13 | ROD MCSCHLONG GETS PUNCHED IN THE DONG
13 | ROD MCSCHLONG GETS PUNCHED IN THE DONG
by: Hubert Janus
Progress:
- I took about 18 minutes total to play through this game.
Things I Appreciated:
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Going in, my expectation from the front matter was that this was going to be a meme/troll game like Uninteractive Fiction (if so inclined, refer to Response #4 above for more information). I was pleasantly surprised that it was an actual narrative experience.
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I was also concerned going in that the crude humor was going to feel unpleasantly aggressive or annoying, but it wasn’t like that all. It was light-hearted and playful more than anything, so I enjoyed my experience overall even though I didn’t expect to. (I guess I should be more charitable with my expectations!)
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Despite its straightforward structure and cartoonish conflict, I started to feel some suspense building over the course of the game. Essentially, I wondered, will all endings lead to the exact same end-state, or can it be the case that Rod does escape the punch promised by the title? Put another way, as I was mapping the game out in my head, I wondered whether I was on a “hallway” path with side doors leading to short dead ends, but an ultimate true destination at the end, or if I was on a tree/fractal path where every route of roughly similar length leads to the same result. Believe it or not, this added a sense of stakes to the experience.
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The writing style was consistently whimsical and well-crafted, with amusing turns of phrase peppering many of the scenes.
Feedback/Recommendations/Questions:
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I gathered from the context of the game that this is a sequel. I think a certain moment in the narrative is probably more impactful if you’ve played the first game, but I honestly don’t feel like it impeded my experience much to not have played that one. But, it would be interesting to see from other reviewers whether or not their experience was enhanced because of their memories of playing the previous entry.
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From a mechanical perspective, I noticed one element that I thought could streamline the experience. As a player, when I reached a dead end, I would backtrack to continue playing. However, when I did so, I had to re-click to open all the links in the scene. This isn’t a big deal, but formatting the game such that repeat visits to a previous scene retain the already-revealed text would reduce the attention-clutter for players trying to seamlessly get back on track with the narrative.
What I learned about IF writing/game design:
- The thing I thought about most while playing in this regard is how to use interactive click-links for comedic (or dramatic) timing. As a writer, deciding how much text gets revealed at once, whether it’s a paragraph or two of description or a punchy (ha) quip revealed on its own, is not a neutral choice; it shapes the reading experience significantly, as would the pauses and pacing of a stand-up comedy performance. Similarly, deciding when to have a click link on a non-choice page reveal a new page can be used to set a new scene. What I take away from this is that, if I’m going to take the time to write the type of project that is especially condensed and focused, where every word truly matters, I need to be just as attentive to the timing and flow of how that text appears. I thought the game did this well many times.
Quote:
- “‘So I just go in the big sci-fi chamber and hit myself with this Poundland joke gift, and that counts as a good ending?’ asks Rod McSchlong.” (There are many quippy quotes, but this one really sums up the experience best.)
Lasting Memorable Moment:
- The funniest individual scene was when Rod escapes the parkour-enthusiast sewer critters by siccing their obsessed fans at a convention upon them, it reminded me a lot of the various possum memes that I’ve seen where people semi-ironically stan creatures with a grotesque/vermin reputation. The notion that these random sewer creatures have a passionate enough fanbase to sustain a convention presence is hilarious.