Game Alert: Space Funeral

Space Funeral generated a fair amount of buzz when it was first released about two years ago, but it may be hard to see why. After all, it's a very linear experience with little in the way of secrets and sidequests, the plot and characters are simplistic, combat is neither innovative nor challenging, and to top it all off the whole thing can be finished in about two hours. However, what it does have is charm, and this makes all the difference.

The easiest way to describe Space Funeral is as a somewhat more disturbing Earthbound. The dialogue in the game is delightfully bizarre and at times borderline nonsensical, but the game pulls it off in a brilliantly straight-faced manner without the nauseating amounts of nodding-and-winking found in so many other 'comedy' games. The graphics, though rather ugly, are certainly unique and their grotesque/cartoony style fit the mood of the game perfectly while the music selection is delightfully varied, frequently distorted, and includes one of the catchiest battle themes in any game. Combined, the snappy writing and the aesthetics create memorable scenes and make the game as a whole as enjoyable as it is quotable.

A typical conversation

Although Space Funeral is an enjoyable, very silly experience, it raises a rather important question for not just RPG's, but for video games in general, a question with, without giving too much away, the ending really hammers home. Namely, just what is it that makes video games enjoyable? Games continue to increase in size, with many wearing labels of '100+ hours of gameplay' like badges of honor, and more traditional, "JRPG's" are increasingly viewed as outdated and uninspired. Yet, why is it that amidst this push towards innovative gameplay and increased content quantity a short, traditional RPG like Space Funeral, which has nothing particularly special about it other than its aesthetics and writing, could have gained the amount of attention that it did? There is likely not a simple answer to this question, or even just one 'correct' answer, but it is something everyone should think about while playing Space Funeral.

You can download the game here: http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/rpg/space-funeral/3492/