I didn't really know what to expect going into this one. It does kind of have that so bad it's good feel to it, though it's clearly done deliberately and some parts of it are surprisingly well thought out. I like that it doesn't take itself too seriously, and I think that's why it works.
There are some interesting sequences and level design in this game. The puzzle are not terribly complex, but they're well executed, and I especially liked the rope and switches (which was also an interesting use of perspective). Although I found some areas difficult to navigate and the graphics, well, I'll get back to the graphics, it did at least avoid one of my pet peeves about RPG Maker games: big empty dungeons that exist for the sake of being dungeons. The environments have a surprising amount of variation and plenty of detail. The parallax objects in the foreground was a neat touch as well.
I do wish there was more interactivity, but it didn't really take away from the game. I only realized this when I started writing this review!
The combat was functional. I thought it was pretty good while I was playing the game, but after looking back on it post game I realized how repetitive and simplistic it is. What I liked was the slightly nonstandard mechanics for gaining MP, and all the little detail animations including enemies getting "tired" when their HP is worn down. What I realized post-game is that it's pretty much a spamfest and there's little strategy to choosing attacks versus certain enemies for instance. I think the combat would get boring if the game was longer or grindier, but in its current state it works.
I didn't find the lack of grinding or progression a hinderance given the relatively short length of the game.
The minigames were a great idea, and technically impressive in a "wow, they did x thing in y engine" way. On the other hand, I didn't find any of them very enjoyable. The fire ant thing was insanely frustrating and difficult because the motion isn't smooth and there aren't really any hitboxes per se. I think it took me about four tries to get through it. The minecart chase is just kind of lame. It kind of feels like just awkwardly walking down a long path. There isn't really any sense of inertia or motion.
I do appreciate that the game is forgiving overall, letting you redo failed segments with no penalty and not forcing you to redo too much. Although I personally liked it, I think the combat is going to be way too easy for a lot of players.
The graphics, audio, and overall presentation... is going to be divisive. For the record, I liked it, but I think it would be totally understandable to hate it. The visual style is hard to describe, but I think "90s multimedia project" is the most descriptive way of putting it. A mixture of MSPaint drawings and liberal use of photos as textures. Sprite and animation quality ranges from surprisingly good considering the constraints of the style to completely unrecognizable as anything.
The sound effects and music are pretty generic, but the voice acting is worth mentioning. It is one hundred percent so bad it's good. I'm pretty sure all the voices are actually one person, the accents range from a passable impression to bordering on racist caricature, and the tonal range is basically either completely flat or completely exaggerated. Those all sound like complaints, and objectively, they are, but the voice acting is seriously one of my favourite parts of the game because of the "flaws". Coupled with the absurdity, wacky humour, and overall jank, the bad voice acting absolutely seals the deal.
The story and especially the humour are really what carry this game. It is weird to say the least, and maybe not to everyone's tastes, but I enjoyed it immensely, and I was rolling with laughter the whole way through. I think this is where the game is either going to fly or fail; either you love the absurd humour, questionable production values, and overall jank, or you hate it.
It does feel like a random episode of a longer series, which I have somewhat mixed feelings about. That adds to the absurdity of the whole thing, but it also makes it feel lacking context at times.
Finally, a note on length. It's just about perfect. It's not horrendously long, but it's long enough to have some meat to it, and it's paced very well and rarely feels like it's rushed or dragging.
I love so-bad-it's-good jank. I love truly bizarre shit that occasionally comes out of game jams. I enjoyed this one a lot.