Class of '09: Puzzle Showdown

i think i like class of 09--its first two games especially--more than any person has liked anything ever, which is why i want to fully express why I think this game is bad SBN3 was right that the gameplay is more engaging than something like candy crush, but I don't know why he anxiously and preemptively said that as a defense of this game, because that's not a high bar to clear at all. and having played through the main campaign, the gameplay clears that bar just barely. chaining blocks has some depth, but it's not complex or satisfying enough as a main mechanic to justify this format over a similarly-priced VN. of course, many people who came from the VNs will struggle with this mechanic because they might not play many video games, but their frustration shouldn't be tendentiously framed as a sign that the gameplay has depth that dumb babies couldn't appreciate. (i am 1000000% certain SBN3 will espouse something exactly like that in response to the mixed reception of this game). people who are patient and decent at video games will find the gameplay...just fine, even after successfully finishing the campaign. it meets the bare minimum. it's not candy crush. hooray. the story feels similar in how its thinned out to meet the bare-minimum. "you want X character to be the protagonist?", SBN3 asks in the most fandom-brained ad ever, "we've made routes for nicole, jecka, ari, AND emily!" in an attempt to satisfy ALL of fandom's conflicting demands, he has almost-necessarily disappointed everyone. you cannot take the time and attention needed to explore (primarily) one character in a compelling way (something done well in the three VNs), and split that across four characters and a puzzle game. this is not possible, unless each of those characters has a barely-satisfactory story with sometimes-repeated dialogue. this is the case for the main campaign. i would think that the better move, as the creator, is to not thin out the story by anxiously pandering to fandom. some people will be disappointed if their favorite isn't given enough spotlight, but this is the kind of criticism that should be shouldered for the sake of making a good game that's more focused and pointed. but this kind of backlash is something that SBN3 seems so painfully afraid of since the negative reception of flip side. the last major gripe i have is how shallow and pointless the puzzle master feels. his brand of vapid """lore""" that fandom confuses for good writing is reminiscent of the video message in the re-up. crucially, though, SBN3's written-message at the end of flip side gave me the impression that he knew it was meaningless bait for dumb theorists (what could the pizza watch MEAN?) from the start. this message was funny, tongue-in-cheek, and displayed a keen awareness from SBN3 about how fandom approaches media. i thought the flipside's ending video message was similarly funny--one last pointless """lore""" drop for the dumb-dumbs still theorizing. after playing puzzle showdown, I think I misjudged how in-on the joke SBN3 was. this kind of meta-slop that was effectively parodied before is delivered with a straight face in the form of the puzzle master. obviously, I'm not trying to suggest that the puzzle master's character is as unserious as the re-up's video message or as bait-y/fake-deep as flip side's. there was obviously effort put into making this character compelling, but the "depth" of his meta-commentary was always destined to be a downgrade from the substance of the previous games, and is symptomatic of the same fandom-brained myopia that I thought SBN3 knew was stupid. this is because, obviously, the metaphysics or """lore""" (in the fandom sense) of class of '09 will never be as interesting as its *characters* that we've spent hours with. in the first two games (and kind of flipside) we get to know many of these characters intimately across various routes, and many are expanded beyond their immediate personality traits (manipulative sociopath, dumb blonde, etc.). there are several moments written in the first two games, the re-up especially, that i could use an example. moments that subtly made its characters more dynamic, especially across multiple routes, without compromising on the game's overall comedy. moments that have not been truly effective since the re-up or attempted since flipside. (e.g. "you don't get to be a black-and-white headshot for all eternity. you're just really awkward to hang out with"; "you should've said nothing"; "is this gonna be a thing where you break down and cry for me, or are you doing this to make you feel better?"; "do you...wanna hang out later?"; "yeah i feel like i've changed, but, what if i'm getting worse?", "they're not false, they're accusations on layaway"; i could go on). these kinds of moments are not possible in puzzle showdown because the time and attention needed to develop one or two of c09's characters is split across four different ones and a...puzzle game. these moments are not possible because the puzzle master's dumb third-wall breaking is seen as a replacement for them--as a replacement for the source of this game's depth and substance. it is not. still, it's not all bad. i think the humor has significantly improved from the flip side (except for the weird blasian--i don't remember his name. i don't care). the humor is obviously not as good as the re-up's, but i'm biased and don't think any game's is. i think emily, ari, and kelly are particularly funny. i can appreciate how the main campaign's repeated dialogue interweaves the character's paths and re-contextualizes things you've heard before. the voice actors are still wonderful. i like some of the songs. i like the special voicelines for chaining blocks. i like how nicole comments on how lame this is every time i clear some blocks (felt). i like how she doesn't push jecka to suicide for not helping her be a foot-♥♥♥♥♥. etc. i am not sure what the future of this franchise is. i still look forward to shorts and whatnot but I have lost the hope i once had that any new game entry will approach how good the first two were. regardless of whatever horrible thing that will likely happen to it next this franchise will always be special to me. 4/10