Game Review: Stick it to the Man (Switch)

December 17, 2017 Troy Comments 0 Comment

Stick it to the Man is a charming platformer-puzzle adventure developed by Zoink Games. It was originally released in 2013 on Steam. The game involves reading the minds of citizens in this fictional city and attaching stickers to solve puzzles. The game originally reminded me of a Nickelodeon version of Paper Mario. The characters are 2D and made of paper, but the world is dark and twisted. I had never heard of the game prior to playing it, so I went into this with no expectations. How did the game fare?

STORY

In Stick it to the Man you play as Ray, a hard hat tester, who is struck on the head in an unfortunate accident. After waking up, he has a long pink spaghetti arm sticking out of his head. The arms name is Ted. With Ray’s new head arm, he is able to read the minds of others and attach stickers to complete puzzles. Ray is also framed by The Man for a crime he didn’t commit. He is on the run from police and angry mobster-like characters. Throughout the game, you meet a whole bunch of NPC’s who are more disturbing than the last. You travel through a city, a mental hospital, a factory and more. You also get pulled into these weird dream-like sequences and at one point are following a floating blue Octopus. I think the games strengths are its character design and humor.

GAMEPLAY

This game is categorically a puzzle platformer but has elements of point-and-click and adventure. You traverse through each area metroidvania style. Once you find a sticker needed to complete a puzzle, you may have to return to another part of the area. The main objective of each level is to use your ability to read minds and gain information from the different characters. Sometimes reading a mind will trigger a sticker to become available and you will need to backtrack and attach the sticker to another character. The puzzles range from mild to mind-scratching. At times, you will need to pay close attention to each character’s thoughts to solve the puzzles. There are different layers to the levels as well, so sometimes you need to traverse through different parts by using your new arm to grip red/green push pins. Some parts of the game will require to outrun or put your enemies to sleep. As with most platformers, there are spots where you can fall to your death. However, don’t fret, you can come right back with the handy Mr.Copy. I mean, you are paper, remember? Once you solve the main objective of the level that allows you to move forward it will trigger a beautifully animated cut-scene.

GRAPHICS

The art style in Stick it to the Man is very attractive. It is done extremely well. I love the 2d characters in this grotesque paper world. The color of Ted is very vibrant and stands out in the dark landscape. Even though the characters are drawn alike, they are very unique. Each character stands out and is animated perfectly. The cut scenes are really impressive and feel like you’re watching a 90’s Nickelodeon cartoon. The stickers themselves also stand out against the background. The game plays seamlessly and overall looks wonderful.

ENTERTAINMENT

One of my favorite parts of the game is hearing the characters talk. The voice acting in this game is incredible. Each character sounds unique, and often I would relisten to what they said to hear it again. The game has a wonderful sense of humor. There are a lot of references and adult jokes scattered throughout the game. While playing the game, I was thinking how this game would make a great TV show. There’s not any collectibles and probably not much replayability, but the initial play through is endlessly entertaining. The game is full of grotesque characters and dingy backdrops. However, there is a charm to the game. Once I started playing I didn’t want to put the game down. I was very intrigued with the characters and the story.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Stick it to the Man is an entertaining and charming title starring grotesque characters in a dingy city. It’s a puzzle-solving adventure title that will drive you crazy in some spots as you scramble to solve puzzles. The game is really fun, and I think that’s a solid plus for any title. It is full of humor and funny references. The characters are definitely memorable and very wacky. I really enjoyed playing this game and at $11.99 it is really worth the price. The controls are simple and very easy to use and that makes for a smooth play through.