Game: Freddy Spaghetti
Genre: Action, Adventure, Simulation
System: Nintendo Switch (also Steam, PS4, PS5, & Xbox)
Developer|Publisher: Playful Pasta | Ratalaika Games
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US Everyone
Price: UK £4.99 | EU €4,99 | US $4.99
Release Date: December 18th 2020
Review code provided with many thanks to Ratalaika Games
Meet Freddy
Freddy Spaghetti is one of those weird physics-based games where the controls are deliberately off. You literally play a strand of spaghetti created by Dr P Starr who spends the game narrating the story. It’s a weird adventure where you will probably giggle, get frustrated and maybe very confused. But at a nice price point, it’s hard not to take a peak.
Loose Like Pasta
As Freddy Spaghetti, you move and jump awkwardly through several short levels on the adventure of a lifetime for a sentient piece of pasta.
The game starts by getting you familiar with the controls. Each of the triggers of the controller controls one side of your spaghetti strand. By pressing in rhythm and pointing with the analogue stick you can waddle about the small 3D environments. By holding the triggers and releasing you can also jump.
In the early stages of the game, you perform basic tasks many of which are just moving from one point to another while the narrator advances the plot. The game is at its best when you are solving some basic physics-based puzzles like destroying all the glasses on a table, typing some stuff on a keyboard or playing a little piano. The game does, however, mix in some stages where you need to jump between platforms, run away from hazards and cross the road whilst avoiding traffic. Since the controls are off these felt much more of a nuisance since if you fail them you restart the level from the beginning.
Many of them also felt overdone and outstayed their welcome very quickly. The game also has a habit of repeating the same level types multiple times. With a loose and difficult control scheme, this just made the game more of a chore than fun. When it does decide to focus more on puzzles it’s much more enjoyable.
A Great Narrator
Graphics are pretty standard 3D environments with basic colour palettes. You’ll visit a variety of settings but won’t exactly be blown away. I guess though that this is probably the best video game I’ve ever played where you star as a strand of spaghetti, so it certainly has that accolade going for it. The voice actor for the narrator is excellent as well. He really sells the story about Freddy coming to terms with being pasta and what it decides to do with the information.
The game is not very long at all. While there are many levels some take mere seconds to complete. You can probably get through it in under 4 hours. The game keeps a tally of the time it takes you to finish levels so there is an incentive to speedrun or beat your time. There’s no multiplayer but this is a game I could see family or friends enjoying watching a play than joining in themselves. Once you’re done though there are bonus levels that unlock that let you replay expanded versions of older levels.
Conclusion
Freddy Spaghetti feels a bit like a novelty Christmas present. Some will open the gift and get the joke and like it but others will open it probably be polite and smile and not understand, then possibly give it away to someone next year.
It’s a nice price to take a chance on, maybe even consider buying it for a friend, but if you’ve not been sold on physics-based games like Octodad or Human: Fall Flat before this will unlikely be the one to win you over. I guess it is the best video game ever about Spaghetti though.
Final Verdict: I like it
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