Karoshi – Clever & Challenging Retro Puzzle Game for Android with Controversial Twist
by Paul Wilks
Dec 21, 2011 2:54 PM –
Install
Karoshi is an old-school puzzle game with a very sinister twist. The aim of the game here is get Mr Karosh killed. Having had enough of his job and his life Mr Karoshi now faces a series of levels in which he gets to kill himself. You have to help him as he navigates all manner of obstacles and logic puzzles. The sound and graphics are incredibly retro, but the level design pulsates with ingenuity.
Price: Free via GetJar, $1.00 in Android Market
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Medium Maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Intelligent and challenging level design!
- Grisly humour throughout!
- 50 levels!
Cons
- Graphics are very retro, might be too much of a leap back for some.
Features:
Played out over 50 perilous levels, your role in the game is to aid Mr Karoshi in his frequent demise. The levels themselves look very much like sinister versions of Super Mario Brothers with blocks, spikes and various other hazards.
While in Mario’s life getting killed is pretty easy, Mr Karoshi instead faces an uphill struggle to end his days. You control him by on-screen controls: left, right and jump. You work your way through level after level of clever and challenging means to kill Mr Karoshi, with usually a smart solution. They just didn’t make games like this in the 1980′s.
There is a notably stark contrast within Karoshi. You have the regressively retro graphic and beepy soundtrack- the likes of which you could see on many an Atari or ZX Spectrum game of yesteryear. Controls too seem to belong in an older age, such is their complete simplicity.
Yet Karoshi is an immensely dark game that has very 21st century elements. The level design for one is highly advanced and very well though out. You need swathes of lateral thinking to solve some of the trickier puzzles, especially when so often they seem outright impossible. The theme too is an incredibly post-modern treatment of suicide, prompting a careful disclaimer that you need a particular dark sense of humour to get the game. In many ways it reminded me of The Book of Bunny Suicides, which is a pictorial exploration of the numerous and yet ingenious ways in which rabbits could kill themselves. It’s amusing if you can appreciate the humour involved , but I imagine games like Mr Karoshi get quite a lot of criticism from some quarters.
As a game however it’s very engaging and very challenging. While I think some people might find the graphics a little too old fashioned, I doubt a game with more immersive and realistic visuals would be given the light of day. Mr Karoshi has been hugely successful on various platforms, it’s very original, controversial and filled with both dark humour and ingenuity. There’s just no other game quite like it.
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Karoshi – In-game view (1)
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Karoshi – In-game view (2)
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Karoshi – In-game view (3)
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Karoshi – In-game view (4)
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Karoshi – In-game view (5)
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Karoshi – In-game view (6)
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Karoshi – You just have to kill him
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Karoshi – Main menu
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Karoshi – Simple instructions
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Karoshi – Narrative
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Karoshi – Levels
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Karoshi – Upside down credits
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Karoshi – Options
Fun Factor:
The fun here lies in the clever ways in which each level has to be solved. It often requires very lateral and ‘out of the box’ thinking in order to solve the riddles presented. There is however, lots of satisfaction in getting it right!
Addictive:
Once you get into the game it becomes very addictive. Some levels seem far easier than others and this drives you on and on. Scores are managed through OpenFeint, so you can compare your progress with online friends.
Graphics:
Graphics are as basic as they can get (8 bit retro style). Very blocky, with very little detail they are taken from a very bygone era.
Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:
The music is rather catchy, although it might grow to irritate as you go on. You can of course switch this off so consider it if it begins to grate!!
Tags:
8BIT,
Android App,
Android Apps,
Android Game,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Karoshi,
Mr Karoshi,
OpenFeint,
Puzzle,
Retro Games
Categorised in: Brain & Puzzle
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