Video Game Review - Say No! More

Rob Lake reviews Say No! More on Nintendo Switch...

Every console has one of those quirky titles that makes you sit back and wonder if the developers are a bit mad. Say No! More by Studio Fizbin and Thunderful Publishing will have you questioning just that. It's a bizarre game that had me questioning my sanity at points, but it's also a game that's a stroke of genius.

The story to Say No! More is fairly simple. You play as a user-created character who's just started working as an office intern. The characters of this world like to say "yes" and they say "yes" quite a lot. It's all going smoothly until your lunch gets stolen and you discover a motivational tape that's all about the power of saying...No! So begins a day that's almost akin to the Micheal Douglas film, Falling Down - without the gratuitous violence. After discovering the wonderful power of saying "no" you head off on a quest to introduce the word to your annoying co-workers. 

Say No! More's insanity/genius starts with its character creation. There's plenty of pre-made characters to choose from, or you can make your own. In creating your character there are some great and wacky designs to choose from with various hairstyles, body types, and clothing. What's more interesting is that you are also able to choose your character's language. The ability to yell "no!" In a foreign language (the game plays out in English regardless of language chose) was hilarious. I naturally picked Russian (it's a language I'd love to learn...), so yelling nyet in a slightly threatening tone was pretty good. 

The game plays out over 10-stages (prologue, eight main stages, and an epilogue). Each stage is played out via an on-the-rails format as you set through the environment yelling "no!" at your fellow citizens. As you progress through the game, you also gain the ability to power up your "no!". This adds a comedic effect as the poor victim gets blown away - as does much of the scenery.

To keep things fresh, you can also add tone to the way you say "no!", and you can even mock your victim with various sarcastic remarks. Replying with a slow handclap or the patronising nod of the head is also a way to charge your "super no!", so not only is it quite amusing, but it's also worth doing. 

Say No! More is best approached as an experience rather than a game. While it's fairly entertaining, its simple gameplay requires zero skill or effort to succeed. Any combination of sarcasm and saying "no!" push the game forward. There is zero chance to lose a confrontation and as such the game can be finished in about 90-120 minutes.

Graphics are pretty good and the world is portrayed in a block style. It all feels very much like a Sega Saturn or PlayStation title that's had an HD port - which in my opinion is never a bad thing. The story is stupid, but it oozes fun and is backed up with some surprisingly well-performed dialogue.

While Say No! More is pretty basic, it doesn't try to be anything more. It's a fun, short game that if anything gives you a couple of hours of mindless fun. The game is stupid and way, way over the top, but it just works. With some pretty good visuals and some fantastic voice acting, Say No! More is definitely worth the experience. But sadly it's lacking in everything else. 

Rating 7/10 

A code was kindly provided for this review.

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev