‘Offspring Fling’ Review – Save The Critters
If you were to take the music from a Miyazaki film, the graphics from a GameBoy Advance era platformer and stuff it into a bulging suitcase that resembles a lovable Pokemon, you would get Kyle Pulver’s Offspring Fling, a light-hearted tale about a creature try to rescue its children from an expansive amount of levels filled with environmental dangers and cute predators.
The controls are very simple, using keys only for movement, jumping and throwing your babies. Depending on how long you hold the jump key, the creature you control will soar higher into the air. However, the more children you carry on your back, the shorter your jumps will become. Often, Offspring Fling will challenge you to manage the weight you are carrying and where you place the little creatures. The stacks of little bodies can also be used to press out of reach buttons, and will block you from certain portions of the level. Usually the finishing arch is easily within reach for the player. The layout has been carefully designed so that even if you can move across the level and examine the different areas, you cannot take the children with you. More often than not, the real challenge is getting them to the exit.
OFFSPRING FLING: VIDEO REVIEW
One of the strongest points of Offspring Fling is that while the puzzles are challenging, they are never too difficult to execute. The game naturally flows in a trial-and-error pattern, where the player is free to investigate the bounds of the game world, and learns from their mistakes. Once the solution is found, it is not difficult to complete a level. This keeps the focus of the game on figuring out how to move the cute little cubs to the finish. It is not possible to simply ‘muscle’ your way through a challenge. Puzzle games like Offspring Fling usually try their hardest to make the puzzles steadily more and more difficult. Offspring Fling excels this by teaching the player new mechanics by discovery, and then putting the different mechanics together to create a more ‘difficult’ puzzle. The result is interesting is in the same vein as Braid, and will keep you hooked.
On the top left corner of the screen, you will be able to see a timer in every level. Once completed, you will be able to see the ‘Gold Time’ in the finish screen. These goal times can be gruelingly difficult. While Offspring Fling usually remains on the easier side of the difficulty spectrum, you could easily get an extra challenge by trying to beat your last time or make it to the finish in ludicrous speed. While replaying a level, your last best time will be visually represented by a ghost version of your former self, mimicking your same movements from before. This adds a layer of competitiveness as you try to beat your past time. It would have been neat to include leaderboards and allow players to view their friends’ ghosts and try to beat them, but in the grander scheme of things, this is merely a nitpick on a near flawless game.
Symphonic trumpets and strings sing lively and upbeat tunes through the entire game. I was constantly reminded of the music in the Miyazaki films. The wonderful tunes kept me engrossed, and it’s hard to convey the simplicity and beauty of the sound without hearing it. The composer, Alec Holowka, has found an auditory happy spot that grabbed the attention of my ears, and fit the cute, bright style of the rest of the game.
The art of the Offspring Fling does not trouble much about detail. Everything in the world is easily identifiable, and I often thought of the way GBA games were able to convey complex ideas through thoughtful use of color and lighting. Offspring Fling speaks to my nostalgic love of the GameBoy Advance in a way that recent games have not.
What I love most about Offspring Fling is that it teaches the player the mechanics of the game so brilliantly. It is fair to mention that some levels seem easier than others, and the order of difficulty feels a bit haphazard. Otherwise, the mechanics are cleanly presented and taught to the player in a way that I hope more games emulate.
Review summary Pros:
Intelligently executed puzzles, cute and vibrant atmosphere, excellent presentation
Cons:
Lacks capacity to compete with friends, minor nitpicks
Rating: 80%
