Yeah, yeah, I’m late to the whole Space Funeral appreciation party, but hey, I was kind of busy. Actually, I’d heard about the game a while ago from some friends, but I finally just got around to downloading and playing it over the past week and yes, it’s an instant RPGMaker classic. While the gameplay is pretty standard RPG 101 fare all the way (using an Active or Wait time-based system common to the older Final Fantasy games), it’s the amazingly strange art style and general weirdness that makes the game so special. If you recall the more bizarre alternative comics from the 80’s by Gary Panter, Charles Burns, kaz and more, all filtered through a David Lynch lens with a shot of Suda 51 on the side, the game will grab you from the moment you hit BLOOD on the title screen. RPGMaker.net user catmitts must own a time machine or still get videos on his MTV channel on cable or something, as he’s managed to tap into the new wave vibe perfectly, creating an original game that manages to feel as if it was made for a Bizarro World NES.

You play as Philip, a pajama-clad, constantly crying guy who seems to be dead, yet still lives with his parents. You set out on a kind of vague “quest” that takes you across the game’s different areas, meeting up with Leg Horse, a headless set of legs who has his own reasons for joining up with you. The “story” isn’t really important at all here and trying to do a point by point retelling of the “plot” is like trying to explain a piece of art to a dead dog. There’s a dreamlike consistency to the game and all its odd characters that, when combined with the excellent use of music, makes for a memorable experience. The game isn’t difficult at all, thanks to a level cap of 20 for both characters (that can be reached with ease, as you gain levels really quickly here), relatively low prices for restoratives and new gear and some enemies that can be defeated with certain items instead of fighting.

I really liked that nothing is explained or you’re given extremely vague hints as to how to tackle some puzzles you’ll come across, but the game is full of interesting literary and pop culture references that show how smart the guy who made it is. While not outright hilarious, there are moments where you’ll read something and nod or smile. “Criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot…” was the line that did that to me (five cents if you can place that without a Google search – it’s too easy NOT to get) and there were a few others as well that made me crack a smile as I played. You can beat the game in a few days if you pace yourself and manage not to forget to save before some areas later on. Then again, you’ll probably be leveled out, kicking it with the best gear and nearly invincible because you’re packing pints of powerful potions, headed towards the quirky finale.

I’d write more, but it would just be more rambling, i say – just click away, download this gem and dive into it head and feet first (you can do both if you try really hard!). Even if you hate it completely for some reason (you’ll make Philip sadder than he already is, by the way), I can bet you can’t get parts of it out of your head or deny that it’s unlike anything you’ve played before in a console style RPG. Hmmm – well, maybe Earthbound as directed by David Cronenberg is a more fitting comparison? I don’t know – but I’ll be playing this one again at some point…