Granted, there’s probably a limited audience for a game based around the idea of projectile vomiting, but we saw potential in SPRay. Your character – the Spirited Prince RAY, responsible for the odd caps in the title – runs around the kingdom with two floating ghost buddies who spew endless geysers of barf, water, oil, and other bodily on everything in sight. Unfortunately, lousy controls, repetitive levels, an absolutely broken camera and game-killing bugs almost completely destroy the final experience. We should’ve seen it coming – when was the last time you had fun while blowing chunks?
We’ll give SPRay credit for committing fully to the game concept, though – your magically endless supply of intestinal fluid is needed for everything. Barf on the quicksand-like black goop that the enemy goons spread, and it becomes safe to walk upon. Upchuck onto an invisible platform, and you can see where to walk. Puke water onto a flower, and it blooms. Spew sticky goop onto walls and ceilings, and you gain cling to them. You can also stick some enemies in place, making them easier for Ray to slap with his sword. There’s more, but you get the idea, right? There’s a lot of fluid being expelled here.
Unfortunately, there’s a very real danger you’ll send your Wii remote flying through the air along with the streams of goop, thanks to one of the single worst cameras we’ve ever seen in a game. It just doesn’t follow you very well at all, so you often don’t see whatever’s directly in front of Ray, whether it be an enemy, a bottomless chasm, or a magical door. Almost every move we made turned into two moves because we had to re-center the camera after each jump, each turn, each attack. Also, Ray controls terribly, gliding around as if he isn’t even attached to the ground. This robs any sense of fluidity (how ironic) from your movement and makes simply navigating the levels a total chore.
While we’re on the subject of navigation, you’ll see some of these levels a lot, as you constantly have to backtrack. This seems deliberate too, as the developers have made it possible to coat some areas with ice, so you can speed through them more quickly – but it doesn’t help stave off the boredom. Hey guys, here’s a thought: how about just creating some more levels, hmm? It’s not like these six are all that inspired anyhow. They lack variety, and the graphics are ho-hum at best.
As a final insult, some players are experiencing game-killing programming bugs that lock doors or remove crystals, making it literally impossible to complete the game. That is inexcusable. SPRay’s concept was solid enough to have spawned an amusing little title. But the execution is so badly done, SPRay might just have you running to the restroom and praying to the porcelain god yourself.
Dec 23, 2008
