erdetspill

erdetspill is one of those games where the goal sounds so simple that I already know something is going to go wrong. I am supposed to help my grandfather get two ice creams, which should be one of the easiest things imaginable. Instead, I end up dealing with banks, student loans, the police and a whole chain of ridiculous problems just to get those two ice creams. I really like how quickly the game turns a completely normal errand into an absurd first person adventure set in a small Norwegian village. The humour is easily the strongest part for me. The game takes ordinary things like paperwork and bureaucracy and makes them into actual obstacles that I have to deal with. I can talk to unusual characters, complete tasks in different orders and explore the small open area looking for secrets and side activities. There are even little things like a three in a row minigame, lemonade selling and a scholarship application. I like that the game keeps finding silly ways to make the simple goal of buying ice cream more complicated. There is also more interaction than I expected from something this focused on comedy. I can pick up and throw objects around the world, explore different areas and take on optional tasks while following the main story. I can even use an RPG to protect myself from hostile creatures such as crows and moose, which is such a ridiculous thing to have in a game about buying ice cream that it actually fits perfectly. The small open world works well because I am encouraged to look around instead of simply following one path from objective to objective. The biggest weakness for me is that the whole experience is quite limited. The small world and simple objective are part of the charm, but they also mean there is only so much depth I can get from the game. Once I understand the joke behind the bureaucracy and have seen most of the strange situations, there is not a huge amount of traditional gameplay left. I do not think that is necessarily a problem for this type of game, but it does mean I have to enjoy the humour and atmosphere for the experience to really work. I also think the presentation is deliberately rough in a way that suits the game. It has a small indie feel rather than trying to look like a big polished first person adventure, and I actually think that helps the comedy. The Norwegian setting gives it a personality that I do not get from a generic comedy game, while the strange characters and situations make the little village memorable. There are also 31 achievements, which gives me some extra reasons to poke around and see what else I can find. What makes erdetspill work for me is that it knows exactly what it wants to be. I am not playing it for deep combat or complicated progression. I am playing because I want to see what ridiculous problem appears next and how the game is going to turn another simple task into something completely unnecessary. The fact that it is free also makes the short and focused design much easier to appreciate. I can play through it, enjoy the jokes and move on without feeling like I needed dozens of hours of content. Overall, erdetspill is a funny little adventure that gets a lot out of a very stupid idea in the best possible way. I like the strange characters, small open area, silly side activities, object interaction and especially the way ordinary Norwegian bureaucracy becomes part of the adventure. The limited depth and short nature stop it from reaching the very high ratings I give to my favourite games, but I think the focused design works in its favour. For me, it is exactly the kind of weird free game that is worth playing because it does something simple with a lot of personality. Rating: 7.5/10

Veldig morsomt og kreativt, vakker grafikk

erdetpeak?

Deterspill

Det er spill

deterspill