Day 35 - Mammoth Hunting - Review Part 2
Shitpost, Immersive Sim, Nightmare Fuel ·
Sam’s Take:
I know I said we wouldn’t do this again for a while, but we just kept talking about this game. Skeeter regretted not recommending it, I was still laughing at it, so we’re back.
I played some more of his games and have noticed a theme on his ending screens:
Every single one of these games is a desperate cry for help. I have gone from overjoyed to genuinely horrified. BM bongTextPro has made the same joke about ten times. They have been doing that for over four years, with no sign of growth or improvement.
I’ve mentioned this a few times, but for the uninitiated Skeeter and I reviewed a game a day for a year before this, except 90% of them were random games on Newgrounds. Playing more of BM bongTextPro’s games took me right back to that place. A crossroads between confused laughter and genuine concern.
I didn’t really enjoy living there for a full year, but it was honestly nice to return for a bit. It’s better knowing that I can go back and play the Disillusion update later and not have to do MS Paint Murder Edge Comedy every single day. Reviewing this game for a second day made me remember both why we started reviewing Newgrounds games, and also why we stopped.
Thank you Mammoth Hunter.
Now please, go away.
Recommend: I recommend playing exactly one time
Replay Percentage Chance: 0%
Time Played: 10 Minutes (of all his games totaled)
Skeeter’s Take:
I think part of what brings me so much joy with Mammoth Hunting is the simplicity and the misdirection. As Sam mentioned above, this game feels like it belongs in the early days of Newground’s repertoire. It’s got MS paint graphics, no animation (other than a cool slide from your Parka boy), and an over the top gory ending. The thing is, if Mammoth Hunting was like 80% of those games, it would have been a simple demo - just something some middle school kid cobbled together to learn how to make games. Often these are reskinned “Snake” or “Centipede” clones (or other games of the sort). Something simple with a template already in place. I was fully expecting exactly that going into this game, but what I got was a subversion of my expectations in the most beautiful way. BM bongTextPro had a vision here - they had a story to tell (though it seems to be the same story they always tell after looking at Sam’s review)!
They set us up with some encouraging text about killing a mammoth, only to have the player suddenly and brutally murdered accompanied by one of the funniest scream sound effects I’ve ever heard. Also, just look at this facial expression - the pain, the hurt, the hilarity. This is a true artist at work:
Where I was expecting to have to see how many mammoths I could kill with my spear, I instead got a mammoth seeing how many of Mes they could kill with their tusks. Beautiful. This game is simple, unexpected, and funny. I was too chicken to give it my recommendation yesterday, and admittedly Sam helped me see it in a new light - I would like to amend my mistakes today.
Recommend: Yes
Replay Percentage Chance: 60%, but only after it’s been long enough for you to forget about this review.
Time Played: 2 Minutes
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