Video Game Review: Jolly Rover
Developer: Brawsome
Publisher: Brawsome
Type: Personal Computer
Format: Digital Download
Length: 2 - 5 hours
Content rating: Mild
Review rating: 7.0 (out of 10)
Written by: Kenneth "Link1986" Russey
When I first started playing "Jolly Rover," I'll admit I got an immense feeling that this was a "The Secret of Monkey Island" clone, and while that's not too far from the truth, first glances are quite deceptive. This doggie pirate adventure game is, if anything, an homage to the Monkey Island series that made a great impression on the creator of Jolly, Alex Goulding.
Jolly Rover starts you out as a merchant dog on his way to deliver rum to the nearby Groggy Island when a pirate crew captures you and your ship, stealing your whole delivery. You manage to escape the ship and tell the governor of Groggy Island what's happened with his alcohol, with him instead reprimanding you for losing his shipment and demanding his deposit back. Being that you have no money because of the pirates, you are forced to find work to pay back all the money owed.
This is where the action starts: from hint-giving parrots, to salty sea cooks, to cannibal bi... canines. You'll never find yourself with a dull moment. Even casual gamers can pick this up and play without fear of frustration because of the well-designed aforementioned hint-giving parrot.
At the end of the day, Jolly Rover is a great adventure game and while not without its flaws, it's a great first effort by Brawsome (the game's developer), and I look forward to a possible sequel, with a few changes here and there to even out the gameplay.
Final Score: 70 out of 100.
How I came out with the final score:
10. Funny and rememberable dialog. Good
9. A great way of implementing a hint system. Good
8. Giving so many crackers to use towards hints that they lose their value. Bad
7. Innuendo is used a tad too much. Neutral
6. Voice acting is spot on. Good
5. Voodoo dances were not used enough in the game. Neutral
4. Music fits the game, even though it was all royalty free. Good
3. Blue text for unclicked objects, white text for those clicked upon. Good
2. Final boss was a bit of a let down. Bad
1. Collecting crackers, pieces of eight, and flags unlocks concept art, music, and captain biographies. Good.
These are 6 Good things worth 60 points, 2 Neutral for 10 points, and 2 Bad for 0 points. A grand total of 70 points out of 100.
A code to redeem the game was given to us by the developer for reviewing purposes.