Gametropolis

Try not to fart review

Yes this really is a review of a game where you try and hold in a fart for as long as possible!

Title: Try Not To Fart

Format: Xbox 360 (Via Indie Marketplace)

Developed by: Silver Dollar Games

Published by: Silver Dollar Games

Genre: Simulator

Every once in a while a video game comes along that destroys any preconceptions you may have had about what the medium is capable of; something so damn radical that it changes everything…again. Try not to fart is one such game. Being the world’s first don’t-cut-the-cheese simulator, this game carries a lot of anticipation on its shoulders, but it manages to defy all expectation to deliver a truly memorable experience.

This is the finest example of post-modernist expression we’ve seen in a video game; a contemporary work of art that combines the visual simplicity and elegance of an Andy Warhol painting with the wit of Oscar Wilde, William Shakespeare and Matt Stone & Trey Parker of South Park fame. Where Try not to fart truly excels is in the way it engages the player by using settings and themes that can resonate with every human being on the planet. We are thrust into a series of scenarios encapsulating the key moments of one man’s relationship with his would-be spouse. From the first date, to meeting potential in-laws, and on to the wedding ceremony and the birth of the first child. All of us can relate to attempting to keep a fart from escaping inappropriately during the most important times of our lives.

This isn’t a passive experience – our hero’s fate literally lies in our hands as we are prompted to press and hold combinations of buttons to keep from dropping a bomb. The satisfaction of not releasing rectal radiation is immense and proves to be very addictive. Trying to hit the right buttons at the right time will have your hands contorted in ways you’ve never imagined, and parallels real-life scenarios when trying to shift your body to avoid a bottom burp while in the company of a lady friend or vicar.

And all this for a measly 80 MS points (around 70 pence).

Silver Dollar Games must be applauded for their brave pastiche of relationships and what it means to truly be human. Molyneaux, Miyamoto and Kojima may be watching their backs very soon, as it appears a new visionary auteur is on the horizon. The winds of change are indeed blowing.

9/10