Review Information
Game Reviewed Cheep Cheep in the Deep v2.0, by Pedigree
Review Author Q-Nova
Created Jan 25 2019, 2:28 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview
Man, it's been a long time since I've done a review, hasn't it? Let's see...*checks submissions* it's been TWO years since I submitted a review to MFGG! Whoa! I was actually meaning to do a review for this for quite a while, but stuff got in the way as usual. Now that I have some time to finally bring my MFGG game reviewing skills back into business, let's take a look at Cheep Cheep in the Deep, shall we?

This game was originally submitted to a Minigame Competition on the forums, where contestants had to come up with games that have to be controlled in the weirdest and most unusual ways possible (like what Nintendo sometimes does with stuff like R.O.B. and the Nintendo DS), and I guess they must also involve water in some form (I mean, that's what the top 3 entries have). Cheep Cheep in the Deep uses the mouse to lure an unnamed Cheep Cheep around whatever deep sea is out in the Mario world, kinda like in Crazy Lakitu.

Cheep Cheep in the Deep won the competition and at some point, it was updated to address some issues pointed out by others. So, it seems apparent that the game did match the theme well while still being fun to play, right? Well, let's dive into this game! (Get it?)
 
Pros +Cute, original graphics
+Uncommon controls that work
+A couple powerups
+Difficultly increases over time, although...
 
Cons -...it doesn't ever feel intense enough
-Too much room for mistakes
-Trying to hit enemies can sometimes be annoying
-No high scores
 
Impressions
Gameplay
7 / 10
While many games on this site only use the keyboard for playing, Cheep Cheep in the Deep does something different by using the mouse. The cursor is used like bait, as a generic Cheep Cheep follows it whenever you got your finger on that left button! You can't catch it like a fisherman, but there are undersea enemies that may like to do so to the fish! However though, this perhaps-not-so-generic Cheep Cheep has a special trick upon its sleeve (er, the tail). When you hit the right button, the fish will give those bullies a smack with its tail! Well, its tail actually creates a lethal (possibly radioactive) wave, which actually makes this dangerous Cheep Cheep seem rather scary!

Controlling the curious Cheep Cheep is indeed unusual, but it works quite fine and doesn't feel clunky. There are some issues, though; the somewhat-dimwitted Cheep Cheep may have a little delay when letting go of the left button, so it may run into harm when you didn't mean to! Also, there were a few times where the tail's wave will go through an enemy! Oh, I guess maybe Mario doesn't need to worry about that fish as much as we had thought, eh?

Like many minigames, your goal is to get a lot of points. Score is gained in many ways, such as collecting coins (oh, apparently this little fishie is also a greedy one!?) and beating up enemies (why wouldn't it, considering enemies have quite a focus in this game?). There are a couple powerups: mushrooms that heal you (duh) and peppers that make you swim as fast as an underwater Sonic (if Sonic was a fish, that is)! Both powerups can be helpful as you score points.

The biggest pollution to this game is the difficultly. Yeah, I'd be lying if I said if it never feels like it's getting harder, but I'd also be lying if I pointed out that it gets to a point where it feels rather intense. That's right, the deep sea doesn't ever feel too dangerous for the reckless Cheep Cheep, with the biggest dangers being enemies that pass through your radioactive waves like ghosts and Torpedo Teds that may come when you least expect it (if we had a warning before these guys blast off to the other side, it would've been less frustrating).

You also don't want to let the cute fish die, but it's not really the end of the game if it happened once, or twice, OR EVEN THRICE! That's because this seemingly-immortal Cheep Cheep has LIVES, and they can get more by collecting enough coins (100, if you don't know Mario)! So, even if you make a mistake (or the fake difficultly curse has been cast on you) every once in a while, you can still have a game that lasts for very long, much longer than I think it should.

I think Cheep Cheep in the Deep would be more engaging if the difficultly had increased more and more (or at least gets harder more quickly) and the cheap Cheep Cheep only had one life for the whole game until all of their health has been lost. Collecting a lot of coins could perhaps increase health, although it might be good to only do it once (like the old arcade games). I think more variety in enemies and powerups would be nice as well; there could Yoshi submarines that fire homing missiles (which should be avoidable, though) and either Bob-Ombs or erasers that clear out all of the enemies onscreen!
 
Graphics
9 / 10
Cheep Cheep in the Deep uses fresh, new graphics that are somewhat-simple and adorable, suiting the game rather well. The background is kinda simple, it's basically a bunch of blues spread all over to resemble some sort of cave, but it's not bad nor does it distract you from the action. The seaweed is also a nice touch. I like how the coins and powerups tilt a bit as they fall through the water.

To make it feel as if we really are underwater (even though, you can't have computers underwater without getting them fried like cooked fish), the sprites have a slight blue to them, which is a cool little touch. It would've been nice if there was a way to turn off that effect, though, for those that might want a little easier time seeing the characters and items.

By the way, one graphical oddity I noticed is that if you held the mouse at the center of the unusual Cheep Cheep, they'll seem as if they bumped into a Fuzzy (the ones that are like the drugs of the Mario world, not the hyperactive ones)!
 
Sound
7 / 10
In a game that plays somewhat like an arcade game and has basic, cute graphics, there is... 8-bit Mario music? Okay, it may fit with the gameplay, but it seems odd when played with the graphics. I think 16-bit or 32-bit music would've been a better fit, but oh well; at least the music isn't bad (even if we have heard it for who knows how many times).

The sound effects sound like they're from Super Mario Advance 4, which makes the 8-bit music sound even more out of place! They aren't bad, although some more uncommon sound effects would've been nice. If there was something missing, I'd say it's menu noises. There are some instances of menu sound effects, but some like moving the cursor over a button plays silence. Also, it would be nice feedback if getting a game over played a different sound than losing all of your health (unless you're taking my suggestion on making it end through having the hard Cheep Cheep go belly-up).
 
Replay
2 / 10
Why would one want to come back to this game or give it another shot after the lives are all lost? Well, for one thing, it'd be killing time. However though, as it is right now, I think most people are more likely to play something else that is more fun and doesn't get boring as quickly. One thing that's strangely absent in a game like this is high scores; have the score-trackers got bored while tracking this easy game or what? Whatever it is, it'd be nice if that was fixed, and even nicer if online high scores are added!

If you had taken my suggestions on improving the gameplay and replay value, I think more people would be compelled to play with the *insert adjective* Cheep Cheep.
 
Final Words
6 / 10
Cheep Cheep in the Deep may seem a bit shallow in some areas, but it'd feel more worth it if the game was more engaging to play.

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