Franken Is The Funniest RPG I’ve Played So Far This Year

thegamer.com:

What happens when you distil the essence of old-school RPGs—the grand quest and posturing about saving the world, the wandering about in the forested wilderness, and the sometimes overwrought combat system—into a single game? You’ll get Franken, a charming little 16-bit RPG that infuses both the highlights of the genre, as well as the absurdity of more recent fare like Earthbound and Undertale, into a miniature, hour-long experience. Despite its smallness, Franken is an odyssey to remember, squeezing as much endearing yet largely meaningless babble, and all other manner of hogwash, into its short journey.

The game cuts to the chase too–well, after a long, scrolling marquee of exposition that details the not-so-wretched setting of this universe, anyway. In short, the province of Fentinsenark has been thrown into turmoil, with the lands now overrun by monsters and threatened by the looming presence of the dreaded Hell’s Knight, and you’re supposed to defeat him before all is lost, yadda yadda—you know, all that jazz. But don’t let this wall of text stop you; upon stepping foot in this hallowed lands, you’ll soon make quick work of the monsters in the vicinity. Combat merely comprises a single 'fight' button, with HP succinctly represented by pixelated hearts. In fact, one of the features of the game is said to be “the most rudimentary battle system imaginable”, and it’s true; there’s no other unnecessary flourishes involved, like magic spells or mana or whatever. Plus, victory comes with clear rewards: with every battle won, you’ll simply level up and deal more damage.

Related: Swindle Rich Aristocrats With Card Tricks In Card Shark

Monsters, too, are also your garden variety baddies like slimes, crabs, and corrupt