Mushroom 11 (2015)

Mushroom 11 manages to be fun, despite its few shortcomings. While there are parts that may prevent a second playthrough due to a frustrating amount of trial-and-error, it still manages to be enjoyable most of the time it's on. At the end of the day, its interesting concept and relatively good execution carry it beyond its shortcomings, and make it one of the best puzzle-platformers to come out of the indie scene.

Mushroom 11 is an elegant and innovative game that keeps surprising me. Though its central mechanics are impressive on their own, the entire game has been skillfully designed. It's easy to brush aside lofty claims, but Untame has delivered the distinctive gaming experience they promised and then some.

I will admit, it's tough for me to say that Mushroom 11 is a game for everyone. Still, fans of puzzles or platformers definitely owe it a look, and those who enjoy trying out new things are sure to find something here. Even outside of the genre, there's enough that's innovative and creative enough that I'd recommend taking a peek at the game's Steam page

It is, by turns, silly and brutal—evoking both hand-slams of irritation and chuckles of defeat. The unexpected handful of boss fights in particular have an entertainingly wobbly randomness to them, like a battle in inflatable sumo-suits that were filled to the seams with helium. But it's also hard to love a game that, in its final stages, asks for a precision that you have little control of. What is easy to love about Mushroom 11 is its odd nihilistic bent.

The developers at Untame should be proud and confident that they can build thorough and robust gameplay structures around their ideas. But the concept at the centre of Mushroom 11, I would implore, is not something they should return to.