - Where this game shines! I was attracted to this game at TOJam 9 last year by the sheer bizarreness of it's subject matter. Hoorah for the randomness of it!
ENJOYABILITY: 2.5/5 - This score would be higher if I didn't feel it were IMPOSSIBLE to beat! I suck at this game! I'm terrible at it! It's SO HARD.
FINAL SCORE: 21.5 GOATS
While this game scores high for it's uniqueness and creativity, it suffers for its sheer difficulty. It would help if I had IKEA's online catalogue memorized, but since I don't, and my reaction times are poor, I failed this game miserably. Other gamers, who are a pro at platformers and hand-eye-coordination, might fair better and get more enjoyment out of this quirky little gem. It would be improved by having small thumbnails of the items you need to collect on your shopping list, and a perhaps a slower speed as well. Even so, this game managed to draw my attention amidst a room full of games during the open house last year, and I recall having fond feelings for it then. After all, I <3 IKEA.
Thank you, Axon Interactive and Friends.
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