Hi all! I can't quite figure out if this game is supposed to have native (Mac) controller support? For some reason, I thought it did, but I can't get it to work. If it doesn't, no worries, but it would be good to know for sure! Thanks!
It worked! And thank you for creating this game. I have never experienced speculative fiction that felt so real. Queerness to the core = rad (in every sense of the word). One more question though: Where is the Mac save game file located? Wait, one more: I am assuming Season 2 will be a separate purchase, but will any decisions made in Season 1 have an influence on it? Wait, still one more! I had a look at Season 2, and the meach (meat + mech???) animations look dope, but there seems to be a pretty radical departure in the character design. You have probably commented on this elsewhere, so could you shove me in that direction? Thanks again!
The mac savegame file should be located in ~/Library/Application Support/Heather Flowers/EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER/save.mpx -- I'm not 100% sure on this since I don't own a mac, but it's the likeliest place to find it.
Season 2 will be a separate purchase, and your decisions in S1 have a number of effects on the game's story. Not just the big decisions, too -- lots of little decisions have a way of coming back!
The reason for the departure in character design is twofold. First, S2 has a different character artist (Ryan Rose Aceae, who also worked on GENDERWRECKED), and second, everyone's been trekking across the wilderness for over a week now and the wear is starting to show. Like, they're just sleeping on the ground. None of them are feeling or looking great at this point, and the artstyle has been updated to reflect that.
Thanks for your responses, Heather! I found the save file. You’re basically right, except the folder in Application Support = com.HeatherFlowers.EXTREMEMEATPUNKSFOREVER, in case anyone else is trying to find it!
This scratches an itch like only one other game I've ever played. Brilliant soundtrack, brilliant story, brilliant characters. It's rough around the edges, but in a way, that only improves it: you're closer to the metal, or in this case, the exposed, bloody muscle. Deals with heavy topics in a way that I'm very interested to see continued in the second season (get hyped!!!)
If you're looking for a polished game this is super not that. If you're looking for the weirdest game about mechs, this might be close. it has great writing, and a world that is horrifying and normal and strange all at the same tim.
The gameplay isn't great, except that it super kinda is?? I will never get tired of *teleports behind a fascist* as ROOTS AMONG ASH like im the bodily incarnation of the nothing personnel meme.
Oh also this game has some GOOD mech names. And then you meet Brad and somehow that makes his mech name even better?
This game's sick. It's a little rough around the edges but the characters and world building kept me super engaged. It's really cool to see a game that's super unapologetically LGBTQ like this. Can't wait for season 2!
The name was what caught my attention but the plot and characterization were what sold me. This game is a blast and a solid start to my adventure through the Racial Justice bundle. (Also, Brad is a whole mood.)
It has a lot of elements I like. The plot seems interesting, the characters could be really likable with some development, the world is cool, but..
It has much more that I don't really like.
The dialogue is written like a group chat, and that really REALLY doesn't flow into what is supposed to be an out-loud conversation. I mean seriously, keysmashing, 'u/ur' and 'LMAO'?? It just makes it impossible to read without cringing at least a little bit. Added to that, the dialogue just seems kinda janky, and unrealistic. The characters don't really interact in a way that flows. Then there's random fights that don't make sense, and are resolved within minutes, and it all just adds up to make unsatisfying and un-enjoyable dialogue.
The story is another thing that doesn't really flow. Now, I absolutely could've missed something, I am tired, and I apologise if I did. But from what I gathered playing the game, you're sort of thrust into this world with very little world-building or information, so you feel slightly disoriented during the game. You're waiting for more information about the world to be divulged, but it never is. Reviewing the story and adding in some more backstory and info could go a long way to improving this game, and how immersive it is.
Then there's the look of the game. I love the hand-drawn characters, but the backgrounds and the fighting scenes just look.. Bad. But then again, appearances are purely opinion based, and if enough people including the developers like it, then that's alright.
Finally, the gameplay with the fighting scenes could be improved a bit. I think what you have now is a really good base, but it just feels like it needs something. Maybe add more of a damage system instead of just pushing enemies off of cliffs? Or remove the strange drifting effect, like your characters are running around on ice rather than dry ground. All in all, the fighting mechanics are good, but could be even better!
I apologize if any of this comes across as rude or upsetting, I'm just giving as much constructive criticism as I can. I really would like to see this game improve and do well!
That being said, I think you can totally save it for the next 'season' of gameplay! With a few edits and changes this could be made into a really enjoyable game. Just please consider practicing your dialogue writing, and fiddling with some aspects of the gameplay. This game is an okay start. But it could be a great finished product. There's definitely some potential here!
Picked this up in the bundle for racial justice and this game was just a blast! The characters were charming and dynamic, the setting was a high octane fever dream, and the music was wicked as hell. Excited for season two!
If you like so bad it's good games, give this a play. I started it because of the praise of "dialogue" and "characters" and "story" but oh my god I ended up loving it and finishing it because of the sheer horrific writing. Can't wait for more so bad it's good fun.
Firstly, the writing. It's just.... Bad. I hate to say it, but... When I read the other comments raving about how real the dialogue sounded, I expected writing that would read like real people talking out their situation in a natural way... And what I got was writing that read like people messaging each other in a facebook group chat about their situation. (I know what 'sdfkfsdjfsk' means in context, but it's a little jarring to see it in what is supposed to be an out-loud conversation, you know?)
Conflict repeatedly flares up out of nowhere, characters argue, neither one of them learns anything or develops at all, and then they move past it in 2 minutes. Breaking up a stranger's heated argument by dabbing? What? Nothing about these characters or the way they interact feels real.
And then there's the enemies, known only as "The Fash", who are written much less like the kind of fascist who would corner you on the street and fight you, and much more like the kind of fascist who would call you a cuck on /r/TheDonald. ("Intellectual superiority" LMAO)
But, story isn't everything you know! I can push past a subpar story as long as the core game is fun to play! Well....
It's close! It's almost fun! It's like.... fun-adjacent. The idea of a 2-D top down super-smash-bros-style brawler is one that has potential, I could see something like this being a fun arena multiplayer game. But with little to no variation in the enemies, and only one unique move per character, plus a basic punch, the game itself gets stale after the first few fights. And without that carrot-on-a-stick of fun gameplay, after the second or third 'sdfksdjsfkdjs' I lost the will to continue.
Which is a shame, because there are a lot of stylistic elements here that I like a lot. The monochrome, hand-drawn character art, combined with the ASCII-on-gradient environments makes a very unique and striking style, and I greatly appreciate that the battle theme morphs instruments based on who you're playing. Super cool idea. It's just a shame that everything built upon the stylistic elements is.... lacking.
Just played through with ImmortalRay and low key so glad I played. Sci-Fi is usually not my genre, but as I said on my 3 tweets on twitter this lowkey is the best game I have played in so long. Up there with Fire Emblem and Danganranpa in the favorites list. Amazing inclusivity, elegant approach to sensitive topics, fun gameplay that doesn't impose on the beautiful narrative. Loved this game so much I will fite anyone and everyone over these precious babies of characters (Including the not-baby that is Brad. He is a man and his boundaries should be respected. <3 )
Just played through it with a friend and didn't know what I was expecting but I absolutely loved this game and the art style! I'm excited to see what's to come for season 2!
i played through EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER a few months ago and since it’s included in the Bundle for Racial Justice right now i figured i oughta leave it a review so that everyone who picked up the bundle knows what game to play first.
it’s this one
EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER gets so many things right. its dialogue feels like human conversation instead of TV script, it’s rough around the edges in the best way possible, and it boasts a compelling narrative and characters. upon completion of the game i immediately backed the now-successful kickstarter for EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER SEASON 2: BOUND BY ASH because this first season was so good. please play this game.
This game hits good. I'm a fan of Biopunk (or Ribofunk, w/e), even if any good work in that genre is hard to find, and still I feel like Meatpunk deserves its own genre title.
Why? Because it bleeds character, all over the place. Surface level: we are all meat machines, and everyone is trans, bi gay straight whogivesafuckjustbewhatyouare. Also: quite fresh to see a set of characters where straights are barely represented. The bright colours, the honest, straight-up talks the characters have, the repeated admittance of fault and imperfection. All good stuff. It's almost a moodboard turned video game.
I did feel it was maybe still a little happy-go-lucky around chapters 3 and 4, when I was expecting some real hard genre introducing/showcasing throughout, of what I was expecting Meatpunk to be all about. I was thinking: Dark, grimy, harsh as all fuck, a sprinkling of visualized, traumatizing body horror. The grand-scale bloodshed a metaphor for the emotional rip-and-tear that the characters are facing.
But maybe I am going in with wrong expectations. Maybe there is actually a lot of room for love and kindness in the meatpunk world. And it's not even that well-hidden. It just has to exist right next to the hate and sweltering bright, no choice for it.
Or maybe I just picked an odd set of conversation topics.
Keep up the good work, I'm going to see if I can get any of my friends to play it, so we can discuss it.
I first got interested in this because of the music, then I read the concept and it sounded really interesting to me. I just finished episode 4, and I'm loving it. The writing is really fun and gripping. I'm laughing, and also really invested in the characters. Planning to play through it multiple times to see everything.
I just played this game, it was fantastic! It managed to bring together a lot of my favorite things, from queer stuff to body horror, all while making me really emotional. I can't wait for season 2, thank you so much.
Thank you so much for this game. I had been really excited to play this and still wasn't prepared for how good it was. It made me feel so many things, beautiful and sorrowful. My heart felt full playing this game. The jokes landed so well and the feelings hit so hard. The genre mashup is fun and perfect. All of the interesting disparate pieces manage to fit together so well. It's such an excellent mix of politics and memes and beautiful descriptions and heartfelt dialogue. The characters and world are so evocative. I had a lot of fun playing and can't wait for season 2!
Got this in the recent Summer bundle, looked real interesting and I've just literally finished the first season. I got to say that I thoroughly love the weird twist on mechs, the meat related grossness, the strange cyber-flesh-punk mood. I also loved the visual novel parts, I think it's a fantastic spin on the cyberpunk genre with some actually interesting characters. something not often seen in a trodden out genre. characters with depth and emotions. But my biggest grip is the fighting sequences. While I don't mind the visual style, I feel there is a distinct lack in basic game design in regards to feedback. Not sure whether it was a bug on my side, but I had no sound when hitting the attack button, nor is there any audio cue as to when you actually hit an enemy. The lack of audio-visual feedback makes it hard to understand both what my mech is doing or what the enemies are doing. Some cool sound effect would have been amazing to make this a more compelling experience. After a while the fights also become rather repetitive with a lack of distinctly different mechs. Something that would also add to the universe as a whole. What kind of different mechs are there, what can they do etc. Overall I really like the story but the fighting sequences started to get frustrating and more of a chore to me. I really wanted the end battle to stop at some point. I appreciate the option to skip them but I think they could be developed further to make fighting in the game a more compelling experiences. It is afterall part of this game, so why not make it as strong as the other parts? Looking forward to seeing where this goes though! Good Job!
The combat is, admittedly, the weakest part of the experience. This is something that we're determined to change, and we've put a lot of work into upgrading the combat for Season 2 (Kickstarter coming later this Summer)! I'm very glad you enjoyed the rest of the experience, even though the combat was a bother!
Hey I just got this and its great, thanks for your work! The story and characters are awesome and the mechfighting is intense even tho it at first glance seems simple.
Im playing the linux version and it seems like its working perfect, except now I'm on episode 3 with the Brad/Lianna fight, and after I get 3 points in, and going for the fourth, it just seems to stop counting, it sais Brad or Lianna briefly in the textbox but no matter how many times I knock them out I dont win?
Looking forward to continue this game and thank you for supporting linux also!
Hi, there! This is unfortunately a known problem in the Linux version of the game. I don't know how to fix it directly since it only exists on Linux, but there's a way around it: once you get to the point where the bug occurs, press Z+P to skip to the next scene. That should get you around it and allow you to enjoy the rest of the story.
Thank you so much for playing! Sorry about the bug 😅
Hey! No problem, that sounds like an easy fix :) maybe you should mention it above, you already have a paragraph about the linux version so you could add that fix in!
Hey again! I got to the beginning of Episode 6 now, but it never fades out of black after the narrator saying sorry :/ and then pressing Z+P there seems to sort of break it - I get to after Hopeville (it seems? theres three new characters joining them) going up to the top of the mesa, and then I walked to that horned mech and it said "T", and then it jumped to the previous chapter (where I got to choose whether to have a good or a bad talk that had consequence according to narrator).
If you have any ideas of how I could fix it again that would be awesome, but anyways I understand that it might be hard to fix such things for the linux build :)
Hey! That's... Really goddamn weird, I'm not gonna lie. The line "I'm so, so sorry" doesn't jump to a new scene, so I'm hard-pressed to think of why it would glitch out like that, and I can't think of a single reason the horn mech would jump you all the way back to episode 5. I'd recommend rebooting your computer, and if that doesn't work, I'm happy to issue you a refund. Apologies for the glitches!!
Hey! Dont worry, I got past it by running the windows version with WINE (windows compability layer), and thru WINE it works! :D Gonna continue the story today \o/
I tried looking at some logs and stuff, there seems to be some hickup at the usage of "." but I'm not sure that's related? I cannot attach files to this reply but I'll try and send you a PM or however it works! I'll send you the unity Player.log.
For the record I tried running the linux game with the -force-glcore and -force-opengl, both the 32 and 64 bit versions, no change.
I have a friend Liam who runs the gamingonlinux.com site, and I said he should cover your game, but he said until these bugs are fixed he probably wont have time. It might not be worth your time still tho but you decide! Im happy to try out any fixes you make.
I feel like it took me too long to get to this. Glad I finally got around to it, even if the ending did fill me with Actual Despair for a little bit there. Well written, the soundtrack rules, and as a dude who just likes seeing diverse and unique and, well, human characters in stuff, you did a hell of a job because this had all of those things. God damn but this game gets right to the core of things (or the meat of the matter. Eh? Eh?) with its characters. Just a complete delight.
Season 2 seems like it will be very exciting indeed.
this game rocks. I was sold on the premise alone, but the writing is soooo well done, from the main characters to the side stories like creepy clerk. and when they actually talk about serious things I nearly teared up. will recommend this to all my friends.
So, I've already raved about how great and true the story is (because even if it is completely fantastic and wild, it speaks to some palatable truths about fury and indignation in our time), but I'd also like to note, having thought about it a bit, just how cool it is to see a genuine example of trashy DIY video game punk art, where the edges are not smoothed, aesthetic is cheap and flimsy and nothing of it feels wrong or off, because it is how those things are best served.
Absolutely fantastic. Can't get enough of the hellworld news irl and this encapsulates the hope for the better in the face of however grim things get. Started out wanting to focus on a couple of characters and ended up rooting for all of them. Don't mean to gush, but thanks doesn't seem to cut it <drunk>, cheers!
Incredible game. A simple yet engaging combat system, compelling characters, an emotional roller coaster of a story. I realize all this sounds like generic praise, but I do love this game to death. Can't wait for the finale!
Bought, played through all the out episodes thus far. Irreverent, explosively funny, not afraid to stop at anything short of genuine outrage. Incredibly punk in the best possible way. Can't recommend it enough.
I've played the game through episode 3, and there are so many things I love about it and it's hard to land on a few points to bring up.
First of all, the characterization and mood is fantastic. I feel like I'm playing Firefly if hthr made Firefly instead. Immediately I'm in a world that feels real and lived in and somehow makes sense.
The game's narrative makes a subtle and multifaceted commentary on the nature of people that is so rare in today's media: people hurt, people chafe, people cry and bite and punch. And it happens and it sucks but those feelings are valid on all sides.
This is the rare kind of game that is so much more than the sum of its already fantastic parts. I had high expectations going into it (because hthr) and was so happy to have them exceeded when I was sucked into a real, meaty, hurting world.
Aw heck yeaH. Honestly, this game feels like A Queer's Guide to Surviving The Everyday Apocalypse in every way. Even the gameplay lends itself to a best strategy for getting by irl. And with each character dealing with this hell in their own way, it's really easy for me to find myself in each one of them.
Cass is incredible, this game is great, Heather's great, and blood stations are the best! Thank you!
I love this a lot. The characters are messy and appealing, and the whole way it's written and put together feels so effortless. The art is awesome - the ASCII stars in the night sky are incredibly beautiful. I'm so excited for the rest of the story!
The style in this game is so damned good. The ASCII backgrounds contrasted against the character art, the blocky abstracted mech designs, the unsettling pre-fight vignettes... I love it.
This is legitimately amazing. I can't wait for episode 3.
Eps 1-2 of EMF are wonderfully executed, if a bit short. Dialog stands out, answering unspoken questions while deepening the mystery of the world around you. Also the main cast is all gay so 10/10.
I always get very nervous when I see people talking about "Neonazis" in combination with any sort of identity politics. Because a lot of people seem to just apply the "Nazi" tag to literally anyone who they disagree with these days. I hope this doesn't fall into that trap.
Then I'm happy to report that these are genuine bonafide neonazis! One hundred percent actual literal fascists that want to kill anyone unlike them (including but not limited to the four gay protagonists of this story). Made in America's late-capitalist imperialist hell regime and imported directly to an alternate universe where most technology is made out of meat. Seriously, I don't get where you're coming from here -- do you live in a world where neonazis don't exist? Because where I'm from, they're fuckin' frequent.
If this game isn't for you, feel free to not play it. If you bought a copy and turned out to not enjoy it, I'll gladly give you a refund. But don't come in here complaining about a game you haven't played just because of your own preconceptions of what it must be.
Where do you live where you see literal neo-nazi fascists just wandering around in SS uniforms on the street? I was given to believe they mostly hung out in basements and screamed about things on the internet. It doesn't sound like a very nice place, wherever it is.
In any case, if you feel somehow attacked by this post I'll delete it. I'm not defending actual fascists, racists, sexists, etc, I've just seen a lot of very angry and exaggerated rhetoric lately and was hoping this game wasn't a victim of it. Nazi is a pretty powerful word and when it gets applied to garden variety jerks or just people who don't agree with something, it waters it down. It makes real neo-nazis less of the gut punch of terrible that they actually are. I already see people on your twitter conflating me with being one. Its becoming Reductio ad Hitlerum and I worry that it will normalize actual neo nazis by making people inoculated to the word/idea.
And no, I haven't played it yet. But thats because it isn't finished yet and I don't like playing episodic games if all the episodes aren't out yet. Half Life 2 fooled me once.
If you're looking for something that isn't intensely angry and intensely political you've come to the wrong game. Again, really not sure why you feel the need to comment if it's clear you don't actually want to play the game.
Update: saw you edited this while I was replying to it. Nobody on my twitter called you a nazi, the thing normalizing neonazis isn't people saying "neonazis are bad" but instead the people saying "neonazis are good", and whether you play the game is of very little concern to me. That said, the fact that you're trying to talk down at me about the politics of a game that you haven't played and that I have spent literal months making says a lot about you as a person. Now say something constructive or don't say anything at all.
I'm not talking down to you? At least not intentionally. I'm expressing my opinion and then explaining it. Again, if that is offensive to you, I'm sorry.
Since this seems to be going nowhere fast I'll just leave it at that.
Well I live in Germany and eventhough people don't want to hear it and argue about it all the time, there is literal nazis everywhere. They are in our parliaments, on talk shows, teaching in universities and schools and massively present and active in police and military. Not a week goes by, without hearing about more nazi infrastructure being uncovered, cops stashing munitions and weapons on the side for "day X" or cops who post openly racist and völkisch bullshit on twitter or cops exfiltrating information about LGBTQ and antifacist activists to neonazis so they can terrorize them. I think the representation in this game is very accurate, looking at the UK, France, Italy, Hungary, Rumania, the US and russia it seems to be the same. Only difference to reality: Reality is less colorful and we don't have mechs to stomp the facists, otherwise I'd be out there crushing them. They have already been normalized, let's call them by their names: NAZIS. They are not just alt-right or libertarian or whatever the fuck they call themselves. EDIT: sorry, I know this discussion is 2 years old, but I just had to add that.
This game is a wonderful, beautiful, angry, and triumphant clash of aesthetics and feelings and I'm super excited to see where the future episodes go. Please check this out!
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as my bff avgn would say
i piss pant
I was expecting something way different
Hi all! I can't quite figure out if this game is supposed to have native (Mac) controller support? For some reason, I thought it did, but I can't get it to work. If it doesn't, no worries, but it would be good to know for sure! Thanks!
Hi! Unfortunately, the game isn't set up for controller support. Thank you for asking!
Thanks Heather! I’ve set up one of those controller mapping doodahs, as my carpal tunnel is acting up. Hopefully that will work!
It worked! And thank you for creating this game. I have never experienced speculative fiction that felt so real. Queerness to the core = rad (in every sense of the word). One more question though: Where is the Mac save game file located? Wait, one more: I am assuming Season 2 will be a separate purchase, but will any decisions made in Season 1 have an influence on it? Wait, still one more! I had a look at Season 2, and the meach (meat + mech???) animations look dope, but there seems to be a pretty radical departure in the character design. You have probably commented on this elsewhere, so could you shove me in that direction? Thanks again!
I'm glad you enjoyed! To answer your questions:
Thanks for your responses, Heather! I found the save file. You’re basically right, except the folder in Application Support = com.HeatherFlowers.EXTREMEMEATPUNKSFOREVER, in case anyone else is trying to find it!
This scratches an itch like only one other game I've ever played. Brilliant soundtrack, brilliant story, brilliant characters. It's rough around the edges, but in a way, that only improves it: you're closer to the metal, or in this case, the exposed, bloody muscle. Deals with heavy topics in a way that I'm very interested to see continued in the second season (get hyped!!!)
If you're looking for a polished game this is super not that. If you're looking for the weirdest game about mechs, this might be close. it has great writing, and a world that is horrifying and normal and strange all at the same tim.
The gameplay isn't great, except that it super kinda is?? I will never get tired of *teleports behind a fascist* as ROOTS AMONG ASH like im the bodily incarnation of the nothing personnel meme.
Oh also this game has some GOOD mech names. And then you meet Brad and somehow that makes his mech name even better?
This game's sick. It's a little rough around the edges but the characters and world building kept me super engaged. It's really cool to see a game that's super unapologetically LGBTQ like this. Can't wait for season 2!
The name was what caught my attention but the plot and characterization were what sold me. This game is a blast and a solid start to my adventure through the Racial Justice bundle. (Also, Brad is a whole mood.)
this game is... almost good. Almost.
It has a lot of elements I like. The plot seems interesting, the characters could be really likable with some development, the world is cool, but..
It has much more that I don't really like.
The dialogue is written like a group chat, and that really REALLY doesn't flow into what is supposed to be an out-loud conversation. I mean seriously, keysmashing, 'u/ur' and 'LMAO'?? It just makes it impossible to read without cringing at least a little bit. Added to that, the dialogue just seems kinda janky, and unrealistic. The characters don't really interact in a way that flows. Then there's random fights that don't make sense, and are resolved within minutes, and it all just adds up to make unsatisfying and un-enjoyable dialogue.
The story is another thing that doesn't really flow. Now, I absolutely could've missed something, I am tired, and I apologise if I did. But from what I gathered playing the game, you're sort of thrust into this world with very little world-building or information, so you feel slightly disoriented during the game. You're waiting for more information about the world to be divulged, but it never is. Reviewing the story and adding in some more backstory and info could go a long way to improving this game, and how immersive it is.
Then there's the look of the game. I love the hand-drawn characters, but the backgrounds and the fighting scenes just look.. Bad. But then again, appearances are purely opinion based, and if enough people including the developers like it, then that's alright.
Finally, the gameplay with the fighting scenes could be improved a bit. I think what you have now is a really good base, but it just feels like it needs something. Maybe add more of a damage system instead of just pushing enemies off of cliffs? Or remove the strange drifting effect, like your characters are running around on ice rather than dry ground. All in all, the fighting mechanics are good, but could be even better!
I apologize if any of this comes across as rude or upsetting, I'm just giving as much constructive criticism as I can. I really would like to see this game improve and do well!
That being said, I think you can totally save it for the next 'season' of gameplay! With a few edits and changes this could be made into a really enjoyable game. Just please consider practicing your dialogue writing, and fiddling with some aspects of the gameplay. This game is an okay start. But it could be a great finished product. There's definitely some potential here!
Picked this up in the bundle for racial justice and this game was just a blast! The characters were charming and dynamic, the setting was a high octane fever dream, and the music was wicked as hell. Excited for season two!
Thank you!
If you like so bad it's good games, give this a play. I started it because of the praise of "dialogue" and "characters" and "story" but oh my god I ended up loving it and finishing it because of the sheer horrific writing. Can't wait for more so bad it's good fun.
I wanted to like this game, I really did.
Diverse cast? Check.
Creepy futurepunk dystopia? Check.
Bizarre bio-mech robots? Check
Killing Nazis? Check.
What's not to like? Well...
Firstly, the writing. It's just.... Bad. I hate to say it, but... When I read the other comments raving about how real the dialogue sounded, I expected writing that would read like real people talking out their situation in a natural way... And what I got was writing that read like people messaging each other in a facebook group chat about their situation. (I know what 'sdfkfsdjfsk' means in context, but it's a little jarring to see it in what is supposed to be an out-loud conversation, you know?)
Conflict repeatedly flares up out of nowhere, characters argue, neither one of them learns anything or develops at all, and then they move past it in 2 minutes. Breaking up a stranger's heated argument by dabbing? What? Nothing about these characters or the way they interact feels real.
And then there's the enemies, known only as "The Fash", who are written much less like the kind of fascist who would corner you on the street and fight you, and much more like the kind of fascist who would call you a cuck on /r/TheDonald. ("Intellectual superiority" LMAO)
But, story isn't everything you know! I can push past a subpar story as long as the core game is fun to play! Well....
It's close! It's almost fun! It's like.... fun-adjacent. The idea of a 2-D top down super-smash-bros-style brawler is one that has potential, I could see something like this being a fun arena multiplayer game. But with little to no variation in the enemies, and only one unique move per character, plus a basic punch, the game itself gets stale after the first few fights. And without that carrot-on-a-stick of fun gameplay, after the second or third 'sdfksdjsfkdjs' I lost the will to continue.
Which is a shame, because there are a lot of stylistic elements here that I like a lot. The monochrome, hand-drawn character art, combined with the ASCII-on-gradient environments makes a very unique and striking style, and I greatly appreciate that the battle theme morphs instruments based on who you're playing. Super cool idea. It's just a shame that everything built upon the stylistic elements is.... lacking.
this is all exactly what I was thinking! This game has so much untapped potential, and I hope the developers do even better for season 2.
Just played through with ImmortalRay and low key so glad I played. Sci-Fi is usually not my genre, but as I said on my 3 tweets on twitter this lowkey is the best game I have played in so long. Up there with Fire Emblem and Danganranpa in the favorites list. Amazing inclusivity, elegant approach to sensitive topics, fun gameplay that doesn't impose on the beautiful narrative. Loved this game so much I will fite anyone and everyone over these precious babies of characters (Including the not-baby that is Brad. He is a man and his boundaries should be respected. <3 )
Thank you for playing!! I'm glad you enjoyed :)
Just played through it with a friend and didn't know what I was expecting but I absolutely loved this game and the art style! I'm excited to see what's to come for season 2!
Thank you!! Here's the trailer for Season 2, if you haven't seen it:
Thank you so much! I'll have to watch it in a second:
My god... Do I really own this now? -_-
Is there a button to remove/unbuy certain games?
Sorry, you've been drafted into antifa now, your supersoldier training begins in the morning
<3 frick yes.
Yeah this game sounds like a dumb joke.
i played through EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER a few months ago and since it’s included in the Bundle for Racial Justice right now i figured i oughta leave it a review so that everyone who picked up the bundle knows what game to play first.
it’s this one
EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER gets so many things right. its dialogue feels like human conversation instead of TV script, it’s rough around the edges in the best way possible, and it boasts a compelling narrative and characters. upon completion of the game i immediately backed the now-successful kickstarter for EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER SEASON 2: BOUND BY ASH because this first season was so good. please play this game.
Thank you! 1500 games is a little overwhelming!
Thank you!!
This game hits good. I'm a fan of Biopunk (or Ribofunk, w/e), even if any good work in that genre is hard to find, and still I feel like Meatpunk deserves its own genre title.
Why? Because it bleeds character, all over the place. Surface level: we are all meat machines, and everyone is trans, bi gay straight whogivesafuckjustbewhatyouare. Also: quite fresh to see a set of characters where straights are barely represented. The bright colours, the honest, straight-up talks the characters have, the repeated admittance of fault and imperfection. All good stuff. It's almost a moodboard turned video game.
I did feel it was maybe still a little happy-go-lucky around chapters 3 and 4, when I was expecting some real hard genre introducing/showcasing throughout, of what I was expecting Meatpunk to be all about. I was thinking: Dark, grimy, harsh as all fuck, a sprinkling of visualized, traumatizing body horror. The grand-scale bloodshed a metaphor for the emotional rip-and-tear that the characters are facing.
But maybe I am going in with wrong expectations. Maybe there is actually a lot of room for love and kindness in the meatpunk world. And it's not even that well-hidden. It just has to exist right next to the hate and sweltering bright, no choice for it.
Or maybe I just picked an odd set of conversation topics.
Keep up the good work, I'm going to see if I can get any of my friends to play it, so we can discuss it.
Can’t seem to add it to my account.
Fixed! Try again.
Thanks!
Behind splashy "paint-esque" graphics hides a real marvel about biopunk, good music, story and bits of gore. Great work.
Thank you for playing!
I first got interested in this because of the music, then I read the concept and it sounded really interesting to me. I just finished episode 4, and I'm loving it. The writing is really fun and gripping. I'm laughing, and also really invested in the characters. Planning to play through it multiple times to see everything.
keep being awesome, can't wait for season 2.
I'm so glad you're enjoying!!
I just played this game, it was fantastic! It managed to bring together a lot of my favorite things, from queer stuff to body horror, all while making me really emotional. I can't wait for season 2, thank you so much.
I'm glad you enjoyed! :)
Thank you so much for this game. I had been really excited to play this and still wasn't prepared for how good it was. It made me feel so many things, beautiful and sorrowful. My heart felt full playing this game. The jokes landed so well and the feelings hit so hard. The genre mashup is fun and perfect. All of the interesting disparate pieces manage to fit together so well. It's such an excellent mix of politics and memes and beautiful descriptions and heartfelt dialogue. The characters and world are so evocative. I had a lot of fun playing and can't wait for season 2!
I'm so, so glad you enjoyed!!!
Got this in the recent Summer bundle, looked real interesting and I've just literally finished the first season. I got to say that I thoroughly love the weird twist on mechs, the meat related grossness, the strange cyber-flesh-punk mood. I also loved the visual novel parts, I think it's a fantastic spin on the cyberpunk genre with some actually interesting characters. something not often seen in a trodden out genre. characters with depth and emotions. But my biggest grip is the fighting sequences. While I don't mind the visual style, I feel there is a distinct lack in basic game design in regards to feedback. Not sure whether it was a bug on my side, but I had no sound when hitting the attack button, nor is there any audio cue as to when you actually hit an enemy. The lack of audio-visual feedback makes it hard to understand both what my mech is doing or what the enemies are doing. Some cool sound effect would have been amazing to make this a more compelling experience. After a while the fights also become rather repetitive with a lack of distinctly different mechs. Something that would also add to the universe as a whole. What kind of different mechs are there, what can they do etc. Overall I really like the story but the fighting sequences started to get frustrating and more of a chore to me. I really wanted the end battle to stop at some point. I appreciate the option to skip them but I think they could be developed further to make fighting in the game a more compelling experiences. It is afterall part of this game, so why not make it as strong as the other parts? Looking forward to seeing where this goes though! Good Job!
Hello! Thank you very much for your feedback.
The combat is, admittedly, the weakest part of the experience. This is something that we're determined to change, and we've put a lot of work into upgrading the combat for Season 2 (Kickstarter coming later this Summer)! I'm very glad you enjoyed the rest of the experience, even though the combat was a bother!
Awesome, very much looking forward to more! :D
Hey I just got this and its great, thanks for your work! The story and characters are awesome and the mechfighting is intense even tho it at first glance seems simple.
Im playing the linux version and it seems like its working perfect, except now I'm on episode 3 with the Brad/Lianna fight, and after I get 3 points in, and going for the fourth, it just seems to stop counting, it sais Brad or Lianna briefly in the textbox but no matter how many times I knock them out I dont win?
Looking forward to continue this game and thank you for supporting linux also!
Hi, there! This is unfortunately a known problem in the Linux version of the game. I don't know how to fix it directly since it only exists on Linux, but there's a way around it: once you get to the point where the bug occurs, press Z+P to skip to the next scene. That should get you around it and allow you to enjoy the rest of the story.
Thank you so much for playing! Sorry about the bug 😅
Hey! No problem, that sounds like an easy fix :) maybe you should mention it above, you already have a paragraph about the linux version so you could add that fix in!
Thank you for the fast answer!
Hey again! I got to the beginning of Episode 6 now, but it never fades out of black after the narrator saying sorry :/ and then pressing Z+P there seems to sort of break it - I get to after Hopeville (it seems? theres three new characters joining them) going up to the top of the mesa, and then I walked to that horned mech and it said "T", and then it jumped to the previous chapter (where I got to choose whether to have a good or a bad talk that had consequence according to narrator).
If you have any ideas of how I could fix it again that would be awesome, but anyways I understand that it might be hard to fix such things for the linux build :)
Hey! That's... Really goddamn weird, I'm not gonna lie. The line "I'm so, so sorry" doesn't jump to a new scene, so I'm hard-pressed to think of why it would glitch out like that, and I can't think of a single reason the horn mech would jump you all the way back to episode 5. I'd recommend rebooting your computer, and if that doesn't work, I'm happy to issue you a refund. Apologies for the glitches!!
Hey! Dont worry, I got past it by running the windows version with WINE (windows compability layer), and thru WINE it works! :D Gonna continue the story today \o/
I tried looking at some logs and stuff, there seems to be some hickup at the usage of "." but I'm not sure that's related? I cannot attach files to this reply but I'll try and send you a PM or however it works! I'll send you the unity Player.log.
For the record I tried running the linux game with the -force-glcore and -force-opengl, both the 32 and 64 bit versions, no change.
I have a friend Liam who runs the gamingonlinux.com site, and I said he should cover your game, but he said until these bugs are fixed he probably wont have time. It might not be worth your time still tho but you decide! Im happy to try out any fixes you make.
Thanks again for a great game!
I'm glad it worked out through WINE! I'll let you know if I have any updates re: the regular Linux situation.
I feel like it took me too long to get to this. Glad I finally got around to it, even if the ending did fill me with Actual Despair for a little bit there. Well written, the soundtrack rules, and as a dude who just likes seeing diverse and unique and, well, human characters in stuff, you did a hell of a job because this had all of those things. God damn but this game gets right to the core of things (or the meat of the matter. Eh? Eh?) with its characters. Just a complete delight.
Season 2 seems like it will be very exciting indeed.
this game rocks. I was sold on the premise alone, but the writing is soooo well done, from the main characters to the side stories like creepy clerk. and when they actually talk about serious things I nearly teared up. will recommend this to all my friends.
Thank you!! I'm glad it connected with you :)
I'm glad you enjoyed! :)
So, I've already raved about how great and true the story is (because even if it is completely fantastic and wild, it speaks to some palatable truths about fury and indignation in our time), but I'd also like to note, having thought about it a bit, just how cool it is to see a genuine example of trashy DIY video game punk art, where the edges are not smoothed, aesthetic is cheap and flimsy and nothing of it feels wrong or off, because it is how those things are best served.
Thank you!!
Absolutely fantastic. Can't get enough of the hellworld news irl and this encapsulates the hope for the better in the face of however grim things get. Started out wanting to focus on a couple of characters and ended up rooting for all of them. Don't mean to gush, but thanks doesn't seem to cut it <drunk>, cheers!
Thank you for playing!! I'm glad you enjoyed :)
Incredible game. A simple yet engaging combat system, compelling characters, an emotional roller coaster of a story. I realize all this sounds like generic praise, but I do love this game to death. Can't wait for the finale!
Thank you for playing!! I hope you enjoy what's to come :)
Bought, played through all the out episodes thus far. Irreverent, explosively funny, not afraid to stop at anything short of genuine outrage. Incredibly punk in the best possible way. Can't recommend it enough.
Thank you!!
I need to save for a college course now but ima save this for later :)
I liked the part where there was the queer people and the meat mechs and the facists dying and the soundtrack.
That's my favorite part too!!
I've played the game through episode 3, and there are so many things I love about it and it's hard to land on a few points to bring up.
First of all, the characterization and mood is fantastic. I feel like I'm playing Firefly if hthr made Firefly instead. Immediately I'm in a world that feels real and lived in and somehow makes sense.
The game's narrative makes a subtle and multifaceted commentary on the nature of people that is so rare in today's media: people hurt, people chafe, people cry and bite and punch. And it happens and it sucks but those feelings are valid on all sides.
This is the rare kind of game that is so much more than the sum of its already fantastic parts. I had high expectations going into it (because hthr) and was so happy to have them exceeded when I was sucked into a real, meaty, hurting world.
(Sam & Lianna are my favs)
Thank you!!! I'm so glad the game resonated with you :)
Aw heck yeaH. Honestly, this game feels like A Queer's Guide to Surviving The Everyday Apocalypse in every way. Even the gameplay lends itself to a best strategy for getting by irl. And with each character dealing with this hell in their own way, it's really easy for me to find myself in each one of them.
Cass is incredible, this game is great, Heather's great, and blood stations are the best! Thank you!
Aw, thank you!! ^_^
I love this a lot. The characters are messy and appealing, and the whole way it's written and put together feels so effortless. The art is awesome - the ASCII stars in the night sky are incredibly beautiful. I'm so excited for the rest of the story!
Thank you for playing!! :)
This game is so hecking good.
The style in this game is so damned good. The ASCII backgrounds contrasted against the character art, the blocky abstracted mech designs, the unsettling pre-fight vignettes... I love it.
This is legitimately amazing. I can't wait for episode 3.
Thank you for playing!! I hope you enjoy the rest of the season :)
Eps 1-2 of EMF are wonderfully executed, if a bit short. Dialog stands out, answering unspoken questions while deepening the mystery of the world around you. Also the main cast is all gay so 10/10.
Thank you!! :)
I always get very nervous when I see people talking about "Neonazis" in combination with any sort of identity politics. Because a lot of people seem to just apply the "Nazi" tag to literally anyone who they disagree with these days. I hope this doesn't fall into that trap.
"Brad dabs." I feel ill.
Then I'm happy to report that these are genuine bonafide neonazis! One hundred percent actual literal fascists that want to kill anyone unlike them (including but not limited to the four gay protagonists of this story). Made in America's late-capitalist imperialist hell regime and imported directly to an alternate universe where most technology is made out of meat. Seriously, I don't get where you're coming from here -- do you live in a world where neonazis don't exist? Because where I'm from, they're fuckin' frequent.
If this game isn't for you, feel free to not play it. If you bought a copy and turned out to not enjoy it, I'll gladly give you a refund. But don't come in here complaining about a game you haven't played just because of your own preconceptions of what it must be.
Where do you live where you see literal neo-nazi fascists just wandering around in SS uniforms on the street? I was given to believe they mostly hung out in basements and screamed about things on the internet. It doesn't sound like a very nice place, wherever it is.
In any case, if you feel somehow attacked by this post I'll delete it. I'm not defending actual fascists, racists, sexists, etc, I've just seen a lot of very angry and exaggerated rhetoric lately and was hoping this game wasn't a victim of it. Nazi is a pretty powerful word and when it gets applied to garden variety jerks or just people who don't agree with something, it waters it down. It makes real neo-nazis less of the gut punch of terrible that they actually are. I already see people on your twitter conflating me with being one. Its becoming Reductio ad Hitlerum and I worry that it will normalize actual neo nazis by making people inoculated to the word/idea.
And no, I haven't played it yet. But thats because it isn't finished yet and I don't like playing episodic games if all the episodes aren't out yet. Half Life 2 fooled me once.
If you're looking for something that isn't intensely angry and intensely political you've come to the wrong game. Again, really not sure why you feel the need to comment if it's clear you don't actually want to play the game.
Update: saw you edited this while I was replying to it. Nobody on my twitter called you a nazi, the thing normalizing neonazis isn't people saying "neonazis are bad" but instead the people saying "neonazis are good", and whether you play the game is of very little concern to me. That said, the fact that you're trying to talk down at me about the politics of a game that you haven't played and that I have spent literal months making says a lot about you as a person. Now say something constructive or don't say anything at all.
I'm not talking down to you? At least not intentionally. I'm expressing my opinion and then explaining it. Again, if that is offensive to you, I'm sorry.
Since this seems to be going nowhere fast I'll just leave it at that.
Well I live in Germany and eventhough people don't want to hear it and argue about it all the time, there is literal nazis everywhere. They are in our parliaments, on talk shows, teaching in universities and schools and massively present and active in police and military. Not a week goes by, without hearing about more nazi infrastructure being uncovered, cops stashing munitions and weapons on the side for "day X" or cops who post openly racist and völkisch bullshit on twitter or cops exfiltrating information about LGBTQ and antifacist activists to neonazis so they can terrorize them. I think the representation in this game is very accurate, looking at the UK, France, Italy, Hungary, Rumania, the US and russia it seems to be the same. Only difference to reality: Reality is less colorful and we don't have mechs to stomp the facists, otherwise I'd be out there crushing them. They have already been normalized, let's call them by their names: NAZIS. They are not just alt-right or libertarian or whatever the fuck they call themselves. EDIT: sorry, I know this discussion is 2 years old, but I just had to add that.
This game is a wonderful, beautiful, angry, and triumphant clash of aesthetics and feelings and I'm super excited to see where the future episodes go. Please check this out!
Thank you!! ^_^