Soda Drinker Pro Review
By Edwin Velez
A flat Taste That’s Past it’s Expiration Date
Soda Drinker Pro is probably the hardest game I have had to review in my short time as a reviewer. Though it achieves its goal at being the best “Soda Drinking Simulator” on the market, it essentially trolls any player who buys it looking for substance. With that said, there is much more than meets the eye in the title. While the bulk of the titles name sake is dull, there is an additional mode called “Vivian Clark” that makes the game worth its face value. Regardless of its many shortcomings, Soda Drinker Pro is a completely unique experience for what it’s worth that is funny at times and challenging within Vivian Clark. Since these experiences are completely different, I will analyze each individually.
SDP is without a doubt one of the weirdest games I have ever played. With 102 levels of soda drinking simulations, there is a lot here, but it is all horribly shallow. Being ironic and technically dull for the sake of humor is a gesture that works in many games, but those games (like Goat Simulator) are supported by substance and objectives. SDP is not, and you quite literally just drink soda. Whether it is on a human butt, in space, or in someone’s mouth, each level will see you consume a whole soda at your own pace. When you initially start the game, you are made aware of a collectable known as “Bonus Soda”, which does absolutely ZERO to enhance the experience. Other than support a few achievements, Bonus Soda’s are just there for comedic effect, which dies out after about 10 levels. To add even the smallest hint of video game finesse these Bonus Sodas could have simply been made a collectable, hidden in each level like stars in the Mario series, but sadly are just there to be there. In many cases, these sodas are actually out of reach and impossible to get. The player can only slowly walk (most of the time) and drink, that is it when it comes to controlling yourself.
SDP is without a doubt one of the weirdest games I have ever played. With 102 levels of soda drinking simulations, there is a lot here, but it is all horribly shallow. Being ironic and technically dull for the sake of humor is a gesture that works in many games, but those games (like Goat Simulator) are supported by substance and objectives. SDP is not, and you quite literally just drink soda. Whether it is on a human butt, in space, or in someone’s mouth, each level will see you consume a whole soda at your own pace. When you initially start the game, you are made aware of a collectable known as “Bonus Soda”, which does absolutely ZERO to enhance the experience. Other than support a few achievements, Bonus Soda’s are just there for comedic effect, which dies out after about 10 levels. To add even the smallest hint of video game finesse these Bonus Sodas could have simply been made a collectable, hidden in each level like stars in the Mario series, but sadly are just there to be there. In many cases, these sodas are actually out of reach and impossible to get. The player can only slowly walk (most of the time) and drink, that is it when it comes to controlling yourself.
It’s easy to find the humor in the title, which makes it an easier experience to talk about. Its apparent blandness and almost MS Paint like graphics are a testament to its goal of being what it wants to be unapologetically. SDP is not meant to be taken seriously, and if you plan on doing so you are setting yourself up for a bad time. Of the previously mentioned 102 levels, at least half in my opinion are hilariously (and creatively) titled and conceptualized. Some of the best moments in the game are where you find even a hint of interactivity, like drinking soda at a skate park and grinding your way through some tasty bonus sodas. I wanted more moments like these, and had the game been slimmed and polished a bit more like these it would have an entirely different impact on the player base. Upon beating these base levels, you are treated to an additional 16 bonus levels which takes the already staggering and exhausting amount of levels up another notch. With already that many levels in the title, many will be surprised to know that within level 2 of the base game awaits Vivian Clark, an experience that is so out there it’s fun.
In Level 2, titled “In the park” there is a crudely drawn house on one of the games walls. If you walk through its two-dimensional door, you are transferred to a new start screen for an entirely different game which is title (as mentioned before) Vivian Clark. What starts off feeling like a fun little arcade game quickly turns into the weirdest acid trip in game form. It something that I don’t think I can fully explain and begs to be played, but essentially it is a procedurally generated mish-mash of small games that all somehow connect. Supported by sprites and animations that are straight out of an Adult Swim lover’s dream, VC is just bonkers. But it is also a fun, challenging time if you can grasp its concept. It is hands down the best part of the title. During my time within its realm I have been over a dozen different characters all trying to accomplish obscure goals. Like WarioWare in purgatory, Vivian Clark is a love letter to all the 32-bit oddity titles that had cult followings back in the day. Though many of these mini experiences unfortunately play like clunky platformers from the 90’s, it is a challenging, mysterious adventure.
Without the support of Vivian Clark, it would be even harder to recommend Soda Drinker Pro. While at the end of the day it’s not for everyone, some players will surprisingly find some value in the games hidden second title. Within the games namesake simulator, there is just not enough depth and substance. The impressive amount of original tunes and humorous moments give it some life, but not enough to make this drink a refreshing experience. Since there are two entirely different titles packed in one, there individual scores are 4/10 for Soda Drinker Pro and 7/10 for Vivian Clark, bringing the final average score to 5.5/10.
*Note: A copy of the game was provided for the purposes of the review
Without the support of Vivian Clark, it would be even harder to recommend Soda Drinker Pro. While at the end of the day it’s not for everyone, some players will surprisingly find some value in the games hidden second title. Within the games namesake simulator, there is just not enough depth and substance. The impressive amount of original tunes and humorous moments give it some life, but not enough to make this drink a refreshing experience. Since there are two entirely different titles packed in one, there individual scores are 4/10 for Soda Drinker Pro and 7/10 for Vivian Clark, bringing the final average score to 5.5/10.
*Note: A copy of the game was provided for the purposes of the review
Final Score: 5.5/10
|
+Humorous
+Vivian Clark |
-Bland and Clunky
-Overly Obscure -No Substance |
Release Date: 4/14/2016
Developer: Snowrunner Productions
Publisher: Snowrunner Productions
Developer: Snowrunner Productions
Publisher: Snowrunner Productions