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(4 edits) (+3)

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.

(+2)

Verily, I say unto you, you have cracked the code and left me shell shocked. I really, really enjoy and appreciate your interpretation of this philosophical shitpost of a seemingly silly egg game. I knew that, making a mechanically satisfying game that is impressive on a technical level, was absolutely beyond my capability to create in two weeks with zero experience or skill. So I just set out to make a game, any game, my own "Fart Hotel", against my own desire to flee from this challenge. And I figured, I could turn my technical weaknesses into strengths. Like, It took me 3 straight days to figure out how to add those poorly implemented checkpoints. But if I could nudge the player, through the narrative, towards the possibility that this was all intentional? That, maybe could be powerful and provoke thought?

I spent over 15 years trying to get good at cooking. I collected many eggs along the way, only to come to the realization that, less is, in fact, more. That "mother nature is the true artist, and I am just the cook". That it's hard to top the delicious joy of a charred potato, baked in a literal ditch.

That, the pursuit of enlightenment can sometimes lead to a fixation on the goal, rather than the present moment. Of course, I'm not clever enough to have come up with this myself. It's funny you mentioned pudding, because this whole project made me think of the story of Sujata's rice pudding, a lot. The notion that, one's desire for enlightenment, itself being a paradoxical obstacle on the way to become enlightened, really resonates with me. The idea that sometimes, all we need in order to hatch, is to let go of the fixation and desire to collect all the eggs. That each one of us, already carries a golden sun within.

I am sorry this reply is all over the place, and lacks any structure. Just my stream of consciousness grasping at the straws, to figure out what the hell I even created, but more importantly, what it meant to people, and their interpretations of it all. I am very grateful you played it, and shared your lovely thoughts. It really means a lot to me. You're a golden egg, and a rockstar!