Fearmonium: Video Game Overview

FearMonium is the third author’s game from our compatriots Glory Gray, responsible for art, code, plot and game design, and Dmitry Emelyanova, Working under the pseudonym Expete Amour (he writes music and sounds). Exactly Fearmonium It turned out the most noticeable and bright. I would still – visually similar to the Cuphead of the metriculum, the action of which takes place in the subconscious of the depressive teenager, where we act as one of his phobias, and we are stored in a bath with a semi-digit girl named Lady Depression, Agree, can attract attention. But as far as interesting and worked out Fearmonium?

Ay Max Colerofobia

So, action Fearmonium Deployed in the subconscious of the teenager named Max, who really has a disassemble – Mother lives with stepfather, and that guy, to put it mildly, dislike. At school problems with peers. The only openness is a girl who he likes, immediately after a wonderful date in the amusement park reported that he was leaving to another city. At that moment, the employee of the park intervened in their conversation, offering ride on a large balloon. And only aggravated the situation – it is she, like balloons and clowns from the park, began to be Max in nightmares.

Yes, the mood at the guy depressive.

For this employee of the park, the personification of the unpleasant memories of the hero, we play, passing the way to the real phobia. In the process, we dive increasingly into the subconscious of Max, we get into his nightmares, to school and in other locations where uncomfortable memories, anxiety, “objective fears”, other phobias and, on the contrary, bright images of a teenager.

Such an interest in the authors to this topic is clear. Glory Gras By the formation of Master of Psychology, although he threw graduate school at 27. Considering that the games are not only about “click on the button a”, he decided to share his knowledge to “help people learn something new or deeper to penetrate the history invented [it]”. Say, it would be extremely irresponsible not to take advantage of your knowledge of psychology.

Here, in fact, our main tasks.

Psychology, education or game?

The plot, according to the author, affects the depression and the standard methods of protection against neurosis, and a bunch of things that the author heard at lectures at the university. Wherein Glory Gras I assure that if you wish, you can not pay attention to the story, dialogues and problems of Max, and the educational part is optional – just look at the funny pictures and touch with colorful monsters, and the game will still not get confused.

The problem is that the author with this educational part is still driving a stick and does not greatly attract it to the gameplay and what happens. Yes he tries. When we say that to loosen the bosses you need to find and release internal fears of Max, it looks logical. Or when we find passive ability called “Consolidation” – this is a “transition process from short-term memory in long-term”, which in the world of games is responsible for auto storage.

But there are many situations, items and descriptions that are sewn to psychology (or, on the contrary, psychology for gameplay) White threads. For example, we find the subject “Memom of Clown-toy”, which strengthens the relationship with Max Consciousness. And we joyfully report that “Now the broken lamps have a chance to restore some endurance”. What, why, what is the connection?..

This effect and his description also look strange in terms of logic.

“One of the features of phobias is to displace objective fears. And “objective” does not imply “reasonable” “. “Phobia is not always so destructive as it may seem”. “Will clowns oust all the objective fears of Max and take the place of his main horror?” If, in press releases and announcements, these topics are fed by such short proposals, then in the game itself it is often necessary to read long, zeacious explanations, miss that is not so easy.

In my opinion, in a colorful metriculus such serious themes do not even reveal – the game form is not suitable for illustration of a university course of psychology. As a result, such obsessive dialogues do not reach the goals: they distract and annoy those who do not want to dive into this particular, to put it mildly, the topic, and those who want, they really do not teach anything.

Even clowns can not normally express.

In addition, talented games like Braid, “Turgora” and others skillfully operate with symbols and metaphors, leaving us space for imagination and food for reflection. And author Fearmonium Trying quite intrusively all deckless and explain by taking the role of mentor. Often it looks stretched and basically. On the other hand, this is my personal feeling. And from an objective point of view, we have really original setting, bright style and non-trivial for such games (but quite ordinary in life) story. Just, as it seems to me, serve all this is better more subtle.

And here it is periodically felt by the attacks of graphics.

Classic genre, but with features

The gameplay itself in Fearmonium Classic for two-dimensional hand drawn (and other too) metrouses, only with amendment to the fact that auto storage is called “the process of transition from short-term memory in long-term”, and for the weakening of the bosses you need to produce “internal fears” of the hero. Well, you understood.

We run and jump to the left-right and up-down, fight, find useful items like missiles and passive abilities like the same “consolidation” or “vampirism”. And, of course, periodically open important skills that allow you to go there, where we could not pass, – for example, a sharp jerk or a heavy blow, able to destroy stone barriers. You can still call a flying knight, an umbrella and a wizard carrying through the spikes.

But this obstacle from the hearts is a heavy blow will not destroy – you need to find something else.

In stock, of course, and fights with bosses, and riddles. The latter are built on the movement of boxes, but not everything is so trite – it happens that the boxes need a cunning and in order to discharge, so thinking too.

Many abilities open after victories over bosses.

Plus, the author tried to add interesting situations. Then we, inhaling helium, fly like a ball, making it between the enemies and spikes, then jumping on the horses, then ride the trolley, jumping over the same spikes, knocking the kids on a bike and balloons. The latter, by the way, are the local currency for which we buy consumables from Lady Depression. Do they persist, we are treated and teleporting to other places (namely to the baths) of her stay.

Try to fly carefully!

Isnov questions

However, there is a flaw. IN Fearmonium It’s not too comfortable to fight and jump, the heroine, it happens, slowly reacts to our actions, some situations are unnecessarily complicated (nervous flights in the form of a helium ball immediately remember). And many bosses are not too interesting and just too vitary.

Some have to monomably hammer 10 minutes.

Even with visual style, so bright, in the spirit of Cuphead, not all is well. Speech about the corona animation and comic inserts, which are clearly and not for the better fall out of the general picture.

The author of the game loves early Disney cartoons and platformers on this subject, but most inspired by this clip.

Fearmonium Even before the release, many developers praised, who sent it to see in the framework of indie competitions – for example, from Blizzard, Two Point Studios, Neocoregames, TinyBuild Games And Creative Assembly Sofia. And we, of course, praise – it is interesting, stylish and in places the original metriculum of hours at 20. Especially since her three years did alone the Russian developer-enthusiast, who did not sleep at night. If we have people who alone give games to pay attention to Blizzard, then you can only be proud.

But it is obvious that Glory to Gras (to Dmitry Emelyanova no questions – music here is chic!) just for objective reasons did not have enough game-designer knowledge and resources, and somewhere, perhaps, advice, how to bring the project to mind. So I really want him to unite with the same talented developers and together they gave us a real masterpiece.

Pros: Nontrivial setting;An interesting story about the psychological problems of ordinary teenager;fascinating gameplay in the traditions of metriculum;bright visual style;Chic Soundtrack.

Minuses: The educational component about phobias and neurosis in places seems obsessive – the author chose not the best form of its filing;Have questions about management, animation, combat system and the balance of complexity.