23 preview: Spewer

Spewer: puke, eat, puke some more

Today, Edmund McMillen was kind enough to let me try the Spewer beta. Now, Spewer hasn't had a lot of attention, but I think that will change once it gets released. Spewer was made by Eli Piilonen, the programmer, Edmund McMillen, the artists, and Danny B. for music, and Jordan Fehr for sound effects. Right now it's only in beta, but it should be released in about a week (4/28/09).

Spewer is about a cute little...animal(?) that, well, spews. It regurgitates and consumes his own vomit to solve puzzles on a course laid out for him by The Doctor. Puke, eat it, swim in it, use it to boost jumps, it's all about the spew; he pukes more than a frat boy at his first frat party. You only have a limited amount stuff at the beginning of each level (represented by the puke bar at the bottom of the screen), but you can re-consume it throughout the level to use it elsewhere (in the same level). That about covers it for game concept, eventually it gets a little more involved (after chapter 1).

As for the art, it's similar to a lot of other of Edmund's games, which personally, is a style I really like. Edmund himself says it's a mix between Triachnid and Aether. To me, the basic premise of Edmund's style is this; cute, yet utterly disgusting (to most people). The game makes me a little bit nauseous when I play, I mean the whole idea of this cute little organism recycling his own vomit is a little unsettling, but it looks very cute. The background consists of The Doctor, a comparatively large figure who looks like a mad scientist. He seems to be the one who has made you and is creating the challenges, but seeing how there isn't much of an intro, and there's no ending so it's hard to tell the storyline (which there will be, along with cut scenes, in the finished version).

The game play is fun and original, providing the player with challenges that show them new skills and test those skills. To be good at the game you have to learn fast and be kinda lucky. Sometimes game play is inexact, which can get frustrating. Then again I kind of suck at these kind of games, and there's still a week until the release, so a lot can change. So, with a little polish, which it's getting, this game could really turn in to a stellar little game. For me the game lasted about 2 and a half hours, but I take long on beating games, so more realistically you can probably finish it in under 2 hours, which is a good size for a flash game, and they might add more before release. I played the game all at once, there wasn't any save feature yet, which there will be in the final.

When this game is finally released try it out, you'll have fun and there might be an interesting story. The art style and physics are very enjoyable, and you'll probably be compelled to play the whole thing. Besides the main campaign there's also the level editor, with all the pieces in game (there's a lot of different tiles) to add some game play, and I think there are some unlockable levels for once you beat the game.