A comical adventure like no other
By: Ryan Ramakrishnan
Reviewed on PlayStation 4
My time with “Stick it to the Man” consisted of plenty of laughs and genuine smiles on my face thanks to the adventure game’s solid writing and puzzle platforming design. With ideas like reading minds and moving stickers around to help those around you, I have never played such a bizarre but lovely game. “Stick it to the Man” is overall quite memorable.
Story
The protagonist, Ray Doewood is a standard construction worker, whose average life gets flipped upside down after falling into a coma thanks to a blunt object striking him. Ray wakes up finding a long spaghetti arm sticking right out of his head. The pink arm and its big hand allows Ray to move objects in the world around him and attach them to other people or objects in the form of stickers. Thanks to that and the ability to now read minds, the mob goes after Ray. The Man, a shady figure never seen outside of silhouettes, is their leader, who simply wants Ray’s spaghetti arm and its powers. Ray ultimately finds himself with a main goal of finding his girlfriend Arlene but also to figure out what exactly his situation means.
I loved “Stick it to the Man’s” writing; it allows side characters be quirky and ever-so entertaining to listen to and interact with. Plenty of the NPCs offer some good laughs and even an emotional moment or two. By the end of “Stick it to the Man,” I met Elvis Presley, Santa Claus, a gangster who wanted to impress a girl with shiny teeth, a ghost of a psychiatric, a womanizing army general and so many more along the way.
Gameplay
What I like about the gameplay is how it supports the story heavily. With that spaghetti arm, Ray can read the minds of just about every character around him. The other big aspect of this arm is the power to grab stickers and place them elsewhere. Both concepts help progress the main story in addition to side plots.
“Stick it to the Man” sets up its levels in a Metroidvania aspect, where you will find out what an NPC needs, help them out and then their unintentional reward (in the form of a new sticker) will allow you to help another out. One character will need something to solve their struggle, oftentimes a silly or minuscule problem. A sticker will pop up, allowing you to grab it. You will then figure out how that sticker can come in handy for someone else. This chain of events eventually gets you to your goal or destination. Some stickers will trigger events with outcomes varying from logical to ridiculous. I thought “Stick it to the Man’s” storytelling benefited greatly from this system of favors, as well as making each task feel worthwhile.
There is a system of traveling between checkpoints, allowing you to swing around. This is generally for the platform-heavy sections. The responsive platforming isn’t incredibly difficult but what is fun is the moments where you are tested to not be caught by mobsters. Earlier on, they simply chase you but with time, it got more difficult. Whether it was using a sticker to disguise an enemy as yourself or to put one asleep, there are some cool choices in these sections. That difficulty spike and clever sticker usage-stealth combination was very welcomed but came and went all too fast, as this gameplay aspect was very-much-so taking backseat.
Fortunately, “Stick it to the Man” provides checkpoints regularly. A Mr. Copy Machine is the checkpoint system that literally draws a copy of yourself. Being stunned by mob guards or falling down a hole between platforms are the manners of death, which is ultimately not a huge part of the gameplay experience.
Graphics
An overall charming game, “Stick it to the Man” uses a paper-like aesthetic to add to that charm. Every character and object looks great in its simple but unique design. It sort of resembles the likes of “Psychonauts” and “Paper Mario,” both of which create something delightful.
Sound
Noire vibes and jazz tunes create the perfect atmosphere for the setting and overall tone that “Stick it to the Man” goes for.
Superb voice acting makes the witty writing all the better. Ray, as well as Arlene, The Man, and plenty others all come with many lines of memorable dialogue. The charming writing opens for both interesting and hilariously entertaining conversations and thoughts to listen to. Even the most random characters with the least amount of screen time have good enough voice acting to make them stand out colorfully.
Content
“Stick it to the Man” doesn’t do much to keep you going after you complete the narrative. There are a multitude of minds to read, and with that, you have several tasks to accomplish as well. If you don’t wish to get the associated trophies or achievements, the incentive is probably not there. Even so, “Stick it to the Man’s” 100% completion won’t run you more than five or so hours so it’s not by any means daunting nor is it heavy in content.
Conclusion
With visuals and vibes reminiscent of the wondrous adventure games from Tim Shaffer, “Stick it to the Man” is delightfully bizarre and entertaining to watch unfold. Playing as a puzzle platformer, occasionally a stealth game and an overall laid back and interesting adventure game, “Stick it to the Man” is a unique, hilarious and charming story dying to be experienced.
Did you read every mind? What did you think about the unique gameplay? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Story
The protagonist, Ray Doewood is a standard construction worker, whose average life gets flipped upside down after falling into a coma thanks to a blunt object striking him. Ray wakes up finding a long spaghetti arm sticking right out of his head. The pink arm and its big hand allows Ray to move objects in the world around him and attach them to other people or objects in the form of stickers. Thanks to that and the ability to now read minds, the mob goes after Ray. The Man, a shady figure never seen outside of silhouettes, is their leader, who simply wants Ray’s spaghetti arm and its powers. Ray ultimately finds himself with a main goal of finding his girlfriend Arlene but also to figure out what exactly his situation means.
I loved “Stick it to the Man’s” writing; it allows side characters be quirky and ever-so entertaining to listen to and interact with. Plenty of the NPCs offer some good laughs and even an emotional moment or two. By the end of “Stick it to the Man,” I met Elvis Presley, Santa Claus, a gangster who wanted to impress a girl with shiny teeth, a ghost of a psychiatric, a womanizing army general and so many more along the way.
What I like about the gameplay is how it supports the story heavily. With that spaghetti arm, Ray can read the minds of just about every character around him. The other big aspect of this arm is the power to grab stickers and place them elsewhere. Both concepts help progress the main story in addition to side plots.
“Stick it to the Man” sets up its levels in a Metroidvania aspect, where you will find out what an NPC needs, help them out and then their unintentional reward (in the form of a new sticker) will allow you to help another out. One character will need something to solve their struggle, oftentimes a silly or minuscule problem. A sticker will pop up, allowing you to grab it. You will then figure out how that sticker can come in handy for someone else. This chain of events eventually gets you to your goal or destination. Some stickers will trigger events with outcomes varying from logical to ridiculous. I thought “Stick it to the Man’s” storytelling benefited greatly from this system of favors, as well as making each task feel worthwhile.
There is a system of traveling between checkpoints, allowing you to swing around. This is generally for the platform-heavy sections. The responsive platforming isn’t incredibly difficult but what is fun is the moments where you are tested to not be caught by mobsters. Earlier on, they simply chase you but with time, it got more difficult. Whether it was using a sticker to disguise an enemy as yourself or to put one asleep, there are some cool choices in these sections. That difficulty spike and clever sticker usage-stealth combination was very welcomed but came and went all too fast, as this gameplay aspect was very-much-so taking backseat.
Fortunately, “Stick it to the Man” provides checkpoints regularly. A Mr. Copy Machine is the checkpoint system that literally draws a copy of yourself. Being stunned by mob guards or falling down a hole between platforms are the manners of death, which is ultimately not a huge part of the gameplay experience.
An overall charming game, “Stick it to the Man” uses a paper-like aesthetic to add to that charm. Every character and object looks great in its simple but unique design. It sort of resembles the likes of “Psychonauts” and “Paper Mario,” both of which create something delightful.
Noire vibes and jazz tunes create the perfect atmosphere for the setting and overall tone that “Stick it to the Man” goes for.
Superb voice acting makes the witty writing all the better. Ray, as well as Arlene, The Man, and plenty others all come with many lines of memorable dialogue. The charming writing opens for both interesting and hilariously entertaining conversations and thoughts to listen to. Even the most random characters with the least amount of screen time have good enough voice acting to make them stand out colorfully.
“Stick it to the Man” doesn’t do much to keep you going after you complete the narrative. There are a multitude of minds to read, and with that, you have several tasks to accomplish as well. If you don’t wish to get the associated trophies or achievements, the incentive is probably not there. Even so, “Stick it to the Man’s” 100% completion won’t run you more than five or so hours so it’s not by any means daunting nor is it heavy in content.
Conclusion
With visuals and vibes reminiscent of the wondrous adventure games from Tim Shaffer, “Stick it to the Man” is delightfully bizarre and entertaining to watch unfold. Playing as a puzzle platformer, occasionally a stealth game and an overall laid back and interesting adventure game, “Stick it to the Man” is a unique, hilarious and charming story dying to be experienced.
Did you read every mind? What did you think about the unique gameplay? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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