Let me start this review by saying that I enjoy games that make me laugh. I can forgive a lot if the characters and storyline are actually humorous. Not taking yourself too seriously goes a long way in my book, which is why I liked games such as Dink Smallwood. My World My Way is just such a game; short on enjoyable gameplay, but long on self-mockery and silliness. Will it win you over? Let’s take a look.
Story
You are the spoiled rotten princess of the kingdom. One day you hold a ball, which is where you meet a handsome adventurer. Thinking he’ll recognize your greatness at once, you talk to him, only to have him reject you as a spoiled little girl. Undaunted, you figure you should become an adventurer yourself to impress your prospective beaux, and set out to do just that.
Of course, you’ve never been out of the castle, are completely clueless about the world at large, and have no practical skills other than pouting. Fearing for your safety, your father the king orders the great adventurer Nero to watch over you and set up some easy adventurers. The king’s hope is that you’ll soon tire of adventuring and return home. However, this won’t be as simple as he expects!
My World My Way is a light-hearted, upbeat romp which constantly turns self-referential, breaking the fourth wall in order to poke fun at RPG hallmarks. The princess repeatedly talks to monsters about their purpose: to give her their experience points and equipment. The game pokes fun at the nature of fetch quests (of which you will do many in you sojourns), weapon acquisition, and even how all townspeople tend to look the same. Few RPG staples manage to avoid getting roasted, and I personally love that sort of thing.
Fortunately, the characters themselves are interesting. I have never seen a main character grow so much without actually changing at all. Equally entertaining are “the mayor,” the fortunetellers, and Nero himself. I found them to be some of the most refreshing personalities in JRPGs as of late.
Gameplay
Now here’s where things go downhill. If you get past the story and characters, there’s very little else to hold your interest. The gameplay is extremely traditional and repetitive, despite having a few quirks. It proceeds as follows: go to town area, get fetch quests, do fetch quests, fight gate guardian, go to next town. There is no deviation from this formula, and while it provides ample fodder for wisecracks from the princess, it doesn’t provide much in the way of gripping entertainment for the player. The fetch quests usually involve you going out to the different grid circles of field and “searching” for the requested items to find or enemies to defeat. Sometimes these quests can be accomplished by just standing in one spot repeatedly pressing A until you find enough of what you’re looking for.
At times you will be asked to go into a dungeon and retrieve items/kill a boss in which case you actually run around the dungeon doing just that. Not too far into your journey, you encounter your pet parrot Paro, who is responsible for casting spells (you’re too impatient to learn any) and a pink slime, Pinky, who fights alongside you. Pinky improves his stats and abilities by mimicking the body parts of defeated enemies. You, on the other hand, improve by leveling up and eating meals at the inn which improve your stats. Ho hum.
Fortunately, there is one novel aspect to the game, and that is pout points. The princess is spoiled, and has developed the power to pout in order to get her way. Many things can be achieved by pouting, including getting new weapons/armor to appear at stores, changing terrain, making enemies go away or freeze in battle, and even completing quests! Pouting is an indispensable ability, and one that makes the game flow much more smoothly. Still, it is really the only interesting aspect of gameplay, and it can’t save the game alone.
Music & Graphics
Music and graphics can go together in the category “uninspired.” There is nothing interesting about either the graphics or the music, with the exception of how upbeat the music is. The game is rendered in polygons, making it all look like a 1st gen PS1 game, and the spell effects are nothing special. There are some nice character portraits during dialogue scenes, but what game doesn’t have those nowadays? All in all, a lackluster showing.
Control
The controls aren’t bad, actually. No need for the stylus, which is good, and shortcut buttons are used to good effect. Menu navigation is also a breeze.
Overall
Overall, I’m afraid to say that this game is for one category of gamer only; those who like self-referential games and have disposable income. Clocking in at a measly 20 hours, with very little replay value, this is not a game that will be worth hard-earned money. However, if you are a trust-fund baby or can find it to rent, it’s definitely worth a playthrough. The humor alone is refreshing. All others, beware.
