I want to be human by Sinclair Strange is an odd love story between a vampire who uses a shotgun instead of her teeth and her boyfriend who has been turned into a hat. Yes, you really just read that. Smile Tech, which is a giant corporation, is looking for the secret to immortality and uses the couple as experiments to further their research. All of the backstory is in a comic strip format that explains the couples sad tale. So to get even with the corporation, the couple decides to get revenge and take them down while looking for a cure.
The game is a side-scrolling platformer that consists of 5 worlds, 15 levels each and a boss fight. Each level finds the characters fighting enemies using a shotgun to defeat enemies and get their blood; you are a vampire after all. There are a variety of power ups and collectibles that can be found as you make your way through the level. The levels are relatively short and gameplay is pretty much the same, which causes the game to become quite stagnant. If you find a level to be ridiculously hard or just want to be lazy, you can actually skip that level and move onto the next. The boss battles do bring a little variety to the game and require you to die a few times to figure the best way to beat them. They do not follow a set sequence of attacks. In addition to the story mode, there is a challenge mode that offers little to no reward for grinding your way through the levels. It just earns you some bragging rights and doesn’t offer anything to the game.
The controls are absolutely infuriating and extremely awkward. If you are not using a controller, which has its own crazy limitations, you have to use the keyboard to maneuver and the mouse to shoot. This setup causes more issues than not and you sometimes find yourself stuck trying to find a way of getting your character over an obstacle. The character’s gun has a limited distance, shot speed and strength, while the enemies’ guns are able to use all different types of attacks. There is no set speed or distance for them, causing you to have to dodge and out maneuver their shots. The shots also have to be perfect with little to no room for error or it can cause the character to die. I sometimes felt as if I was trying for a 360 no scope maneuver.
The art style of the game was cool with its comic book style back story and cute characters. The hat concept put an original spin to your typical vampire love story. The enemies sometimes would have speech bubbles pop up over their heads with different sayings like “Don’t’ kill me!” or “Get back in your cell!” in it. The boyfriend hat would also have saying as well that were usually snarky comments that showed off an interesting sense of humor. These bubbles, though cute at first, quickly become distracting after awhile.
The music in the game is interesting and features Mindless Self Indulgence’s Jimmy Urine. The music is probably my favorite part of this game being a fan of punk music. It sets the tone for the game as you plod your way through the levels. I would have rage quit a long time before I did if not for the electropunk chiptunes that accompanied each level.
The game I want to be human has an awesome look that gave me high hopes for a fun game, but the crazy controls created an aggravating experience instead. I found myself raging often than not and not enjoying the experience all that much. The boss battles and music of the game do add a level of interest to the game that makes it not a total loss. The art style is very cool and I find the tone of the game to have very dark humor, which I always appreciate.
Candice ‘Gamer Girl’ Wendt
Platform: PC
System Requirements:
Minimum:
OS: Windows 7
Processor: If it runs Windows 7 and Steam, you can play I Want To Be Human!
Graphics: See above…
Storage: 350 MB available space
Sound Card: Any compatible soundcard
Developer: Sinclair Strange
Publisher: Rising Star Games
ESRB: M (Mature)
Price: $14.99
Steam Link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/270410/
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| The art style of the game was cool with its comic book style back story and cute characters. | |
| Sound | |
| The music in the game is interesting and features Mindless Self Indulgence's Jimmy Urine. | |
| Gameplay | |
| The controls are absolutely infuriating and extremely awkward. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| The boss battles and music of the game do add a level of interest to the game that makes it not a total loss. | |
