I just devoured KIDS without it touching the sides – wait a sec… before you call the cops, what that terrible statement meant, was playing through the game in one go – nothing more sinister than that. Sicko.
Steam Next Fest takes up a lot of time, so it made sense to keep the ol’ diary free of reviews. However, with a rare bit of downtime and money burning a hole, I bought a few titles from my wishlist and stumbled upon this while searching for something different.
Jeitaro
KIDS Review (Steam)
A surreal, casual experience, KIDS was precisely what the imaginary gaming doctor ordered. It’s funny, beautifully animated, and ‘out there’. It would be more absurd to fill up a lengthy review without getting all abstract, pompous and self-indulgent – coming up with some nonsense theory of “what it all means”. Instead, the Steam page says it all:
A game of crowds.
Fat, Sexy Stick Figures
Aesthetically, the figures in KIDS are somewhat comparable to the works of Keith Haring. That’s a massive compliment to the artist here, Michael Frei, as I’m a fan of his (Haring’s, but now Frei’s) pop art. It’s a loose comparison, perhaps, but… y’know, words and stuff.
The game is a mini-sandbox where you eradicate the crowds by coaxing them into a hole – a la Donut County – going against the tide and persuading them to go one way rather than the other or squeezing them through a bowel-like trail to poop them into infinity.
Frei’s artwork is made interactive through the work of Mario von Rickenbach, and they’ve done a great job of making this a pick-up and play, intuitive experience. Of course, there were others involved, but buy the game and read the credits – it’ll be worth it.
Jeitaro
Need A Little Push?
It’s suggested that it’ll take 15-30 minutes to playthrough. It took me over 30 minutes to take my time, stopping to wipe away the brain sweat, but more realistically, admire the art, animation and hilarity. KIDS is witty, entertaining and a fun little concept.
I’m looking forward to playing this with my children when they get home today. Whether it’s family-safe or not depends on your parent skills, but I guarantee my kids will get a kick out of pushing masses of people down a hole.
It’s educational. Gravity. Init?
KIDS Review Summary
Be mindful that KIDS is a quick play, but seeing as it made me laugh aloud, it will keep my kids off the streets (for a bit), and kept me sane until Steam Next Fest kicks off, it’s a big thumbs up. Don’t like this sort of thing? Watch your back around big gaping holes.
