Strong Bad Episode 5: 8-Bit is Enough (Wii) Review

The past five or so months have seemingly flown by and it feels like just a few moments have passed since Strong Bad first came blasting onto the WiiWare scene claiming that players simply could not handle his style, and boasting on a regular basis that he was indeed Lord Awesome of Awesomeness, or something inherently similar. Quite frankly the Mexican wrestling-esque styled character is such a complete oddity, even when compared to the vast array of 'unique' creations that have graced TV sets over the years that he would not immediately strike the average person as being a potential source of great humour. However, the character traits conveyed through the impeccably strong script, the wonderfully delivered voice acting and laugh-out-loud comic timing, mixed with some welcomed slapstick humour make Strong Bad a natural lead for what really should be Homestar Runner's show.

In this, the fifth and final entry into Season One of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, Trogdor, the beefy-armed dragon of legend, has shaken free from his video game confines and is now running around the countryside, 'burninating' everything in sight without the slightest amount of regret. With a dragon on the loose and numerous other 8-bit classics leaking into the real world, it is all fun and games until the proud land of Strong Badia falls to Trogdor's fiery wrath at which point something needed to be done and feet firmly put down before more crazy shenanigans could take place. Up steps Strong Bad as he must take back the night by sending this scorching menace back into his arcade cabinet once and for all. Just one problem...does anybody know how to kill a dragon?

As with previous entries into this point-and-click adventure, players use the Wii Remote to point at various elements around the in-game world and then simply click to interact with them. This either results in an oft-humorous diatribe about items or people, or the start of conversations with other characters that can lead to further progress in the game by triggering events. On several occasions players will be tasked to use the numerous items they collect along the way in different situations, again to help them edge ever closer to the final credits. Just as with the previous four games, the format is faultless, with the control set-up so simple and intuitive that anyone can simply jump in, whilst the difficulty level of puzzles is balanced well enough to be simplistic in some cases, yet sufficiently taxing in order to maintain the attention of veteran gamers (this is also helped by the in-game hint system, which can be tinkered with depending on the level of a the gamer playing).

So what makes this so different from the last four entries, and is it actually a better game on the whole? Well, Telltale and the Chapman Brothers have saved the biggest laughs and wittiest script for last to ensure the series ends with real style. The game focuses on the Videlectrix collection of retro-styled games and how their characters end up spilling into Strong Bad's world, with him travelling to theirs as well in an effort to cease Trogdor's terror. Throughout the game players will come face-to-face with parodies of various 8-bit classics, such as Megaman, Donkey Kong's arcade titles, Super Mario Bros. and even King's Quest. Then later on there is the shock of an unusual take on First-Person favourite 'Doom'! In addition, there are several stylish 8-bit characterisations throughout, including Strong Bad himself being changed into a pixellated being as he is transferred to the 8-bit realm. Throw in a bunch of hidden extras, as is the norm with this series, as well as the fun that can be had with Strong Bad's 'Fun Machine' (an Atari 2600 look-a-like device) once the main game has been completed, and you have yourself one of the best WiiWare experiences available on the service so far. Show this some support and hopefully Telltale will be convinced to get cracking on a second season of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People...