Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Flash games - Host Master & the Conquest of Humor

Oh yeah. Finally beat Double Fine's Host Master and the Conquest of Humor. I think I only got up to about 6 jokes the first time, back when it game out. After looking around company sites for work I suddenly remembered this game and tried my hand at it again.

The whole style of the gameplay, SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion), is very simplistic, yet it still manages to provide a challenge and entertainment to those who are patient. My initial impression upon clicking start was that this game would be easy, but after I was a few jokes in I found it to be increasingly difficult. It definitely pushes the players to get creative with the actions they can use from the menu and the interactive items in the room. However, most of the fun is seeing what you CAN do with the actions and items. Performing an action that is obviously implausible yielded amusing results that encouraged me to try it with every object I found while looking for more jokes.

There's definitely enough wit and humor to keep game enthusiasts, or even the casual gamer, engaged while trying to solve the various puzzles. It even has a small replay value for the different endings. All in all, it's a good metagame with a nod to the old days of the game industry.