EXPERIENCE THIS GAME FOR YOURSELF. READ THIS REVIEW AFTERWARDS.
ok so I've been thinking about this game over the past few days, and I think I've come to a conclusion.
egg? is an exercise in futility. it's also a story about learning a skill
you're told that the egg pickups across the map matter, but they don't. they do nothing, the final counter all the way to the right doesn't reflect them. you go out of your way to collect challenging eggs off the beaten path, all for nothing.
you're told that you're on a journey. but you're not. the whole game can be completed by simply pressing a button, only the button prompt is miles away.
the enemies; the pits, they're meaningless too. death costs nothing, it's barely an obstacle. by all rights, this game should be terrible.
but egg? made me feel something. I think the greatness of egg is not in its systems, but in how it's components sum together to make an experience that genuinely made me reflect.
what does egg? say?
well, one potential reading is that the true power is in knowledge; all of us could "hatch" at any point of our choosing, if only we knew how. but that knowledge comes through a tedious journey that, when viewed with hindsight, seems almost pointless. it comes through engaging in activities that ultimately do not bear fruit (collecting eggs). sure, you could hit U by accident, just as you *could* pump out a masterpiece game on your first try. but to attain consistently, you must first do *so* much menial, pointless work to acquire the relevant knowledge. only then could you hatch consistently; could you develop quality games consistently; could you truly master your skill.
to that end, the gameplay of egg? being bad actually serves it's theme very well. I don't want to replay egg? from scratch. and in the exact same way, I don't want to relearn game development from scratch either.
how much of this was intended? who gives a shit, LOL. the proof is in the pudding.