Space Funeral

Of all the RPG Maker titles that I have had the pleasure of playing, Space Funeral definitely sticks out as the oddest. It's similar to Mother in that they both parody the genre, but Space Funeral definitely takes the weirdness factor up a notch. The aesthetics and dialogue are definitely unique and come together to give the game a quirky charm. The music ranges from Noise Rock, to Electronic, to...I don't really know and the sprites have a disturbing, yet narm-y appeal to them.

Space Funeral (PC)

Developed & Published by: catmitts

Released on: August 26, 2010

In this game you play as Phillip, an eternally sad man who wears pajamas and apparently sleeps in a coffin. One day your parents decide it is best for you to leave the house, and without further explanation our hero sets off on his epic quest (it is never explained why you have to leave it's just supposed to be...I guess.) The Wizard of Scum Village (the starting village) then promptly instructs you to go to the BLOOD CAVERN and talk to Wizard Grom. Along the way you'll meet LEG HORSE (a.k.a sidekick of the year) who accompanies-err commands you to follow him. 

He must be shopping at K-Mart.

Combat in this game is very basic and is reminiscent of Dragon Quest, although the game isn't very heavy on grinding. Battles are turn-based with a timer system a la Final Fantasy IV and experience is given in large amounts so levelling is fairly quick. You're able to control both Phillip and LEG HORSE in combat, although they handle quite similarly with neither character really differing from the other stats-wise. You're also able to use items that heal you, cure ailments, etc. Overall it's a simple and effective battle system that doesn't do anything new per se, but you'll hardly notice seeing as you'll face such classic enemies as "The 20th Century Boy" and "Thug King."

Gameplay outside of combat is like any other RPG...except um weirder. While Phillip controls like a typical RPG protagonist, the world he travels through is anything but typical. You'll encounter Thugs, Lions, Lucy from The Peanuts, and Dracula himself. The game has a random and dark aesthetic that really makes it stand out from most other, it honestly make this game worth checking out alone. The dialogue should also be mentioned as it's quite humorous, non-sequitur, and sometimes witty. Some lines actually had me laughing to myself while other lines in the game had me puzzled. Overall I'd say that this is the game's main draw.

An appropriate reaction.

Now don't let Space Funeral's simple gameplay deter you from playing it, it definitely has a charm of it's own that makes it worth playing. It's definitely as surreal as Yume Nikki and will leave you with more questions than answers after beating it. It's definitely a short game that you can beat in one sitting and best of all it's completely free! Give this game a play and you'll understand just how odd a video game can possibly be.

Expect a full game walkthrough soon!

 

Enture the strange here, with your own copy of Space Funeral.