Do you have what it takes to get a review published right here on Kotaku? Jenn does, as she realises she don’t know Jack.
Yes, that’s right, we’re now publishing reader reviews here on Kotaku. This is your chance to deliver sensible game purchasing advice to the rest of the Kotaku community.
And thanks to the very kind chaps at Madman Entertainment, purveyor of all kinds of cool, indie and esoteric film, the best reader review we publish each month will win a prize pack containing ten of the latest Madman DVD releases.
This review was submitted by Jenn Christodoulou. If you’ve played The Company Of Myself, or just want to ask Jenn more about it, leave your thoughts in the comments below.
The Company Of Myself (PC)
We’ve all grown to expect something out of the games we play. RPGs are meant to have an interesting storyline, and action games are meant to keep the adrenaline pumping through our veins. Games on consoles are meant to entertain us for hours, whilst flash games are meant to be quick, fun things we can play when we have a spare few minutes. This particular title, however, will change your concepts of what a flash game is capable of doing.
The Company of Myself is all about Jack, a hermit who has lost the ability to socialise with people. You control this man through levels, aiming to reach the green door at the end using simple and easy gameplay techniques. However, that is where the similarities between this flash game and every other one out there end.
Loved
Visuals: They’re bright, happy and saturated in colour, which contrasts the melancholy mood of the game. This stark comparison between the solemn storyline and cheerful visuals only serves to draw the player further into the depths this game manages to reach.
Characters: For a flash game, the character development is phenomenal. Jack is a man whose back-story and personality is resoundingly deep and tangible. With each level he tells you a little more about himself, his past, and his insecurities. With each new revelation Jack ceases to be a flash game character, and becomes somebody to sympathise for.
Gameplay: Using clones to aid you, you flick switches and negotiate obstacles in the levels to get to the green door that opens the way to the next stage. Each level brings a new gameplay variation that stops it from becoming repetitive.
Hated
Luck Factor: In most puzzle games, the end levels are the ones that require the most thinking; however, in this game the further you get the less it becomes about skill and the more it becomes about luck. Some levels simply require you to keep recording infinite amounts of clones to jump over a gap, and hope that one of them makes it to the door.
Sad: Due to the sombre nature of the story, it isn’t really a ‘let’s do a few levels before dinner’ sort of game. Once it’s over you’re probably going to stare at the screen for a few moments and feel incredibly sad. But that’s just the mark of a game that’s achieved what it set out to do.
This is a flash game unlike any other. When I first started playing, I thought it was just going to be a game about a whingy emo kid who thinks life is too hard, but that’s not the case. By the end of the game Jack has so much raw substance you can’t help but want to reach out for him. The end will chill you, and the whole experience will leave you feeling empty inside, but it’s worth feeling for a game that actually manages to do that to you.
Reviewed by: Jenn Christodoulou
You can have your Reader Review published on Kotaku. Send your review to us at the usual address. Make sure it’s written in the same format as above and in under 500 words – yes, we’ve upped the word limit. We’ll publish the best ones we get and the best of the month will win a Madman DVD prize pack.
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