Hey gang, Valkor here. I’m all for trying anything new… well most anything. I mean even I have my limits. But littered throughout TOV, you’ll find that it’s rare that I’ll pass on an indie anything – gaming, movies, you name it. If it’s something fresh and new, I’ll give it a go. And that’s why I took a chance on Spoiler Alert; it takes an already tried and true formula and puts an interesting spin on it. But is it something you’d want to invest time and money in? Let’s find out.
Spoiler Alert takes the traditional 2D platformer and puts it in reverse; you play as a spicy chili that has already gone through 100 levels (90 standard plus 10 bonus) and has defeated the final boss. But now you must play the entire game in reverse, putting back coins the character has collected, undefeating enemies, and making well timed jumps without sending the game into a “time paradox” (you can’t miss those jumps, you can’t defeat new enemies and you can’t collect any new coins). If you do any of these, you’ll have to start the level all over again (thankfully they're really short). At the end of each level you’re given a grade score (from gold, silver and bronze), all depending on how well (or not so well) you completed each stage. The game is played like a runner, whereas you don’t control the characters actual reverse movements, but you control his jump, duck, roll, etc.
I was expecting something much more complicated with Spoiler alert; I thought I’d have complete control of my character and have to do all these complicated tasks in reverse. I mean the end stages of most, if not all platformers, are notorious for being the most difficult. So I couldn’t imagine attempting such a feat in reverse. Well now that I’ve done it and completed in the game in a matter of… minutes, I’m ready to render my verdict with the TOV Breakdown.
The Good:
Spoiler Alert has a lot of positive going for it; it offers up an interesting take on casual 2D gaming, with a nice reverse twist, tossing in a decent level of humor. The controls, though limited as they may be, work well and are usually spot-on; it’s really all about timing, mainly the jumps, though some missteps may induce a little rage. But once you get used to the reverse mechanics then the game becomes a breeze to play. Sure Spoiler Alert will throw a curve or two your way, but once you’ve seen it and completed it, then you can easily go back in and do better the next time. The hand drawn graphics are well polished, very clean and cartoony, serving up bold crisp colors with fluid animation (love that chili pepper run). And finally the music adds a certain level of charm to the title and it even sounds like it’s playing in reverse-esque. Spoiler Alert is a fun, cute platformer that should be played at least once.
The Bad:
Sadly once you’ve played and beaten the game, that’s pretty much it. Here’s the thing, the levels are crazy and for the most part they’ll only take a few seconds to beat. So you can actually complete the game in a matter of minutes, which includes the bonus levels. Right now on Steam, you can get the game for close to 7 bucks, but that seems like too much for a game as short as it is with zero replay value… unless you’re a completist and need to get all ten of the game’s achievements, plus get gold on all stages.
The Ugly:
N/A
You can get Spoiler Alert right now on Steam, though if you do you may be disappointed with the end results. The game is a lot of fun, but the fun is very, very short-lived. I’d say wait until the game drops to a buck or it's included in a low priced bundle during a steam sale, then pick it up if you’re truly interested. But as it stands, out of TOV 5 stars, Spoiler Alert gets a 2.
